Innehållsförteckning för December 2019 från MacFormat

Time. There never seems to be enough of it – especially when you have new Apple gadgets to play with, Apple Arcade games to master and the latest Apple TV+ shows to watch. Luckily, this month’s lead feature (p20) will help you claw back those precious seconds, minutes and hours with 87 choice time-saving cuts that’ll make using your Mac easier and faster than you ever thought possible. With all the time you save, you’ll be able to sit back with the Notes app and draw up a wish list of all the Mac, iPhone and iPad accessories you’ll want to (give and) receive this holiday season. Our Christmas Gift Guide (p60) is packed with inspirational ideas – and a few fun surprises too. Talking of surprises, turn to p33,…

Apple’s streaming TV service, AppleTV+, went live on Friday 1 November, bringing a slew of new and original programming, straight to a huge range of Apple and other kit. If you purchase an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch or Mac on or after 10 September, you’ll get a year’s worth of Apple TV+ for free, thereafter it costs a pretty reasonable £4.99 per month. The question is: is it worth it? While Apple has managed to sign up some high-profile stars (and writers/directors) for its shows – including Jennifer Aniston, Jason Momoa, Steven Spielberg and writer Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) – reaction so far has been mixed, with both positive and negative reviews for debut shows such as The Morning Show, Dickinson, For All Mankind and See. Apple TV+…

13% The jump in revenue from services compared to Q3 2018. $11.455 billion The revenue Apple made from its services, including iCloud, Apple Music, AppleCare and app sales in the third quarter of 2019. 420 million The combined number of paid subscriptions to Apple services and third-party subscription apps on the App Store. Apple takes a 15% cut of all third-party subscriptions. $6,000,000,000 The figure Apple has reported to have splashed out on commissioning original shows and movies for its Apple TV+ streaming service. 21% The percentage of Apple’s overall revenue that came from services in the third quarter of 2019, second only to iPhone sales. 1 billion The number of transactions recorded on Apple Pay per month in the quarter, via iPhone, Apple Watch and online purchases.…

Apple’s decision to withdraw an app from its Hong Kong App Store in October should, on the face of it, have been uncontroversial – it regularly reviews and removes apps from its App Stores worldwide, often because apps have violated its App Store policies in some way. The removal of HKmap. live was different – this was an app that was being used by human rights protestors in Hong Kong to help them avoid law enforcement. Only Apple said the app was being used to target police officers instead. In a statement Apple argued: “We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps. We have learned that an app, HKmap.live, has been used in ways that endanger law enforcement and residents in Hong Kong.…

1 Sidecar (Catalina only) >Sidecar gives you even more screen real estate by enlisting your iPad as an additional monitor. To send an app to Sidecar from your Mac desktop, just go into the Window menu and you’ll see a ‘Move to’ option detailing the available iPad(s). 2 Hide your Dock >If the Dock is getting in the way of your apps, control-click on it and select Dock Preferences. You can use these options to make it hide when it isn’t in use, to relocate it to a different part of the display or to adjust its size and magnification. 3 Nix notifications >If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by your Mac’s app notifications, you can change how they behave and appear on a per-app basis in System Preferences >…

1 Use meaningful names You’ve got 255 characters to play with when naming things, so give documents, images and everything else names that make it clear what they are: ‘Karen attacked by furious monkey’ is easier to identify and find than ‘IMG1698.png’. 2 Stick it in the cloud If you have an iCloud subscription you can mirror Desktop and Documents Folders, deleting local copies to free up space. To do that, control-click and select Remove Download. A little icon appears to show that it’s now stored in the cloud. 3 Tag everything Tags are brilliant things, and Finder makes them simple: by creating descriptive tags in Finder > Preferences > Tags and using them to classify your files, you’re making it easy to find related files by selecting the appropriate…

IT WILL TAKE 10 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to manage your iCloud account online YOU’LL NEED An Apple ID, iCloud and a browser Genius tip! In iCloud.com > Contacts, click on the Settings (gear) icon to export contacts as a vCard, or import one from another service. iCloud.com now has a new interface that looks sleek and fresh. The visuals borrow heavily from iOS 13 design, with smaller icons and richer colours. Apple has also got rid of the bubbly blue background (circa iOS 7), and replaced it with a clean transparent white. Apple has also removed the Launchpad option to go back to the Home screen, so you now have to click on the back arrow (left arrow) to do that. You’ll find that additional options, such as…

IT WILL TAKE 10 minutes YOU WILL LEARN You will learn how to control your Mac with your voice YOU’LL NEED macOS Catalina Voice Control enables you to select and ‘click’ on things Voice Control first appeared in Apple’s mobile operating system back in 2009, and it was brilliant. And now it’s on the Mac, and it’s just as brilliant here. It’s designed to help people with motor-skill issues and it’s also very convenient for anyone who wants to ask their Mac to do things. Voice Control enables you to select and ‘click’ on things easily. Say “show numbers” to number on-screen elements such as web links, interface buttons or menu items. You can then click on them by saying “click” and the number of the item you want to…

In Macs equipped with a T2 Security Chip such as the current Mac mini, that chip – among many other functions it performs – acts as the disk controller for its internal storage. All data passed to and from your Mac mini’s internal SSD is transferred through and by the T2 chip. The T2 chip encrypts using hardware, not software, and is a blisteringly fast SSD controller, among the best in its class. It works in two modes: in one, it encrypts and decrypts using only its internal key, which it stores in its secure enclave, and which can’t be read from outside. In the other mode, it also uses your password in the hierarchy of keys which lock access to internal storage; this is a special form of FileVault.…

1 Defunc True Go $49 (about £38) defunc.com With 14 hours of playtime, great audio and touch control, the True Go earbuds represent an affordable alternative to Apple’s AirPods. The earbuds feature Bluetooth 5.0 and offer really powerful sound. 2 AirPods Pro £249 apple.com/uk The Pro’s Active Noise Cancellation allows you to get lost in your music, but a quick switch to Transparency mode lets the outside in for a while. Sound quality is clear, rich and wide ranging and you get up to five hours of listening time from a single charge. 3 TwelveSouth Fermata £79.99 twelvesouth.com If you love your wireless headphones, you will love the Fermata stand. The beautiful leather-clad pad not only showcases your cans, but charges them as well. It even comes with an extra…

1 GameSir G6 Mobile Gaming Touchroller £35.99 amazon.co.uk Improve your mobile gaming skills with this iPhone accessory. It enables you to combine your touch screen prowess with an analogue controller that comes with 10 configurable buttons and a joypad. Game on. 2 Classicbot Classic About £40* classicbot.com For all lovers of the classic Macintosh, this is a great collectable to have. Switch between the good old Macintosh computer form with mouse, and a 10cm-tall humanoid robot with legs, magnetic arms and his own cute little ‘font suitcase’. 3 STM Myth DapperWrapper £24.95 amazon.co.uk Carrying accessories when travelling doesn’t have to be a hassle. The Dapper Wrapper offers multiple pockets and compartments and a secure magnetic closure to help keep things organised. Available in Granite Black, Slate Blue and Windsor Wine…

IN PRINT ON iPAD & iPHONE ISSUE 345 NOVEMBER 2019 macOS Catalina special! iPhone 11 Pro – is it worth it? iPhone 11 & Watch Series 5 reviewed The best augmented reality apps ISSUE 344 AUTUMN 2019 New – iPhone 11 revealed! Plus new iPad and Watch Series 5 Master the iOS 13 upgrade Group test: sub-24in displays ISSUE 343 OCTOBER 2019 New MacBooks put to the test Get ready: Catalina is nearly here Plus: Why 5G will change the world Group test: iPad photo editors To order back issues of the print magazine, go to bit.ly/macformat_back or phone +44 (0)844 848 2852 and we’ll post them out to you. Download back issues onto your iOS device at any time and keep them forever in your personal library. bit.ly/macformatipad NEVER…

£89.99 FROM Optoma, optoma.co.uk FEATURES Bluetooth 5, USB-C charging The earbuds manage to handle both sweat and rain The successor to the BE Free5, the BE Free6 earbuds offer quality audio and generous battery life. However, they do lack in a few areas that may prove to be a dealbreaker for some. Thanks to iPX5 water-resistance, the BE Free6 earbuds manage to handle both sweat and rain, making them ideal for your audio needs on an outdoors trek or in the gym. Thanks to Bluetooth 5, the buds can be used individually in mono mode or together. They sit tight in the ear, so they’re unlikely to work loose and fall out, although the cramped fit can be a little uncomfortable after prolonged wear. While they won’t necessarily win any awards…

£150 FROM IKEA, ikea.com FEATURES AirPlay 2, Wi-Fi You’d be forgiven for thinking the Symfonisk is merely an IKEA lamp with a few drivers tuned by Sonos. But this clever bit of kit – and the bookshelf speaker opposite – slot seamlessly into the existing Sonos ecosystem. Both bits of ‘smart furniture’ enable you to switch seamlessly between up to four different connected devices simply by pressing the appropriate key combination – so you can flit between your Mac, iPad, iPhone and even an Apple TV without skipping a beat. Or at least that’s the theory. Using the Sonos control app, you can link the lamp to any other component in the Sonos multiroom family, or pair two of the same speakers to operate in stereo. Both new Symfonisk speakers can…

1 Who needs it? As the saying goes, size isn’t everything. It’s true that mesh networking systems are generally recommended for larger homes that need to extend the range of their Wi-Fi signal. However, mesh routers can also be useful for many smaller homes that have thick walls or ceilings that can block the Wi-Fi signal. 2 How many? Most manufacturers sell mesh networking kits that contain either two or three routers. As a rule of thumb, two routers will be fine for homes between 2,500-4,000 square feet, while larger homes may need a kit with three routers (but always check the specifications on the manufacturer’s website too). 3 Parent power As well as good speed and range for your Wi-Fi, it’s important that the apps provided by the router…

£54.99 FROM Synium Software, syniumsoftware.com NEEDS macOS 10.13 or later Let’s cut to the chase here. MacFamilyTree is by far the best family history app currently available for your Mac. It’s packed with all the features you’d expect, from powerful tools for recording your tree to seamless integration with FamilySearch for tracking down ancestors and records. Version 9.0 lifts this comprehensive genealogy app to new heights. The interface has been refreshed and redesigned, with the main navigation sections and tools moved from the top of the window to the left-hand side. After the initial jarring, it works – everything is pretty much where it was, so no re-learning required. The submenus are also collapsible, making it easy to reclaim more workspace. Version 9.0 focuses most of its changes on the software’s…

Free (offers in-app purchases) FROM thatgamecompany, thatgamecompany.com NEEDS iOS 9 or later You run, slide and fly through different kingdoms Back in 2017, Apple showed off Sky: Children Of The Light at its iPhone X keynote. Now it’s finally arrived on iOS. On the surface, Sky is a game about saving your ancestors’ spirits and forming constellations in the heavens. But it’s much more than that, and it would be a shame to see it only in those terms. The goal is to restore stars to the sky. You play as a Child of Light, and must collect fallen stars as you progress through the provinces. You run, slide and fly through different kingdoms, each with a different feel and style. Co-operation is at the heart of Sky. As you meet…

Are you planning to subscribe to AppleTV? Log on and see next issue’s big question! twitter.com/macformat facebook.com/macformat Half of iPhones already running iOS 13 Apple has announced the adoption rate for its latest mobile operating systems. According to the company, 50% of all iPhones are running iOS 13, similar to the rate for iOS 12 at the same point, mid-October. Of this, 55% of iPhones sold in the last four years are running iOS 13. iPadOS adoption is at a lower rate, with only 33% of all iPads running Apple’s first iPad-specific OS. 41% of iPads sold in the last four years are on iPadOS. Apple measures OS adoption using App Store activity, and this is the first time it’s made the distinction between iPhone and iPad.…

Motif’s popular photo keepsake software finally makes its way to iOS. After being available on macOS for years, the company is bringing its photobook tool to the App Store. Just like on Mac, you can select multiple photos, create books and customise them as you like. The app syncs directly with your Photo Library, so there are no exporting/importing problems. The software analyses your photos for clarity and duplicates, then automatically flows your pics into a layout, which you can customise with colours, themes and text. You can currently order hard and soft cover photobooks, with support for calendars coming soon. MacFormat readers can take advantage of a generous 30% discount on their first photobook order on iOS; simply enter the code ‘MacFormatiOS’ when checking out. (Offer valid until 31…

Create your own tags in Finder’s Preferences to make it easy to classify and find related files. 1 Change how your folders are displayed To change how Finder displays a folder, open any folder in Finder and then click on View > Show View Options. Here you can choose how the contents should be grouped and sorted and also specify if you want the folder to always open in List View. You can also use shortcuts: command+1, 2, 3 or 4 displays icon view, list view, column view and gallery view. Voice Control One of Catalina’s accessibility features is widely useful: if you enable Voice Control in System Preferences > Accessibility you can control your Mac with voice commands such as “move to the end of the paragraph”. You can…

1 Get the hang of gestures Mission Control makes great use of trackpad gestures. You can open it with a three-fingered swipe upwards, and close it by doing the same thing downwards. Swipe left or right with the same three fingers and you can move between open windows. You can customise these gestures in System Preferences. 1 Go distraction-free > Use Mission Control to create a distraction-free working zone. Put Mail, Twitter and all the other things that can break concentration in one space, then put the apps you need for work in another. Then simply move between them with a keyboard shortcut or trackpad gesture. 2 Get hot in the corner You can automatically access Mission Control features by assigning Hot Corners, which activate when you move the pointer…

WORTH £29.99 The Juice® Power Station’s battery can charge your iPhone 6up to 6 times from 1 single charge! The Juice® Power Station can simultaneously charge devices, and hold charge for up to six months Along with the Juice®Power Station, you get a carry pouch and Micro-USB to USB cable Your special Christmas offer Upgrade to include digital for only £5 Order the gift that keeps on deliveringswww.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/MAC/xmas192 or call 0344 848 2852 *Terms and conditions: Savings calculated against the full RRP (single issue price x frequency). Gift is only available for new UK subscribers and is subject to availability. Please allow up to 60 days for the delivery of your gift. In the event of stocks being exhausted, we reserve the…

it will ta ke 15 minutes you will lear n How to adjust colour, tone and composition in Photos Yo u’ll need iOS 13 or iPadOS, Photos Until the release of iOS 13, video editing had been somewhat relegated to the back seat in the Photos app. You could trim a clip’s start and end point, but if there were problems with colour, tone or composition then you’d need to export your movie to a dedicated video editing app. In iOS 13 (and iPadOS), the video editing options in Photos have increased considerably. You can now overcome common problems such as over or underexposed tones; create more vibrant colours; reduce image noise in low-light shots, and sharpen soft detail. You can even correct perspective distortion, a lens-related phenomenon where a…

IT WILL TAKE 5 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to find friends and devices in Find My YOU’LL NEED iOS 13, iPadOS, macOS Catalina Genius tip! Location sharing isn’t an all-or-nothing option. When you respond to a location sharing request you can limit sharing to an hour or a day. One of the many useful changes Apple made in iOS 13, iPadOS and macOS Catalina is the long overdue merging of the Find My Phone and Find My Friends apps. Now instead of having one app for each job, you have one app that finds your contacts as well as your Apple devices. It has a terrible name – Find My – but as we’ll see, it’s very easy and very effective. If your devices don’t run the latest versions…

1 iPod Touch (7th generation) From £199 apple.com/uk The iPod lives! Apple’s much-loved music player now comes with an A10 Fusion chip and 4in Retina display. Perfect for gaming, music and FaceTime, this is a great gift for kids who aren’t quite ready for a ‘full’ phone. 2 Sphero Mini Activity Kit £79.99 sphero.com A great gift for kids of all ages, this activity kit can help your child understand the fundamentals of STEM and coding in a fun, easy way. WIth a 28-piece construction kit and 15 games, there are plenty of challenges. 3 Nintendo Switch Lite £199.99 nintendo.co.uk Compact, lightweight and colourful, the Switch Lite is the ideal console for gamers on the go. Compatible with a wide range of games, this is a great way to connect…

1 Belkin Boost Up Wireless Charging Stand £64.99 belkin.com/uk Engineered for Qi-enabled devices, the stand offers 10W of power for fast charging. The stand can cradle your phone in either landscape or portrait mode, so you can carry on using it while it’s being juiced up. 2 Catalyst Impact Protection Case From £39.99 catalystcase.eu Despite delivering superior drop protection, the Impact iPhone case is really neat and only adds 35g in weight. The 1.2mm raised bezel protects the screen, and there’s also a lanyard to help keep hold of your phone. 3 TwelveSouth BookBook Vol 2 From £54.99 twelvesouth.com A premium leather iPhone case, the BookBook comes with a detachable wallet that can also double up as a stand. There’s a protective pocket for, say, an Apple Card or an…

LIVE SMARTER The smart home is here – live the Apple dream today! The kids are home, and they’re getting restless? Quick, to YouTube. My wife is tiring of my incessant yammering? Netflix to the rescue. If I want to tune into the news, I can use tvplayer.com or one of many other similar services on offer. There are really only two things still tying me to cable TV: the extortionate price of the fastest possible broadband connection without that TV box bundled, and the recording facilities of said box. The sad fact is that many catch-up services are unfathomably annoying to use (I’m looking at you, All4), to the point where downloading the show illegally would be a preferable option. I’m not inclined that way, but these services need…

€69.95 (about £61) FROM PhoneSoap Europe, phonesoap.eu FEATURES UVC light, universal charger Our smartphones harbour a tremendous number of germs. We are constantly handling them, and the majority of people never wash them (even though recent iPhones are splash proof). PhoneSoap is a UV sanitiser and charging case that claims to kill 99.99% of germs on your phone. The case is chunky since it has to house a battery and two medical-grade UVC light bulbs, but it’s not heavy. It can be charged in 4.5 hours using the USB to power cable and can also be connected to the mains. A full charge equates to about 45 disinfection sessions or two to four phone charges depending on the model. There are two USB ports on the back – one regular…

£99.99 FROM IKEA, ikea.com FEATURES AirPlay 2, Wi-Fi The Sonos IKEA Symfonisk bookshelf speaker is the cheapest Sonos speaker currently available. It’s half the price of a Sonos One and two-thirds the price of the Sonos IKEA Symfonisk lamp speaker opposite. The bookshelf speaker can be wall mounted and hold up to 3kg of books, Apple devices, ornaments, or whatever else you decide to put on it. As well as being wall mounted it can also just sit vertically or horizontally, and at the size of a long brick it can be easily tucked away. It’s typically IKEA in its refined yet distinguished design. Connections at the rear include wired internet and, without the need for any pairing button or such (there’s AirPlay 2, though no Bluetooth), the front is clean…

£28.99 FROM NotePlan, noteplan.co NEEDS macOS 10.12 or later A progress ring icon now shows how much of your to-do stack has been done NotePlan combines calendar, notes, and to-do lists to create an effective day planner. It has fast, useful tagging and Markdown formatting, and there’s also the obligatory iOS companion app that syncs via iCloud. For users of version 1, NotePlan 2 has some useful improvements. The redesigned layout shows calendar, notes and the editor at the same time instead of the switching required in version 1. The new Week View is scrollable so you can see everything, and the date tagging of To-Dos makes its way from the iOS app to the Mac. There are other useful changes, such as a progress ring icon that shows how much…

Free (in-app purchases) FROM Bloom Built, dayoneapp.com NEEDS iOS 11 or later Day One 4 differs from other note-taking and calendar apps… It focuses on capturing thoughts and activity for posterity, rather than to help you work or complete tasks. The headline new feature in version 4 is video. Day One has long enabled you to add photos and audio clips, but now premium users (£3.49 per month) can add video clips too. Currently, support is limited to importing clips up to three minutes long at 1080p resolution. If you have clips longer than that, you’ll need to trim them. While understandable, the 1080p restriction may create more of a problem given that modern iPhones capture video at 4K resolution by default. You can change the resolution to 1080p in…

Life’s too short for a boring pint of beer or a Cinzano and lemonade. If you’re going to drink, do it properly. These apps will help you find something a cut above, whether that’s finer beers, a new liqueur that’s just to your taste, or a cocktail that makes your random collection of bottles look like a considered and deliberate collection. We’ve included apps that can help you build up a tasting library, give you an idea of what to try next, and help you find the best deals. Lots of them have social networking built in too, tying into the recommendations, so your drinking buddies can compare notes. Distiller Free NEEDS iOS 11 or later Become an instant expert about all kinds of spirits with an app that makes…

Adobe first announced Photoshop for the iPad in late 2018 and it’s finally delivering on that promise! Adobe originally promised a fully-fledged version of Photoshop CC that would enable users to edit and create, with the same set of tools as on desktop. However, early beta testers claimed that the experience was not as great as promised, and Adobe had omitted several important tools. Scott Belsky, Adobe’s chief product officer responded by saying the company was working to bring all of the tools from desktop to the iPad. Now, just as we’re going to press, the app has been launched. We’ve not had a chance to test it, but we believe the app is optimised for touchscreen and Apple Pencil, but other features, such as Sidecar support are unclear. Before…

PRIZES WORTH £800 Optimised for Catalina, Parallels Desktop 15 gives you an easy way to run other operating systems on your Mac – from Windows to older versions of macOS, making it ideal for running those legacy apps that are no longer supported by the current version. We’ve teamed up with Parallels to offer you the chance to win one of 10 one-year Parallels Desktop 15 Mac Pro Edition licences (worth £79.99 each). A Parallels Desktop 15 for Mac ProEdition subscription includes concurrentsubscriptions to Parallels Toolbox andParallels Access. Download the freetrials to experience these cool solutions! Download a Parallels Desktop 15 for Mac fully-featured 14-day free trial at parallels.com/desktop Download a Parallels Toolbox free trial for Mac and PC at parallels.com/toolbox Download Parallels Access for Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone and…

Macs are famed for their ease of use: “it just works” was always so much more than a marketing slogan. Macs are made to do things elegantly and efficiently, and the more time you spend discovering what yours can do, the more you’ll be able to get things done. Every Mac is jam-packed with useful features that are designed to make things easier, faster or both. Once you’ve discovered the ones that suit you, your days will be brighter, your work more efficient and your hair more glossy. We’re only lying about that last one… From Safari’s shortcuts to Mission Control’s multiple desktops, from fiddling with the Finder to mastering Mail, these tips will help you get even more from your Mac. We’ll discover how to make your Mac more…

1 Let Siri suggest stuff Catalina adds Siri Suggestions to your favourite apps. In Safari, Siri can suggest websites you might want to visit; in Contacts it focuses on the people it thinks you’re most likely to contact; in Mail it recognises events in emails and adds them to a Siri Suggestions calendar. If you’d rather not have those suggestions you can turn them off on a per-app basis in System Preferences > Siri. 2 Find system features Siri enables you to access system and app features as well as to look things up, so for example if you have ‘Enable Ask Siri’ checked in System Preferences > Siri you can say “turn on Do Not Disturb”, “create a meeting for today at 11am” or “How much free space do…

IT WILL TAKE 5 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to customise your Apple Watch YOU’LL NEED watchOS 6 (or iPhone optional) Genius tip! You don’t have to stick with the same face all day: try having one for work and another for weekends. Swipe from edge to edge to swap. One of the best things about Apple’s watchOS is that you’re no longer stuck with the default Apple Watch faces. You can now change the colours, adjust their individual styles and change what complications appear on your preferred face. Complications are little sections that do something. For example, you might have a Calendar complication that tells you what your next appointment is, or a Shazam complication that opens the Shazam app, or a weather complication telling you that you need…

1 LIFX Mini Colour £44.99 uk.lifx.com A colour-changing bulb is a must-have for your smart home. Compatible with Siri, Alexa and Google, the LIFX Mini allows you to select from hundreds of colour options right from the app. There’s no bridge needed, the lights are dimmable, and you can control them with your voice. 2 Amazon Fire TV Cube £109.99 amazon.co.uk Ditch the remote control and command your TV (and compatible gadgets) using your voice with Amazon’s Alexa-enabled Fire TV Cube. This streaming TV box gives you access to 4K content and there’s support for Dolby Vision and HDR, and HDR10+. 3 Netatmo Smart Indoor Air Quality Monitor £89.99 netatmo.com As well as monitoring air quality, this device comes with humidity, noise and temperature sensors. It’s HomeKit-enabled, and you can…

1 Kingston Technology Nucleum £56.95 kingston.com The Nucleum is the perfect partner for your MacBook. The USB-C hub can host up to seven connections; with two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, SD and microSD slots, and an HDMI connector, this is a clever bit of kit. 2 Verbatim Fingerprint Secure 2TB £185.99 verbatim.com If you need a hard drive with powerful security, Verbatim’s Fingerprint Secure should be your go-to. It comes with AES 256-bit hardware encryption and a fingerprint scanner that supports eight identities and one administrator. 3 Baseus USB-C Hub £39.09 baseus.com Turn your MacBook into a wireless charging station for your Apple Watch while adding HDMI 4K, USB-C charging, 3.5mm audio output and two USB 3.0 ports. With a stylish mirror glass panel, this hub is a perfect…

Everything you need to know Apple’s new streaming service is finally here The media streaming market has been growing steadily in recent years. With faster internet connections and ubiquitous wireless making it a feasible proposition in just about any situation, streaming has completely changed the way we consume media, and it’s only going to get bigger. But is that really a good thing? The first wave of streaming services, with Netflix sitting proudly on top and services like Amazon Prime and Hulu chasing close behind, offered subscribers a huge amount of highly varied content for a nominal fee. Now, everyone wants a slice of the streaming market, from Disney to NBC to CBS and beyond – and Apple is no different, with its Apple TV+ service going live on 1…

£30.23 FROM Chargeasap, chargeasap.com FEATURES Three interchangeable heads (USB-C, Lightning, Micro-USB), USB-C connector, braided cable, tip removal tool The UNO cable has three interchangeable heads: Lightning, USB-C and Micro-USB. You clip the detachable head into your device and the cable connects and disconnects magnetically. The strong magnets mean you can connect the cable one-handed, and just as easily detach it. It has a braided cable with anti-fray neck that should prove durable, and a tip-removal tool (the heads are pretty tricky to remove otherwise). While it offers three different heads, you can’t use the UNO to charge a MacBook; for that you’ll need a USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) cable. Still, UNO’s (non–detachable) USB-C connector delivers up to 9.75W to your phone, provided you use a more powerful adapter than the 5W…

ON TEST… > Asus Lyra Trio > D-Link Covr > Netgear Orbi RBK50 > TP-Link Deco P9 > Zyxel Multy U Mesh networking has certainly been one of the hot technologies of recent years, with dozens of mesh routers and kits claiming to boost your home Wi-Fi with higher speeds and greater range than the cheap-and-cheerful router provided by your broadband supplier. Instead of relying on a single router, mesh networking systems typically include two or three identical routers – sometimes called nodes – that you can place in different locations throughout your home. These nodes then link together to create a mesh network that can reach further than a single router on its own, so they’re a good option for larger homes with several bedrooms, or which may have…

Free (£1.29/month, £13.99/year) FROM Shiny Frog, bear.app NEEDS OS X 10.11 or later; iOS 10 or later We love Bear’s simplicity; you can be making and syncing notes straight away Bear is one of our favourite writing and notes apps and, with version 1.7, the developers have introduced a ton of new features for both Mac and iOS. The mobile apps get Dark Mode, Split View on iPad and Face ID/Touch ID note locking and encryption (for Pro users). On the Mac there’s Spotlight integration to make your notes searchable, automatic updating of links between notes so they stay current even when a note is moved, a Safari extension, autocorrect for emoji, and some new Pro themes. You can lock and encrypt notes individually, enabling you to protect the sensitive…

Free FROM Forward Human Inc, withjour.com NEEDS iOS 12 or later Jour combines two hot app trends: guided selfimprovement and notetaking. It’s a cross between a scrapbook and a life coach, asking you to record how you feel, and then providing coaching for a happier life. In entries, you note your thoughts and feelings; in journeys, you’ll find guided lessons. Entries makes good use of frequently used phrases like ‘right now I feel…’ or ‘I’ve noticed recently…’ to help you focus, and you can set alarms to remind you to update your journal. The journeys section offers guidance on better sleep, hitting goals, resolving conflicts, and other topics. The app is best enjoyed on iPhone or iPod touch; it just doesn’t feel optimised for a bigger iPad screen. We also…

Use your iPad as a true MacBook replacement – we show you how iPadOS has some serious productivity chops – here’s how to make the most of them GROUP TEST: Best ever password managers ALSO INSIDE… Watch your Screen Time in macOS Master text-editing gestures in iOS 13 What’s so great about ultra-wideband? … and more! Contents subject to change ISSUE 347 ON SALE 17 DEC 2019 DON’T MISS IT – SUBSCRIBE TODAY! IN PRINT & ON YOUR iPAD Our print and digital bundle gets you the paper magazine as well as our iPad edition myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/macformat ON YOUR MAC Read digitally on your Mac: subscribe with Zinio at bit.ly/ziniomacf…

Back in the early 1990s, tech was all about multimedia; the convergence of computers and entertainment. CD-ROM, the hybrid format that allowed programs and video to be delivered on audio discs, brought moving pictures to PC and Macintosh screens in an exciting new genre of software bridging the gap between games and films. But the big money was still in television, and Apple CEO John Sculley wanted a piece of it. The ingredients of a digital TV service would be a network supplying interactive content, and hardware to receive it. Apple already had hardware, and the Power Macintosh Quadra 605 (the ‘pizza box Mac’) was quickly dressed up as a set-top device. You can still read its manual in Apple’s official user document archive (bit.ly/mf346intertvbox). Using the supplied remote control,…