Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2024 i MacLife

iOS 18, COMING this fall for iPhone Xs and newer, delivers new customization options on the Home Screen and Lock Screen. In Control Center, you can add supported third–party app controls, and customize controls’ layout and sizing. Photos is redesigned, with a new carousel view and collections to organize content automatically. Mail sorts your inbox into categories using on–device intelligence, and a new digest view groups emails from the same sender. iMessage offers text formatting and animated text effects, and you can schedule messages to send later. Messages via satellite can keep you connected when cellular or Wi–Fi connection is not available. Safari uses machine learning to surface key info from a web page such as locations. There’s a new Passwords app to manage passwords, passkeys, and verification codes. For…

One of the most pertinent questions now asked by those looking to buy new Apple gear is whether they should splurge on an iPad or a Mac. Or, if you’re lucky, both. But the either/or dilemma became just that little bit harder to answer after Apple’s recent tablet upgrades, with the new iPad Pro and iPad Air (see p66 and p70). And in the future, there may well be another type of device to consider. A patent has recently been granted to Apple for a “hinged keyboard accessory having multiple installation modes for a tablet computing device”. In other words, a hybrid tablet/notebook. A similar patent for a hybrid device was also granted in July 2023. Of course, companies like Apple file patents all the time. We’ve seen countless intriguing…

THE ICLOUD SERVICE offers more than cloud storage for files and media. By switching on the iCloud option for key Apple apps on both Macs and mobile devices, you can keep this data in sync between your gear. Make a change on one device, and it’s reflected on all the others. We’re concentrating on Safari, Mail and Messages here, but you can also sync data — and make it available on iCloud.com — in Calendar, Reminders, Notes, Contacts and more. To turn on iCloud for these apps on a Mac, open System Settings/Preferences from the Apple menu, click [your name] > iCloud and then the Show More Apps button. Make sure iCloud is switched on for the apps in question. On a mobile device, open Settings and tap [your name]…

iCloud+ Family Sharing If you subscribe to iCloud+, as opposed to only using the free 5GB you get with your Apple ID, you can share storage with your family. After setting up Family Sharing, you can then invite family members to join your shared iCloud+ plan, so the extra capacity to which you’ve subscribed can be used by everyone in your family group. THERE ARE SEVERAL ways in which you can share files and collaborate using iCloud. You can even share a folder, so others can add to and delete its contents. In Apple’s iWork apps — Pages, Numbers and Keynote — as long as a file is in iCloud Drive you can send it to another person or collaborate on it. With a group of people working on a…

YOU CAN GET 1,000 NITS OF BRIGHTNESS BY USING VIVID MODERN MAC DISPLAYS can go super–bright, but only when HDR content is involved. Fortunately, you can get 1,000 nits of brightness whenever you want by using an app called Vivid. Vivid uses your Mac display’s HDR capabilities to push its brightness beyond its normal bounds. This is great for when you need to use a MacBook outside in bright sunshine, or if you want a better movie–watching experience, even if the content is not in HDR. It works using your standard brightness keys — except they go twice as bright. It also comes with extra features like customizable shortcuts and a setting that shuts off Vivid if your battery is low. MODERN MACS ONLY Vivid only works on modern Macs…

ORGANIC LIGHT–EMITTING DIODE (OLED) display technology has only ever been used in a limited way in Apple products, being chiefly found on the iPhone and Apple Watch. That looks set to change. With the new iPad Pro sporting an Ultra Retina XDR display that uses Tandem OLED, you can expect OLED to appear in even more Apple products in future, including Apple computers such as the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. So what is OLED, and what advantages does it offer over the more common LCD and LED display technologies that are in use today? There’s a lot of jargon involved with display tech, so it’s worth a quick recap. Most displays currently used for computers, tablets, TVs and other devices use LCD technology — which stands for liquid crystal display.…

YOUR IPHONE’S PHOTOS library will be crammed full of shots featuring people pictures. To make sure that you’re capturing friends and family looking their best, it’s worth tinkering with your iPhone camera’s settings and finding the most appropriate shooting modes to suit your subjects. 1 FORMATS To save storage space, your iPhone can capture photos in HEIF (High Efficiency) format. This captures shots that don’t take up much storage space, but it lacks some of the tonal and color information in larger JPEG files. If you want to store even more information about a scene (for more choice at the editing stage), shoot in ProRAW format. This stores images as. DNG (Digital Negative) format files that you can edit in Apple Photos, as well as in third–party apps such as Adobe’s…

IT’S ONLY TAKEN about 40 years, but it’s starting to look as though Apple is finally getting serious about gaming on the Mac. For most of its history, Apple has simply ignored gaming altogether — in fact, there have been times when it actually made life difficult for gaming companies who wanted to develop Mac versions of their top titles. The result is a real dearth of A–list games available on the Mac — titles such as Diablo IV, Elden Ring and Hogwarts Legacy have sold millions on PC, Xbox and PlayStation in recent years, yet still show no signs of ever appearing on the Mac. Part of the problem was simply that most Macs just didn’t have the graphics horsepower required to run the latest 3D games. However, the…

IT’S NO COINCIDENCE that Apple developed a sudden interest in gaming just as it was preparing to launch the Vision Pro. Apple has been careful not to pitch the Vision Pro simply as a gaming device — it’s way too pricey for that — but it also knows that games, video and entertainment are important for the future of its spatial computing headset. The Vision Pro can play most games and apps that are available on the App Store, as well as linking the headset to a Mac in order to play Mac games on Steam and other game stores. At the moment, most of these are conventional games that simply use the Vision Pro like a straightforward external monitor — which just happens to be strapped to your head.…

Reimagined for the M4 iPad Pro, the new Magic Keyboard really does live up to its name. Available in black or white finishes and costing $299 for the 11–inch model and $349 for the 13–inch, it comes with a proper function key row for the first time as well as a larger glass trackpad with haptic feedback, set in a Mac–like aluminum palm rest. The function row contains 14 keys for easy access to functions like media playback. The keys offer 1mm of travel, making it a joy to type on. Like previous Magic Keyboards, this new model suspends the iPad Pro cantilever–style above the typing deck, so you can easily adjust your viewing angle. Sadly, the keyboard is still fixed in place in landscape orientation — meaning you’ll need…

$24.99 From www.gamesir.hk Features Hall effect thumb sticks, Xbox button layout, customizable buttons, rumble motors, plastic case, compatible with iPhone, iPad, Windows, Android, Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch GAMESIR OFFERS AFFORDABLE controllers for iPhone, iPad and other devices, with its latest model, the Nova Lite, boasting Hall effect sticks and good customization options for a hair under $25. Despite its low price, the Nova Lite feels sturdily built, with no loose panels or creaky plastic. The thumb sticks and sides have a reassuringly grippy coating, while the aesthetics are pleasantly minimalist and stylish in an understated way. While the triggers feel a little spongy, the buttons are all solid in use. So far, so good. The thumb sticks use Hall effect tech, which means their components do not physically touch and…

Andrew Cottle Art Editor Andy’s mission to improve his Insta shots (every poor dog that crosses his path), continues — George Cairns advises how to take our photos up a notch (p52). Rachel Terzian Production Editor Rachel has been wishing for a while that Siri had many more useful capabilities, and is excited to hear that Apple Intelligence is set to give it a huge boost. Howard Oakley Contributor Problems with your Mac, iPhone or iPad? Luckily, Howard’s waiting on p46 to answer all your hardware and software questions.…

YOU MAY HAVE noticed recently, as many have, that Google search is increasingly ropey. Unsurprisingly, the first result for any given Google search query eats up the majority of clicks from that search, and anything that’s not on the first visible set of results on the screen (or “below the fold”, to borrow a print newspaper term) sees a colossal drop off in clicks from searchers. What you’ve probably seen in Google results is that the entire first screen is now made up of multiple paid results, Google shopping recommendations, alternative search suggestions, and exhortations to watch YouTube — so even the first ACTUAL search result is often pushed below the fold. The thing that Google believes best answers your question is relegated to a space that Google’s own data…

THE ICLOUD SERVICE stores your important data such as photos, files, backups and more on Apple’s servers. All this can then be accessed using any of your Apple devices, or on the web at iCloud.com. You can also use iCloud to sync information such as notes, contacts, Safari favorites, reminders, wallet info and more across your Apple gear. Write a note on your iPad, and you can review it on your Mac and iPhone. Add a contact on your iPhone, and it also appears on your Mac and iPad. When you sign up for your Apple ID, you’re automatically given an iCloud.com email address and 5GB of free storage. If — or perhaps when — you run out of space, you can get more with a monthly subscription. Syncing You can…

FIRST THINGS FIRST. On a Mac, open System Settings/Preferences, and click [your name] > iCloud, and turn on “Access iCloud Data on the Web”. On a mobile device, in Settings, tap [your name] > iCloud and do the same. This makes your data available on iCloud.com. But what is iCloud.com? In a nutshell, it’s a web portal for your iCloud and iCloud Drive services. When you open the website and sign on using your Apple ID, you see a series of tiles. These give access to your data. Click the Photos tile, for example, and you can review and manage your iCloud Photos, just like you can from the Photos app. iCloud Mail lets you send and receive emails from your iCloud email address, and there are tiles for iCloud…

THERE WILL HAVE probably been many times when you’ve wanted to access a file or folder on your Mac without having to rummage around inside your computer to locate it. On occasions like that, aliases can be invaluable. In short, an alias provides a shortcut to an item on your Mac. So, you could store a group of files inside a folder in your Documents folder, then create an alias of that folder on your desktop. Open the alias and you’ll be taken to the original location, with all the proper files in place. This is useful if you want to keep files in their original place while still having an easy way to access them. It also means there’s no need to duplicate files and folders and lose storage…

IF YOUR MAC’S messier than a teenager’s bedroom after a wild weekend sleepover, it may be time to call in a supernanny — and that’s where Hazel comes in. Now on Version 5, this brilliant utility from Noodlesoft will help tidy up and then keeps things tidy, thanks to its straightforward interface and powerful condition–based rules. Hazel can come to the rescue in all kinds of ways — whether it’s clearing up a particularly messy desktop; fetching and carrying images, video and music files and putting them in the proper places; or even sweeping away the detritus left behind by uninstalled apps. Plus, Hazel can work with other automation apps on Mac, such as Automator and Shortcuts, to quickly handle things like file conversions (JPGs to PNGs, say) and do…

CANVA IS ONE of the most useful art and design apps on the iPad, thanks to its ease of use and sheer flexibility. Available for free or with a Premium subscription for $14.99/month or $119.99/year for more elements, Canva is the perfect app to create artwork, posters, documents, and more. Usually, design apps offer limited services on the free tier, but Canva is genuinely useful without forking out for a Premium membership. The platform is not only one of the best apps on iPad but also one of the best apps on just about any Apple kit, and all of your projects will transfer between your devices. If you’re looking for an app to start making designs for your small business or create artwork in your spare time, Canva is…

NO SUBJECT IS too big or too small for your iPhone to capture. When it comes to landscapes (or cityscapes) the iPhone’s Ultra Wide (13mm) camera can capture a wide field of view in Photo mode. Ironically, the Ultra Wide lens is also used to take macro shots. This is a great way to shoot detailed photos of flora and fauna. 1 GO WIDE Traditionally, DSLR camera users would hold their camera in a vertical (portrait) orientation and take several snaps as they panned to capture a wide landscape. They would then have to stitch five or six shots together in an app such as Photoshop to create a single panoramic image. If the exposure changed during the panning and shooting stage, then you’d see bands of slightly different blue…

THE MAC APP STORE is the obvious place to look for games — especially casual games that are available on the Apple Arcade subscription service. However, the Mac App Store can be pricey, so it’s not the best place to buy A–list titles. Steam is the biggest online game store (https://store.steampowered.com), although a recent update means that the Steam app now only runs on macOS 10.15 or later. GOG (www.gog.com) has a smaller selection of games on its store, but often has good discounts. Some big game companies also have their own stores, such as Blizzard, which sells World Of Warcraft through its own https://battle.net.…

THERE ARE HUNDREDS of great Windows games that have never been released for the Mac, but there are a couple of options that make it possible to run the original Windows versions on your Mac. Parallels Desktop is a "virtualization" program that allows you to create a virtual machine (or VM) that runs Windows on your Mac. This isn’t an ideal solution though — it’s quite expensive as you have to buy Parallels itself (www.parallels.com), as well as paying for a version of Windows (Windows 11 Pro on Arm) that will run on Apple silicon. You’ll also need a very fast Mac with plenty of memory to get decent performance for 3D games — and even then there seem to be lingering compatibility problems with some games. There’s another option…

$129 From www.apple.com Features Tilt and pressure sensitivity, wireless pairing and charging, Squeeze, Barrel roll, Haptic feedback, Apple Pencil hover, double tap, Find My, compatible with M4 iPad Pro (11–inch and 13–inch), M2 iPad Air (11–inch and 13–inch) LAUNCHED ALONGSIDE THE new M4 iPad Pro (p66) and iPad Air (p70), the Apple Pencil Pro brings some welcome new features — along with more than a little confusion. That’s because while it’s supposed to be a direct replacement for the Apple Pencil (2nd gen), that Pencil remains available at the identical price of $129. The Apple Pencil (1st gen) and Apple Pencil (USB–C) are also still on sale. The caveat here is that the new Apple Pencil Pro only works with the new M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air, but…

You can test Gigapixel AI 7’s tools by clicking the Free Demo icon. The only thing you can’t do is save the restored results. A pop–up menu suggests which AI model should produce the best results with different media. Experiment with AI models. The High fidelity model works best with low–res video frame grabs. After the AI model has worked it magic, manually fine–tune the image using the Sharpen, Denoise and Fix Compression sliders. If you already subscribe to Adobe Photoshop 2024, then you’ll find that a combination of its Super Zoom and Photo Restoration Neural Filters produce upscaled and restored images that are on par with Gigapixel AI 7’s results.…

LAUNCHING THIS YEAR’S Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple announced its own take on AI, dubbed Apple Intelligence, coming later this year in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. It requires the computational power of Apple silicon, however, so will run only on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPad and Mac models with Apple M–series processors. Apple Intelligence will deliver new system–wide Writing Tools to rewrite, proofread, and summarize text nearly everywhere you write, including Mail, Notes, Pages, and third–party apps. Mail gains Priority Messages at the top of your inbox, surfacing emails it recognizes as most urgent, such as a same–day invitation or boarding pass. Across your inbox, Mail displays useful summaries of messages instead of just their first lines. Smart Reply offers suggestions for a quick response,…

AUDIO AND HOME UPDATES AirPods (2nd gen) gain Siri Interactions — nod yes or gently shake your head no to respond to Siri announcements. On AirPods Pro, Voice Isolation will help make your voice clearer in windy or noisy environments. Personalized Spatial Audio makes for even more immersive gameplay. The Home app introduces guest access and hands–free unlock for supported entry locks. NEW FOR APPLE WATCH The Smart Stack, designed to help you quickly access important information from any watch face, is even more intelligent in watchOS 11. New widgets including Shazam, Photos, Distance, and more are available. Plus, it can suggest widgets based on time, date, location, daily routines, and more. The Translate app also comes to Apple Watch, so you can access translation for one of 20 supported…

I have for years been asking Apple to do two things: first, in the voice and speech settings. It is time that they release an English Canadian voice. As a blind person who uses Voiceover, it is imperative that this be done; Americans, dare I say it, speak differently. For example, we English Canadians annunciate the first and last letters of the alphabet differently, so starting there would show Apple that we need our own voice. Second, Apple also needs to improve accessibility on Apple Watch. The Messages app is very hard for the blind to use, but Apple seems unwilling to make changes. DEAN STEACY These are great suggestions, Dean. Your email also suggested that it was about time Apple created a pair of waterproof Bluetooth EarPods with a…

Previews or full sized images You can save storage space by keeping previews on your local devices. On a Mac, open the Photos app and in the Photos menu, choose Settings/Preferences. In the iCloud tab, choose Optimize Mac Storage. On mobile devices, do this through Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos and choose Optimize [Device] Storage. WITH ICLOUD PHOTOS, you can sync your photographs and videos across all your Apple devices, store them in the cloud and access them from any device with a browser at iCloud.com. This means, for example, if you take a picture on your iPhone, it automatically appears on your iPad and Mac. Any edits you make to individual pictures or videos are reflected on your other devices too. You can also enjoy your…

QUICK LOOK iCloud Drive YOU CAN SET up iCloud Drive on a Mac, mobile device, or Windows PC. On a Mac, open System Settings/Preferences, go to [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Drive and turn on “Sync this Mac”. On an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, open Settings and tap [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Drive and tap “Sync this [device]”. On a Windows PC, download iCloud for Windows, popen it, select iCloud Drive then click Apply. Naturally, you can use iCloud Drive on iCloud.com, on any device with a web browser. You can sync documents and folders found on your desktop using iCloud Drive. On your Mac’s iCloud settings, click iCloud Drive and turn on Desktop & Documents Folders. A folder called Desktop now appears in your mobile device’s Files…

AI (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE) is changing the way we edit photos. For example, Adobe Photoshop 2024 uses its Adobe Sensei AI tool to perform common photo fixes — such as removing unwanted background objects from a photo or making a pouting model smile. And Apple is developing an AI tool called MGIE. This is a Multimodal Large Language Model (MLLM) that turns written prompts into edits. For example, you can type “change hair color from blonde to pink”, and the code will apply that command to a photo. However, while hair color may be changed, the code tends to replace subjects’ faces with less than flattering eyes and teeth. While Apple’s AI tool is still in development, Adobe has been evolving its Adobe Sensei AI tool for years, and we’ll put…

GET MORE FROM THE CAMERA APP SUMMER IS FINALLY HERE — and the nicer weather and longer days mean it’s the perfect time to get outside and get the most from your iPhone’s fantastic camera. For most of us, taking a photo on our iPhone is a simple “point and shoot” operation, but there are many shooting modes and settings that you may have yet to explore! In this feature, we’ll take a deep dive into how to get more from the hardware and software that your iPhone uses to take pictures, as well as providing you with professional photography tips, tricks and techniques to help you take better shots of people and places while out and about. Unlike an “old school” Digital SLR (DSLR) camera, your iPhone is always…

WHENEVER WE TAKE a picture, we tend to shoot first then notice problems later — such as a lamppost poking out from behind a subject’s head. By taking the time to capture a more considered composition, we can take better–looking shots and avoid the need to remove unwanted distractions at the editing stage. We can also develop a photographer’s “eye” for a more professional–looking image. 1 RULE OF THIRDS Your iPhone’s Camera app has an optional grid that you can use to make a shot correspond to the rule of thirds. This technique was initially used by classical painters to create more aesthetically pleasing compositions. You can toggle this useful tool on (or off) by going to Settings > Camera > Grid. Check out step 1 below to see an…

Baldur’s Gate 3 > $59.99 > bit.ly/3VoM7hY The critically acclaimed Baldur’s Gate 3 hurls you into a war against the monstrous Mind Flayers. It runs natively on Apple silicon, but its 3D graphics are quite demanding, so you might need to lower the resolution on an M1 Mac. Death Stranding > $39.99 > bit.ly/3wO7ccb Here you simply deliver some parcels — in a bizarre, post–apocalyptic USA full of terrorists, inter–dimensional spooks, and mutant babies. It runs on Apple silicon, though the spectacular 3D graphics work best on an M2 or above. Resident Evil: Village > $39.99 > bit.ly/3V2lzS1 Village was one of the first A–list games written for Apple silicon, followed by Resident Evil 4. You play secret agent Ethan Winters, searching for his kidnapped daughter in a ghostly village…

NOT ONLY IS IT WELL MADE, IT’S ALSO LESS FRAGILE THAN YOU MIGHT EXPECT, DESPITE ITS INCREDIBLE THINNESS From $1,299 From www.apple.com Features Tandem OLED Ultra Retina XDR display (2,752 x 2,064) with True Tone, Apple M4 chip, 256GB of storage (512GB, 1TB and 2TB of storage available), 8GB of memory (256GB and 512GB models)/16GB of memory (1TB and 2TB models), Wi–Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, 1x Thunderbolt 3 port, Landscape 12MP Ultra Wide front camera, 12MP rear camera THE UNDOUBTED HIGHLIGHT of Apple’s “Let Loose” event in May, the new iPad Pro is truly a sight to behold. At just 0.2 inches thick, not only is it the thinnest product Apple has ever made, it’s one of the most powerful and beautiful — thanks to a breathtaking Tandem OLED Ultra Retina…

THE ALL–SCREEN DISPLAY WITH ITS SQUARED–OFF EDGES AND PREMIUM BUILD LOOK AND FEEL AS GREAT AS EVER From $599 From www.apple.com 11–inch Liquid Retina display (2,360 x 1,640) with True Tone, Apple M2 chip, 128GB storage (256GB/512GB/1TB available), Wi–Fi 6E (aka 802.11ax Wi–Fi), Bluetooth 5.3, 1x USB–C (USB 3) port, Landscape 12MP Ultra Wide front camera, 12MP Wide rear camera, Touch ID, support for Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB–C) WHILE THE NEW iPad Pro packs some incredible new hardware into its super–slim innards, its high spec and high price mean it’s overkill for many — the new iPad Air, then, is the Apple tablet most of us will want. Last updated in March 2022, the latest iPad Air models come in two sizes: 11–inch and a new 13–inch,…

$139.99 From www.razer.com Features Supercardioid polar pattern, volume dial, touch–sensitive multi–function top button, 20Hz to 20kHz response rate, 96kHz sampling rate, 24–bit rate, built–in shock absorber, 6.5ft USB–C to USB–A cable, detachable base, 3.5mm headphone jack RAZER IS WELL known for its RGB obsession — if you can imagine a gaming product, Razer has probably stuffed a bunch of multicolored lights inside it. That’s exactly what you get with the new Seiren V3 Chroma microphone, a device that’s as much about the pretty lightshow as it is about audio quality. Unbox this mic and you’ll immediately notice its build quality, crafted as it is from solid metal and plastic. It occupies a very small footprint, which is ideal for busy desks. Now, about that RGB. The Seiren V3 Chroma can…