Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2017 i Macworld UK

The user reviews in the iOS and Mac App Stores can be a mixed bag. Sometimes, a user provides useful information to help you make a purchasing decision. But often these reviews are filled with complaints about problems that were encountered while using the software. When a developer addresses those problems in updated versions, the review lingers. In a future update to iOS 10 (10.3) and macOS Sierra (10.12.4), developers will have a chance to address user reviews in the App Store. The release notes for iOS 10.3 state that developers will be able to respond to a user review, and the response will be available for others to see. The notes also say that this feature will be available in the Mac App Store. Apple doesn’t provide any information…

In a moment of somewhat unexpected nostalgia at its most recent media event, Apple pointed out that it was the 25th anniversary of the PowerBook. (It’s good to know that, 27 years later, Apple still would rather nobody remember the Mac Portable.) This writer has been a Mac laptop user since the original PowerBook era. That ancient history is our history. Since 1991, Apple has gone through seven distinct eras when it comes to its laptop strategy and design. The classics: The 680x0 era The original PowerBooks (and, yes, the Mac Portable) used the Mac’s original processor, the Motorola 680x0 series. The first generation of PowerBooks took the world by storm, which is why it’s their anniversary that Apple noted. This writer’s first PowerBook was from this era, though it…

For years, people have speculated about whether Apple would ditch macOS in favour of iOS, shedding desktops and turning laptops into something like an iPad Pro in a fixed clamshell. A version of iOS has apparently come to the Mac, but not in a way that anybody expected. The new Touch Pad has a separate brain, a custom T1 ARM processor system-on-a-chip (SoC), that looks to be running a stripped-down variant of iOS, possibly derived from watchOS. Steve Troughton-Smith, an iOS developer known for deep examinations of how the operating system ticks, put the pieces together, some of which rely on information provided by Apple during on-the-record press briefings and on its site, and some from examining files within the newest release of Xcode, which allows developers to take advantage…

The AirPods are here. After a couple months of delays, Apple is taking orders for the £159 AirPods. But even though they’re technically on sale, the AirPods will be scarce for a while – the Apple online store is estimating six weeks’ delivery time, but you might be able to track down a pair at an Apple retail store. Maybe call ahead first. How to pair AirPods to an iPhone and Apple Watch Pairing your AirPods to an iPhone or iPad for the first time is ridiculously easy. If your device is running iOS 10, all you have to do is flip open the lid of the AirPods’ charging case, and you’ll see a message on your nearby iPhone asking if you want to connect. (If your phone is locked,…

£64 inc VAT • parallels.com/uk Mac users are fortunate to have not one but two excellent commercial virtualisation software packages to choose from, not to mention less-polished free alternatives like Virtual Box. In what has now become an annual ritual, VMware and Parallels have updated their respective Fusion and Desktop products to coincide with the recent release of macOS Sierra. In 2015, both companies delivered ambitious new versions to capitalise on back-to-back debuts of Windows 10 and OS X El Capitan, but the latest editions are somewhat more subdued by comparison. VMware marked the occasion by launching Fusion 8.5, a maintenance update with no new features. Having celebrated its tenth anniversary for Desktop earlier this year, Parallels encouraged engineers to come up with at least one unique new feature to…

Apple is fond of talking about its secret sauce, about the things only it can do because of its unprecedented combination of hardware, software, and services. But for all that it has been very successful with its strategy of making the whole widget, from soup to nuts, it’s pretty clear that all three of those areas aren’t exactly on equal footing. Hardware, sure. The company’s been making computers since the late 1970s, and it’s never seriously moved away from that – let’s not talk about the awkward fumbling of the clone years. Likewise its software, which has gone from revolutionary operating system to also-ran back around to venerable and respected veteran of the computer industry. But then there’s services. Services have and continue to be a weak spot for the…

iCloud options Using the iCloud pane, you manage your details for Apple’s iCloud service and also the components that are activated on your Mac. If you haven’t signed in, the pane will simply be two fields – Apple ID and password – and a Sign In button. Once signed in, you’ll see your avatar, username and iCloud email address to the left of the pane, along with Account Details and Set Up Family/ Manage Family buttons. Click Account Details and type in your password to gain access to a sheet that enables you to edit the following: your name (under the General tab); email addresses and other means of contact, primary postal and email marketing preferences (Contact); security details, including your birthday, password, security question, and rescue email address for…

Sometimes it’s just not worth it to peek behind the curtain and find out how the magic happens. That’s the feeling you get from iFixit after the teardown champs took on their latest challenge: Apple’s AirPods. These tiny wearables pack a lot of power into a small space. They’ve got Bluetooth, beamforming microphones, optical sensors, a motion accelerometer, a 93mW battery (we’ll get to that), and speakers. It’s no surprise there’s little room among all those components for grace and an easy entry point. In fact, the AirPods appear to be equal parts technology and glue. Or as iFixit puts it: “If jamming complex components into a small form factor and sealing it with a copious amount of glue were a game, Apple would be winning.” The impact on you…

Senior executives at Qualcomm have slammed Apple for filing lawsuits that allege the chipmaker significantly overcharged it for licensing fees. The spat, which has seen cases filed in California and Beijing, was top of the agenda when it conducted a recent earnings call with analysts. “Apple has been actively driving regulatory attacks on Qualcomm’s business in jurisdictions around the world and misrepresenting facts and withholding information,” Qualcomm president Derek Aberle argued. The Cupertino-based firm is claiming that the chipmaker retaliated because it cooperated with a South Korean government investigation that ultimately saw the chipmaker fined $854 million for unfair licensing practices. Aberle denied that the firm did any such thing, and the company objected to Apple making false and misleading statements. “We will prove that Apple’s irresponsible claims of extortion…

Apple’s plans to manufacture in India made headway as executives of the company presented detailed plans to the country’s federal government. It may be some time though, before Apple gets permission for its proposal to manufacture in India as it reportedly involves a request for deep cuts in the import duties for components. The meeting is said to have ended inconclusively, according to sources close to the situation. “We’ve been working hard to develop our operations in India and are proud to deliver the best products and services in the world to our customers here,” Apple said in a statement after the meeting. “We appreciate the constructive and open dialogue we’ve had with government about further expanding our local operations.” India is now one of Apple’s fastest growing markets, with…

Last year’s MacBook Pro hardly had the most auspicious of launches. On top of people complaining about everything from USB-C limitations to a paltry 16GB memory ceiling, several hardware issues have come to light since actual end-users got hold of the machines. Over the following pages we take a look at the biggest, strangest and most awkward problems that have been reported with Apple’s slim line laptop, explaining how to tell if you’re affected, and what to do if you are. Keyboard Several reviewers have already pointed out that the new MacBook Pro’s butterfly mechanism keys are noisy, akin to old-school mechanical keyboards, but users in community forums are reporting issues with keys not working on their fresh-from-the-box models. Even worse, the fault can be intermittent. What’s causing the fault…

Apple Night owls are going to love the forthcoming Mac update. Apple has included ‘Night Shift’ mode in the first developer beta of macOS Sierra 10.12.4. Night Shift originated in iOS 9.3 to make your iPhone display easier on your eyes when used in the dark. Similarly, Night Shift for macOS will change the screen’s colour temperature from a harsh blue to a warmer yellow, so that you will have fewer issues going to sleep after using your Mac. On iOS, Night Shift turns on automatically around sunset and resets back the next morning. You can also turn it on manually in iOS’s Control Centre, which you access by swiping up on your screen. Apple released Night Shift after some studies found that the harsh blue light emitted from our…

With so many serious things happening in the world of late, we all could use some fresh distractions to provide some light moments here and there. Here are 10 of the most exciting games released in the first month of the year, and the biggest releases so far are mostly smaller: indie games dominated January, but that’s no complaint. Between Owlboy, She Remembered Caterpillars, Yuri, and the other games on this list, you have plenty of really options available. 1. Owlboy Price: £18.99 from Steam ( tinyurl.com/zkg7psp ) If you give a hoot about side-scrolling adventure games, then you’ll surely want to give Owlboy some attention. It looks like a lost quest from a mid-1990s console system, but this long-in-development indie is definitely new and undoubtedly charming. You’ll…

People are still lining up to snag a brand-new iPhone 7, but that won’t stop anyone from speculating about next year’s iPhone. Why so early? Well, 2017 marks the iPhone’s 10th birthday (see page 101), so Apple is reportedly gearing up to make its anniversary edition extra special. If you passed on the iPhone 7 to wait for the iPhone 8 – or whatever name Apple decides to use – it sounds like next year’s phone could be the design refresh you were waiting for. Just don’t expect the headphone jack to return. What’s the latest? The rumour: Apple’s revolutionary new iPhone 8 will sport a plastic OLED display that “curves all over,” according to a report published in the Korea Herald and picked up by 9to5Mac. The report corroborates…