Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2025 i Macworld

Apple calls its new M5 chip, found in the new iPad Pro and MacBook Pro, “the next big leap in AI performance for Apple Silicon.” That “for Apple Silicon” part at the end is key, as the AI performance of modern high-end GPUs in Windows desktops is vastly superior, not to mention the performance of the big GPUs used in servers. Even for Apple Silicon, the boast is a little bit of a stretch. The M5 is, by all appearances, just the A19 Pro made bigger—not that we’re complaining. In our iPhone 17 Pro Max review, we showed just how much faster the A19 Pro can be than the A18 Pro from last year, and to get that sort of leap on the Mac is exactly what we expect. JUST A…

Dear Launchpad, You know, when we first met in OS X Lion, I thought, Hey, you are nice. Handy, even. I’ll give you a try. And that I did. As it turned out, I not only grew attached to you over time, but I also grew to depend on you. Little did I know that you would become a key part of my Mac experience. You literally opened the world of my Mac to me. But I upgraded to macOS Tahoe, and now you’re gone. I’m realizing how much you mean to me. I’m at a loss. To quote Matthew Sweet, “I’m out of my mind, out of my mind, dreaming of you.” I am a point-and-click guy, even if it’s not the most efficient way to use my Mac.…

One of Macworld’s favorite backpacks, fine enough to carry our beloved MacBook, is the Apex from premium bag maker Troubadour. The company doesn’t just make a bag and then move onto the next one. Like a technology company, it makes regular product updates, refining the design based on customer feedback. The Apex backpack is now up to version 4.0 with multiple small enhancements, although we miss the 3.0’s hidden AirTag pocket. The Apex 3.0, by the way, is still available and a little cheaper, although we’d expect the older version to disappear from the shelves when stock is gone. First, let’s look at why we liked the previous Apex versions so much. All bags we recommend must keep our (and your) technology safe as we move it around with us—whether…

The surprising hot new color for the iPhone 17 isn’t blue or black or space gray—it’s Cosmic Orange. Apple showed us all that orange really is the new black by dropping a stunning bright “safety” orange for its new flagship phones, and it appears to have a hit on its hands, with the new color selling out instantly. Unfortunately, Apple limited its orange option to the Pro phones, so people buying an iPhone 17 or iPhone Air are out of luck. Apple isn’t even making an official orange case for any phone other than the Pro. That’s a departure from the iPhone 16 cases, the tangerine iBook days, and the orange iMac—so what’s a non-Pro user to do if they want to be seen rocking the latest hot Apple trend?…

Apple likes to advertise its smartwatch on the wrists of sporty people—admittedly, they all look good—engaged in some physical activity against a breathtaking scene somewhere in the mountains or on the beach. This easily gives the impression that the Apple Watch is intended exclusively for athletes and fitness enthusiasts. The Apple Watch is interesting not only for athletes but also for those who have nothing to do with sports. It collects vital data and can use this data to provide valuable insights into your own health. Some emergency notifications have already saved the lives of more than a few people. Here are the Apple Watch features you can make the most of every day. HEART-RATE NOTIFICATIONS Most of the life-saving stories we’ve heard from our readers and followers concern two…

The thing about cables is that either you’ve got too many of them messing up your desk drawer or you can’t find one when you really need it—usually leading to buying yet another. The Universal Cable for Apple Watch from Nomad is a clever solution to save you from doubling, tripling, or quintupling up on cables. It’s a simple idea but one done with a very smart eye on design and functionality. It looks great enough to have come straight from Apple’s design labs. Indeed, it looks better than Apple’s own charging cables. MacBooks ship with a 1m Apple USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable, and iPhones have a 1m USB-C to USB-C cable coiled up in the box. The Apple Watch has its own 1m Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger…

If Safari is your primary browser, like it is for me, it’s certainly one of the most important apps on the Mac. But did you know you can make it do more? You can with browser extensions. If you aren’t familiar with them, they are software add-ons that add functionality to Safari. Safari doesn’t have as many extensions as Google Chrome, but there are several you can take advantage of. Safari extensions are available through the App Store. You can find extensions for Mac Safari by selecting Safari → Safari Extensions in the Safari menu bar. Then click on the Browse Extensions button. An overview page will then open in the Mac App Store. Free and paid extensions are available; installed plug-ins are also automatically made available on iOS and…

The Baseus EnerCore CR11 is a handy-size laptop power bank that in our tests supplied nearly a full charge to a 14-inch M2 MacBook Pro. Its name even sounds like a battery. It’s not just handy in size—it has a conveniently built-in USB-C cable, meaning you don’t need to carry one around with you. There are higher-capacity portable laptop power banks and even ones with two integrated USB-C cables, so what makes the EnerCore CR11 stand out? TECH SPECS Battery capacity: 20000mAh (72Wh) Fastest power output: 87W Total power output: 67W Power input: 45W USB ports: 1× USB-C cable (67W PD 3.0); 1× USB-C port (65W PD 3.0) Dimensions: 5.7×2.7×1.1 inches (14.5×6.9×2.8cm) Weight: 13.7oz (389g) POWER AND PERFORMANCE The Baseus EnerCore CR11 will work with any of Apple’s MacBooks, as…

It’s not often that Mac users get to enjoy a brand-new A-list game at the same time as the Windows world, but the original Hollow Knight was Mac compatible when it first launched way back in 2017, and the developers at Team Cherry made it clear they’d support the Mac for this sequel as well. Even better is the news that Hollow Knight: Silksong works on both Intel Macs and Apple Silicon. Its 2D graphics don’t require a powerful Mac to run well either, and the game ran smoothly at 4K resolution on my five-year-old Intel iMac with no trouble at all. There’s more good news with the announcement that Silksong costs just $19.99/£16.75 on Steam and Gog—and buying it once allows you to download either the PC or Mac versions…

For the longest time, Mac folder personalization was primarily limited to adding a name, tag, and custom icon. While you could tweak the look further through unofficial means, the default methods were quite restrained. With macOS Tahoe, that’s all finally changed. You can now easily add symbols or emojis, change the folder’s color, set a default look, and much more. Customize your folders to help organize your Mac or to add a little bit of your personal style. Here’s how. PICK A COLOR OR TAG FOR YOUR FOLDER If you’re a Mac user, you’re likely already familiar with tags in the Finder app. Tags let you organize files and folders based on criteria of your choosing. Each tag can have its own name and color, making it easy to identify…

Now is a great time to buy a new Apple computer. One of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make when buying a new Mac is whether you should buy a desktop model or opt for a laptop instead. Apple’s laptops might seem like the best choice, with a combination of portability and price, but Apple also offers a great selection of desktops, from the teeny-tiny M4 Mac mini to the all-in-one iMac. So the next time you’re shopping for a new Mac, consider joining Team Desktop and opting for one of Apple’s less portable Macs instead of a MacBook. STATIONARY COMFORT Let’s face it, hunching over a MacBook for hours on end does your body no favors. You’ll typically use your laptop on an arm-level surface, whether that’s a desk…

Just as Razer enters the Mac market with its Pro Click mouse, Logitech strikes back with a long-awaited (and widely leaked) update to its popular MX Master series. The MX Master 3 was released way back in 2019, with an update to the 3S in 2022. The 3S wasn’t a major update, but the new MX Master 4 does represent a real step forward, with Logitech introducing haptic feedback technology for the first time. We are, however, pleased to note that the price remains the same, at $119.99/£119.99, despite the introduction of the new haptic technology. The MX Master 3S also remains on sale, now at a discounted price, so that’s still a good alternative to Apple’s Magic Mouse too. It’s worth mentioning that, as with previous MX mice and keyboards, there…

ADESSO WKB-7060 BLUETOOTH KEYBOARD FOLIO adesso.com This aluminum keyboard works with the 13-inch M4 iPad Pro. It acts as a case to protect the iPad Pro, and also serves as a stand with the iPad Pro in landscape position. Its built-in battery prvides 150 hours operational time.—ROMAN LOYOLA UGREEN NASYNC DH2300 nas-uk.ugreen.com This network-attached storage device uses UGOS Pro, Ugreen’s software for working with the device. It works on your Mac and iPhone, and also can be used through a browser. The device itself can hold up to 60TB os storage, but you have to provide the hard drive mechanisms.—ROMAN LOYOLA MOFT SNAP FIELD WALLET moft.us This wallet attaches to your iPhone via MagSafe and holds up to eight cards. Made of vegan leather, it can fold out and acts…

What was long considered impossible has now been a reality for almost four years: iPhone owners are allowed to pick their own default apps for core functions such as email, phone, messaging, and web browsing. While Apple was reluctant to grant users these freedoms, pressure from regulators and competitors finally forced the company to yield ground. But how open is the system really? Who benefits? And are the non-Apple options genuinely useful in everyday life, or are they just a way to appease competition authorities? Let’s investigate. WHAT DOES A “DEFAULT APP” MEAN IN iOS? The default app for any given function is the one that iOS will use if it is not instructed otherwise. Until 2020, for example, Apple rigidly controlled which app “mailto:” and web links would open…

Qi2 wireless has finally caught up with Apple MagSafe’s 25W charging speed with the release of new products certified on its new Qi2 25W standard. That means you can get the fastest magnetic charging in a stand without needing to rig it with one of Apple’s charging pucks. The first Qi2 25W product out on the market and in Macworld’s review lab is Belkin’s UltraCharge Pro 3-in-1 Magnetic Charging Dock, alongside two others in its family: the UltraCharge 3-1 Foldable Magnetic Charger and UltraCharge 2-in-1 Foldable Magnetic Charger. Here’s how it performs. QI2 25W VS 25W MAGSAFE Apple raced ahead last fall when it announced that its updated MagSafe Charger could now charge the iPhone 16 and 17 up to 25W, up from its previous 15W rating. This left the once-proud…

I’ve been using the iPhone Air nonstop for over a week and I still can’t tell if I love it or hate it. In so many ways, it just feels like the future. But every day I run into some compromise or cut corner that frustrates me. In a very real sense, the iPhone Air asks you to pay more for less. It’s less in good ways: It’s the slimmest iPhone ever and is so light for its size that it surprises you every time you pick it up. But it’s also less in bad ways: a single rear camera, one poor earpiece speaker, and significantly less battery life. It delights and disappoints in equal measure, especially for an iPhone that costs a thousand dollars or more. THE iPHONE AIR…

Remember when Napster was the go-to network for finding songs shared by people you never met? Now. Napster wants to help you find everything else using—what else?—a stable of AI assistants. Back in June, the company announced Napster Companion, a platform that offers an array of AI-based agents that can offer advice on a vast array of topics. To interact with Napster Companion, the company offers Napster View, a 2.1-inch 3D holographic display that sits atop your MacBook, like a webcam. Napster held a media presentation last Thursday to show Napster Companion at work. It has a large number of AI-based assistants ready to interact with you on a variety of topics: cooking, design, education, finance, fitness, health, software development, and more. When you need some guidance on a topic,…

The AirPods Pro 2 are one of Apple’s best products of the last decade. They were great when released three years ago and have only gotten better with one software update after another adding useful new capabilities. AirPods Pro 3 seems like only a minor update, at first. They changed the eartips? The shape of the bud part is just a little bit different? It measures heart rate now (which my Apple Watch already does)? More like AirPods Pro 2.5, am I right? But despite using the same H2 chip as AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4, the thoughtful changes to Apple’s best earbuds make them significantly better without raising the price tag. I hesitate to recommend them as an upgrade to AirPods Pro 2 users, but it’s easy to see…

Because 360-degree cameras record the entire surroundings, you never miss a moment and you can select any angle afterward. These cameras implement a process called reframing, which allows you to create videos that look as if you had a second cameraman with you. The positioning of the camera is less critical, operation is easier, and the risk of missing important moments is reduced. The 360-degree action cams are very popular with mountain bikers and motorcyclists. Another application is virtual tours and interactive 360-degree images, where you can move and look around in all directions with the mouse. This is perfect for the travel, property, and architecture sectors. But 360-degree action cameras are usually big and heavy, and editing the video is labor-intensive. Insta360 makes 360-degree videos a little easier to…

It happens to all of us: You’re out and about, and your iPhone is running low on power. You can’t wait to get home–you need to charge it as soon as possible. Or maybe you’re getting ready to board a plane and want to top off your iPhone’s battery. At many locations (stores, airports, amusement parks), you’ll find public charging stations where you can plug in (often for free) and get some juice for your iPhone’s battery. Using public charging stations, however, can put you at risk for juice jacking. As the FCC in the U.S. describes it, juice jacking is when a hacker loads “malware onto public USB charging stations to maliciously access electronic devices while they are being charged.” When you see that public charger, it’s not obvious…

Apple unveiled the M5 MacBook Pro in October, but fans looking for a major change will need to wait until next year, when the rumored M6 arrives with a touchscreen OLED display and a notchless display. However, there could be an even bigger change on the horizon. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is “exploring another Mac change” in addition to bringing multitouch to the display. He reports that Apple is working on “a shift from the Touch ID fingerprint scanner to Face ID” for future Macs. However, he notes that the change is still “years away.” Mac users have been clamoring for Face ID in a Mac ever since the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models arrived in 2022. The redesigned MacBook display featured a notch for the first time…

In my review of the first Express 1M2 for PCWorld, I was stoked that uber-fast USB4 storage was finally at hand. In Macworld’s review, it was touted that SSDs don’t get much better than this. At the time, that was true. Now it’s not, thanks to the 1M2 80G. By the last three letters in the moniker, you might guess that the new model is 80Gbps. It is. It’s also USB4 80Gbps, so unlike Thunderbolt 5, it can also function on any USB port. It’s fast. We like it. FEATURES Though it looks almost identical to the older 1M2 (basically a large silver heatsink with an NVMe SSD inside), the 80G is slightly different. The silver color is a bit brighter, and the Type-C port on the business end is…

There’s a gulf between the things Apple loves to talk about and the things its customers actually choose to buy. At the Awe Dropping event this past September, the company focused heavily on the iPhone Air, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max, a trio of glamorous, top-spec show ponies. But far more people will buy the simple, standard iPhone 17. The question is not whether the 17 is a weaker phone than the Air and 17 Pro. The three phones start at $799, $999, and $1,099, respectively; of course it’s a weaker phone. The question is whether the 17’s sum total of benefits and compromises represents better value than its siblings—and I would argue that it absolutely does. “Simple” and “standard” are relative terms that shouldn’t disguise this phone’s impressive…

As consumer technology has become more complex over time, it has tended to become correspondingly more difficult to repair: Miniaturization has made components fiddlier and more intricately entwined and concealed. With this in mind, it would be natural to expect the iPhone Air, Apple’s thinnest ever smartphone, to be among its most repair-unfriendly devices. But a surprising new teardown of the device indicates that this is not the case. In a video, iFixit awards the iPhone Air 7 out of 10 on its repairability scale and offers some broadly positive comments on the ease with which the site’s experts were able to get inside and disassemble the ultra-slim handset. It also notes that counterintuitively, “thinner can actually be more repairable because we don’t have to dig through multiple layers for…

Now that 25W wireless charging is here, Macworld Labs is testing these devices as fast as they reach us. The newest generation of wireless charging products is ramping up the product launches. Following our tests of the Belkin UltraCharge Pro 3-in-1 Charging Station and Ugreen MagFlow Magnetic Power Bank, we are now looking at Baseus’s offering. Qi2 25W brings wireless charging close to wired-charging speeds, as magnetic placement improves and thermal cooling keeps the devices charging despite the heat-inducing higher power output. The first 25W portable magnetic wireless battery pack we tested was the Ugreen MagFlow 10000mAh Power Bank, and it lived up to expectations by knocking around 12 minutes off the time to recharge an iPhone from 0% to 50%. Hot on its tail in the Macworld Labs is the…

Apple makes the best smartwatches on the market, but what if your budget doesn’t stretch to the $399 Series 11? (Let alone the $799 Ultra 3.) You consider the Apple Watch SE, which starts at just $249. Particularly now that Apple has launched the substantially upgraded 3rd-gen model. In our in-depth Apple Watch SE 3 review, we put the device through a battery of tests and help you decide if this is the best Apple Watch for you. DESIGN: REASSURINGLY FAMILIAR Historically, the Apple Watch SE tends to trail a few years behind the main line when it comes to design, and that remains the case here: In terms of chassis and screen size, for example, the SE 3 has more in common with the Series 6 from 2020 than the Series…

Thunderbolt 5 is a much bigger performance shift than Thunderbolt 4 was compared to Thunderbolt 3, which was just some Windows certification changes plus a few actual spec updates. The latest Thunderbolt 5 (TB5) connection standard doubles the bandwidth from 40Gbps to bidirectional 80Gbps, with 120Gbps possible as enhanced Bandwidth Boost for video. PCIe throughput increases from 32Gbps to 64Gbps, which is particularly beneficial for storage such as high-performance SSDs or RAID devices. Power delivery potential over Thunderbolt 5 goes up from 100W to 240W. OWC is one of the major makers of docking stations, so we have been looking forward to testing its first Thunderbolt 5 dock. OWC also has a cut-down Thunderbolt 5 Hub, which we will be testing soon. Aside from the new, faster connection standard there…

It was pretty expensive, but the original Px8 from Bowers & Wilkins wasted no time in grabbing a spot in our list of the best over-ear headphones when it launched back in 2022. The new Px8 S2 does arrive with a slight price increase, now coming in at a hefty $799/£629, which makes it even more expensive than Apple’s AirPods Max. It works hard to justify that price, though, with a luxurious and updated design that provides even better sound quality. It’s worth noting, though, that quite a few online stores are currently selling their remaining stock of the older Px8 for around $500/£500. The company’s midrange Px7 S3 also got a recent update and now costs $479/£399 if you’re looking for hi-fi headphones that are a little more affordable. At…

Following up on its spectacularly successful “F1 The Movie” run, Apple is shoring up its commitment to the sport with a 5-year partnership with Formula 1 to bring all F1 races exclusively to Apple TV in the United States beginning next year. According to Apple, the deal brings “comprehensive coverage of Formula 1, with all practice, qualifying, Sprint sessions, and Grand Prix available to Apple TV subscribers,” while “select races and all practice sessions” will be available for free in the Apple TV app. Apple also says F1 TV Premium will continue to be available in the U.S. via an Apple TV subscription only. That service currently costs $17 a month. In addition to the live events, Apple’s Sports app will also “feature live updates for every qualifying, Sprint, and race…