Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2024 i Macworld UK

The new iPad Pro is Apple’s first large-screen device to use OLED tech but, according to a new report, the rest of Apple’s high-end big-screen devices won’t be far behind. According to a market analyst Omdia (fave.co/3KsTlLk), Apple is “highly likely” to replace the mini-LED displays in the MacBook Pro with OLED screens as soon as 2026. The report explains that Apple is a key contributor to the growth of demand for OLED displays, fuelled by production for the new iPad Pro. However, while the iPad Air and iPad mini will eventually get OLED displays, Omdia says the surge in demand isn’t limited to iPads and iPhones and extends to Apple’s other devices as well: Apple is highly likely to incorporate OLED into its MacBook Pro models as early as…

A new Bloomberg report details a project code-named ACDC (fave.co/3Vr7grR), for Apple Chips in Data Centres, in which Apple will use its own silicon to provide cloud AI services. Apple is going big on AI with iOS 18 and macOS 15, and while on-device processing will be a big differentiator for the company, more advanced tasks will require the resources of big server infrastructure. According to the report, the plan to use Apple’s own chips for cloud infrastructure began three years ago but has been accelerated due to the need to quickly bring to market advanced AI features. The first AI server chips will be M2 Ultra processors, it says, but there are already plans to upgrade to chips based on the M4 series in the future. Apple is expected…

Price: £1.70 per month from fave.co/3V6j1lZ In our time reviewing VPNs in 2024, it’s clear the industry has grown to offer some fantastic benefits whether you’re looking to unlock Netflix in another country or connect to a Wi-Fi access point you don’t quite trust. The other thing that’s clear is that VPN companies really want to entice you into a two‑year deal. That’s perhaps unsurprising, and what’s good enough for the likes of Surfshark and NordVPN is good enough for everyone else, but PureVPN is offering more than a whopping 80 percent off its plans if you sign up for 24 months. On the one hand, that’s great – PureVPN is an excellent VPN service with plenty of tools and additional extras to tailor it nicely to your needs. On…

Price: £109 from fave.co/3Ky6P8x There was a time when a trip downtown was filled with the hustle and bustle of people. And a lot of those people sported Timbuk2’s Classic Messenger Bag–not just bicycle messengers, but also commuters going to work, tourists sightseeing, and anyone else trying to get where they need to go. The Classic Messenger Bag became more than just a bag. It became an urban icon. Times change, though. Downtown isn’t what it used to be–there are fewer people going to the office, delivery from Uber and DoorDash has replaced bike messengers, and tourists aren’t packing the street like they once were. Timbuktu’s Classic Messenger Bag has changed, too, and while it was always a great bag, it’s become even more versatile for the times when you…

Technology improvements are a bit like going to a movie or a magic show: you want to be wowed, but it works best when you don’t see what’s going on behind the scenes. You don’t want to know about the trapdoor, or the strings holding people up as they soar through the air, even if it gives some appreciation for the difficulty of the production, it robs it of some of its power and awe. Apple ends up having to ride this line a lot. At the root of its ethos has been the desire to provide technology that feels magical and amazing to its customers. With every year that goes by and every new device that comes out, Apple wants to boast about its impressive new functionality, but some…

We’ve been hearing for years that Apple is working on a large-screen folding device that’s more likely to be an iPad than an iPhone. And now a new report sheds some new light on the project, which could arrive in 2026. According to a Medium post by Ming-Chi Kuo (fave.co/3KrwkZq), Apple is looking to ship a large-screen folding MacBook by 2026. That’s a slightly more aggressive timeline than has been previously rumoured and could represent an acceleration of the project. Kuo claims Apple “aims to make the panel as crease-free as possible, requiring high design specifications for both the panel and the hinge”, which are pricey at around $900 for the two parts. Kuo claims that Apple is considering a folding MacBook with either a 20.25-inch or 18.8-inch display, which…

The AI race is in full swing, and OpenAI just fired its latest salvo with its ‘Spring Update’ announcements. The most significant new part is a new model, ChatGPT-4o (the ‘o’ stands for ‘omni’), which is faster and smarter with better multi-model capabilities, and importantly, available to all users, not just those who subscribe. In addition, there are new tools for developers, a new GPT Store to more easily find customized GPTs, and crucially, a new Mac app (a Windows app will come later this year). CHATGPT-4O The focus of GPT-4o seems to be on making it easier to use for more people, but it is still OpenAI’s most capable AI product yet. Benchmarks from the company show industry-leading performance on text evaluation, automatic speech recognition, visual understanding, and more.…

Price: £549 from fave.co/4aFH5lq If you don’t want to spend the money on an Apple Studio Display, be prepared to search for an alternative. Monitors that are well suited to the Mac and come with the appropriate software are few and far between. However, Dell recognized the need and released the Dell Display and Peripheral Manager for the Mac software. This makes many newer Dell displays viable Mac solutions. One particularly interesting model is the U2723QE: a 27-inch display with a 4K panel, powerful charging function, and plenty of connections. SPECIFICATIONS Size: 27-inch IPS Resolution: 3,840x2,160 pixels Brightness/HDR: 400 nits Response time: 8ms Refresh rate: 60 Hertz Colour ranges: 100% Rec.709; 100% sRGB; 98% DCI-P3 Ports: 2x USB-C PD; 5x USB-A; Gigabit Ethernet; DP-in/DP-out; 1x HDMI; USB-C upstream (for daisy…

The monitor might be the most important part of your Mac’s set-up – after all, you can’t use any desktop computer without one and even the 16-inch MacBook screen can be extended to an external display twice that size. Because you’ll spend a lot of time looking at it, you’ll want to invest wisely. Not only will you want a monitor that provides a pleasing experience, but the quality of the images on the screen can also affect your work. However, picking a new monitor can be daunting. Not only are there many manufacturers to choose from, but there are also lots of sizes, resolutions and features to consider. Apple sells displays for its Macs, and you could go with its offerings, but its monitors are more expensive than alternatives.…

Switching from a Fitbit smartwatch or tracker to an Apple Watch does means changing the way you view your goals, targets and achievements, and will initially alienate and frustrate Fitbit users switching to the Apple fitness regime. You’ll get used to it, but Apple hasn’t made it easy for switchers to find a natural match for their beloved Fitbit familiarity. As with getting fit, you need to work at it. In the end, you’ll miss some Fitbit features but prefer the Apple Watch experience. Apple’s Activity app focuses primarily on Movement, Exercise and Standing rather than Fitbit’s more straightforward Step, Floor and Distance measurements. Fitbit users will be put out by Apple’s different approach to fitness and health metrics, but there are ways to make the transition easier and force…

Intel has announced a new Thunderbolt feature called Thunderbolt Share (fave.co/3VqcROY), which allows users to connect one PC directly to another to share files or to do screen sharing to control one computer from another. Intel says the new tech is an example of how it “lead[s] the industry in connectivity solutions with Thunderbolt technology”. But Mac users might have something to say about that. Thunderbolt Share is designed to work with Thunderbolt 4 or 5 connections, and users can connect two PCs directly or through a Thunderbolt dock or display. Users can drag and drop files between computers, and since it’s a direct connection, Thunderbolt Share is secure and private. According to our colleagues at PCWorld (fave.co/3Vq2N8z), Thunderbolt Share will be deployed as a software app licensed to PC…

Price: £2.75 per month from fave.co/4c4jH2c Passwords are one of the banes of most people’s online lives. Even though passkeys (where you can use a second device to prove you are you and gain access) are beginning to make things easier, it will be a long time before we move away from the confusing collection of numbers, symbols, and letters (at least one of which should be upper case) that are demanded by online services. Remembering the various account details for each site or app we use is an overwhelming task, meaning we often resort to having the same login for everything, which is a disaster waiting to happen. To get around this, without having to write down all our passwords in a little book or, worse still, in the…

Price: £69 from fave.co/3x03Suq Apple’s current keyboards are known for one thing: they’re flat, whether it’s a keyboard on the MacBook or an external Magic Keyboard for a Mac or an iPad. But long before the current Magic Keyboard, Apple’s keyboards had a more traditional, classic keyboard design. Those old Apple keyboards have almost achieved cult status–the devices were almost indestructible. Logitech’s approach with its Wave Keys keyboard harkens back to those old Apple keyboards: mechanical keys with a deep stroke and a characteristic clack. Apart from the ergonomic wrist rest at the lower end, typing feels just like typing on the classic Apple keyboard. But Logitech goes a little further: the keyboard is shaped according to hand position and finger length. The rows of keys follow a wave pattern,…

When it comes time to get a new Mac, you have three options: Trade in your old Mac, sell it, or hold onto it. Macs tend to maintain a good amount of value but some Macs are more in demand than others. MacBooks are relatively hot sellers, but on the other hand, there seems to be a glut of used Mac minis for sale. With inexpensive Macs like the Mac mini, it’s probably not worth the hassle of selling it and Apple isn’t going to give you very much for a trade-in. So, why not keep that old Mac mini? There are many sensible uses for it, even if it’s past its prime. If you have an old Mac mini that has been replaced by a newer model, here are…

HOW TO MIGRATE AWAY FROM iCLOUD+ In a world with ever-rising costs, some readers want to trim their budgets. iCloud+ pricing for 50GB (99p per month) to 12TB (£59.99 per month) of storage plus other bonuses might not seem terrible compared to, say, streaming services or a fancy latte, but it’s not nothing. If you have a family using Apple devices and you’re using Family Sharing with an Apple One plan (£24.95 per month for 200GB or £36.95 a month for 2TB) the cost is more than trivial. The real question is, can you get what you need without relying on iCloud? For the purposes of this column, I’m using the sweet spot of 2TB as the basis, since it’s high enough to consider cutting. Signing up for iCloud+ at…