Macworld December 2020

With macOS 11 Big Sur, Apple takes the opportunity to refresh the Mac’s user interface. The changes aren’t dramatic—don’t worry, you’ll be able to use your Mac like usual. The changes give the Mac a more modern look, and also have led to speculation that Apple is getting ready for the next phase of user input, like maybe a Mac touchscreen. If you are wondering what Big Sur looks like before installing it, we have a peek right here. You can prepare yourself before you dive in. MORE SPACE Once you start up your Mac and log in, the Finder looks pretty much the same. The changes are subtle. For example, the menu-bar icons are spread out, with each icon having a little more space. It makes it easier to…

With macOS 11 Big Sur, Apple redesigned Notification Center. It is now a single column of notifications and widgets to provide quick information with just a click. Let’s take a look at the new Notification Center, and how you can customize it to your liking. In Big Sur, Notification Center is accessed by clicking on the date in the menu bar, located in the upper right of the screen. There is no longer a Notification Center icon. NOTIFICATIONS Notifications appear at the top of Notification Center. If you click on a notification, it will take you to the corresponding app. For example, if you click on a Messages notification, the Messages app opens. Notifications are grouped together if you have multiple notifications from an app. For example, if you have…

Photos might be the most important app on the Mac. After all, it is used to manage your precious, invaluable photos. It is the app we get the most questions about for our Mac 911 column (see page 136). So when a new version is in the works, you probably want to be aware of any new features, and there are a few coming to Photos in macOS 11 Big Sur. Let’s take a look at the new features in Photos 6. PHOTO EDITING TOOLS When tweaking a photo’s colors, Photos now offers a Vibrance adjustment. It’s found under Color in the Adjust tools. Apple has also adjusted the Retouch tool with “advanced machine learning” so it does a better job when you use it to remove blemishes. VIDEO EDITING…

As part of its digital services, Apple offers different payment methods that you can use at its own store as well as other online retailers and third-party walk-in shops. It can be difficult to sort out what method applies where. Here’s the rundown to help you figure out where to go and what to change, as needed. APPLE’S PAYMENT TYPES Apple has a lot of different Apple-branded services, payment methods, and gift cards. It’s a shockingly long list, and what Apple offers varies by the country in which you receive bills or have a bank account. Apple Pay. Apple Pay lets you add credit and debit cards for touchless payment in retail locations and many kinds of online payment. You need a device with Touch ID or Face ID to…

No matter how many cameras get added to future iPhones, Apple is unlikely to ever match the quality of images captured by a true single-lens reflex (SLR) camera. With the market for point-and-shoot cameras demolished, smartphones have been deemed good enough for most, while enthusiasts and pros will always hold out for optical image sensors and interchangeable lenses. One downside is that most affordable digital SLRs ship without built-in GPS, making it more of a headache than it should be to add accurate geolocation metadata to photos taken with such cameras. HoudahGeo is a Mac app for adding, editing, or removing GPS metadata from digital photos, including those taken with DSLR cameras that lack the ability to capture latitude, longitude, and altitude data on their own. This can be done manually…

It’s not that common to find full-featured security suites for the Mac. Quite often major antivirus makers provide a stripped-down version of their Windows product with notable bells and whistles missing. Not so with Intego’s Mac Premium Bundle X9, a security solution purpose-built for Apple users. This top-tier suite has a variety of solid tools that any Mac user would be happy to use. But is that enough to recommend this product? Last time we looked at Intego’s security offerings, we felt there were a few weaknesses that just didn’t address modern security needs well enough. Nearly two years later, some of those weaknesses are still there, some are gone, and others will be addressed in the coming months. Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 comes as a collection of security-focused…