Innehållsförteckning för June 2024 från MacFormat

Hot on the heels of the Vision Pro come rumours that Apple is already working on its Next Big Thing – and its robots that Cupertino may have set it sights on. The company is rumoured to be working on two possible options: an AI-powered robot that follows you around the house and can carry out chores like washing the dishes; and a desktop robot whose display can follow your every move. While the first one could conceivably be something like Amazon’s Astro; the desktop robot seems more like an iMac G4, only with a motororised arm. Now that’s a robot we’d like to see. You can find out more on p6. Apple, of course, isn’t the only company that’s dabbling in robots – there’s the aforementioned Amazon Astro, of…

We’re expecting a new iPad Pro any day now, and there are rumours of new features. Among them, according to a leaker known as Instant Digital, is a side-mounted selfie camera that would make video calls less ‘wonky’. At the moment, the iPad Pro’s front-facing camera is mounted on the top of the device. This means it’s off to the side when you use it in landscape mode, which creates an odd effect on video calls. In landscape, a side-mounted camera would be situated at the top of the iPad, making FaceTime calls a lot more natural and comfortable. Another rumoured addition is a matt display. This would help to drastically reduce reflections and cut out blue light, thus helping to protect your eyes. There’s a chance this matt display…

5,000 > Number of attendees at WWDC 2019 – the last fully in-person event before the pandemic. Delegates came from 86 countries to San Jose in California. 4,200 > Number of delegates who attended the 2006 WWDC, where Apple said goodbye to the PowerPC processor and hello to the Intel Xeon-powered Mac Pro. 350 > Number of possible winners for the Swift Student Challenge, which has taken place every year since 2020. The programming contest is open to students aged 13 or over. 23 million > Number of registered developers from 155 countries and regions eligible to participate in Apple’s online-only WWDC in 2020. Over 100 engineering sessions were available, with over 1,000 Apple engineers taking part. 1983 > The first year Apple held what’s become one of the most…

One of the reasons we love our Macs so much is they just work. There’s no need to worry about clashing hardware, software compatibility or a host of other irritations that plague users of other computers. You know exactly where you’re at with a Mac. Yet this doesn’t mean they won’t ever give you problems. With a machine as complicated and advanced as a Mac, a few issues are bound to arise from time to time. Thankfully, they’re often simple – and inexpensive – to resolve. Mac problems are usually software issues, and can be fixed at home, without taking your computer to the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store. Likewise, issues with your files can be fixed quickly and easily, and if an individual file has been deleted…

Do you have too many backups, or not enough? Can you easily recover from the backups you do have? Here we talk you through how you can create and restore from Time Machine backups, and also how to clone your internal and external drives using third-party apps. We strongly recommend you use both Time Machine and drive cloning apps. Time Machine is great for delving into to retrieve a file deleted in error, or for restoring your Mac from a previous backup. Cloned backups, on the other hand, are kept in exactly the same state as the drive you’re cloning. Therefore, if the original drive ever fails, you’ll have an exact copy of it. Here’s a quick tip about Time Machine. If you need to recover an accidentally deleted file,…

Fix Bluetooth peripheral issues If your Bluetooth peripheral won’t connect to your Mac, turn it off and turn it on again. If that fails, click the Bluetooth icon in your Mac’s menu bar, then click the peripheral name in question to see if you can connect it that way. If this doesn’t work, in the same menu, select Bluetooth Settings at the bottom. This opens System Settings, with Bluetooth already selected. Click on the ‘i’ icon next to the device in question, and then click Forget This Device. Your Mac and the device are no longer paired. Pair it again (dig out its instructions if necessary). As your keyboard and Magic Trackpad or Magic Mouse are likely Bluetooth peripherals, it’s a good idea to keep a cheap USB mouse and…

IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to try out AI photo editing with various software YOU’LL NEED Adobe Photoshop 2024, macOS 10.14 or later AI – artificial intelligence – is changing the way we edit photos. For example, Adobe Photoshop 2024 uses its Adobe Sensei AI tool to perform common photo fixes – such as removing unwanted background objects from a photo or making a pouting model smile. And Apple are developing an AI tool called MGIE. This is a Multi-modal Large Language Model (MLLM) that turns written prompts into edits. For example, you can type ‘change hair colour from blonde to pink’, and the code will apply that command to a photo. However, while hair colour may be changed the code tends to replace subject’s faces…

IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes YOU WILL LEARN To customise faces and complications YOU’LL NEED Watchsmith app, watchOS 8 or later; Facer app, watchOS 7 or later We love the Apple Watch, but sometimes we wish there that was more customisation than Apple allows. While we can change the colours and complications of a face, the choice is limited. The App Store can help. Two apps in particular, Watchsmith and Facer (aka Watch Faces by Facer on the App Store), can design new complications and supply you with entirely new watch faces too. Both apps offer customisation but they focus on different things. Watchsmith is designed primarily around complications – the little nuggets of information, such as weather data, activity circles and calendar events. And Facer is more about changing…

Give everyone write access to shared docs Q Each family member has their own folder in Users > Shared on our main Mac for sharing documents. Although set to give everyone read and write access, when they save new files there others can’t write to them. How can we change permissions to allow that? by GRESHAM ARNOLD A Although part of the permissions system in macOS, those set for new files created by users aren’t determined by the permissions of the enclosing folder, but by a user’s umask. The standard umask sets permissions on all new files created by a user so that everyone has read-only access, and can’t write to that file. Although you can change a user’s umask, as described by Apple at bit.ly/mac404umask, that isn’t wise, because it…

Shooting movies on your iPhone can be fun and exciting, and video clips are more likely to catch the eye on a social media feed than still images. As it’s ever-present, you can whip out your iPhone and press the Action button (on iPhone 15 Pro) to instantly open the Camera app. If you then press and hold the Action button you’ll start recording video. This enables you to capture clips of spontaneous events such as your child’s first steps. However, the best movies should start with a bit of planning ahead (which professional movie makers refer to as the pre-production stage). For example, if you’re going to shoot a wedding then you might want to consider packing some helpful accessories into a kit bag, such as an iPhone handheld…

£99.99 FROM anker.com FEATURES MagSafe/Qi2 certified, 15W ultra-fast charging, 40W USB-C charger, 1.5m USB-C to USB-C cable; 89x60x25mm (folded), 195.6g VERDICT A compact 3-in-1 charger for life on the lam. ★★★★★ +MagSafe and Qi2 compatible -No wired charging option Whether you’re going away from a night, or an extended break, charging your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods can be a concern. While you could pack individual chargers for each, a compact travel charger makes sense, and there are plenty to choose from, including Mophie’s folding 3-in-1 Travel Charger with MagSafe (£144.95, uk.zagg. com), stmgoods.com) STM’s ChargeTree Go (£69.99, and this, the MagGo Wireless Charging Station from Anker. Around the size of a deck of cards, it has a MagSafe/Qi2 charger on top, which opens to reveal a wireless…

$129.94 (about £120) FROM acdsee.com NEEDS macOS 12 or later With our ever-present iPhone, our collection of photos grows day by day. We may also have photos scattered in folders on our Mac, or even on external drives. ACDSee Photo Studio 10 is a Digital Asset Management (DAM) app that is designed to help you organise your quickly growing collection of images so that you can find, edit and share your favourite shots more easily. If you want to use ACDSee to organise and edit photos that are stored in your iPhone’s Photos Library then you can download the free Mobile Sync app to your iPhone. You can then use the app to select specific images on your iPhone and transfer them to the ACDSee catalogue on your Mac. ACDSee…

£24.99 FROM stray.game NEEDS macOS 12 or later, Mac with Apple M1 chip or later VERDICT Stunning to look at and packed with absorbing gameplay, Stray is one to savour. ★★★★ + Looks stunning + Atmospheric audio + Intriguing story - Controls need changing Most games focus on human problems and human solutions. Not so Stray, which follows a ginger cat as it explores a dystopian robot world that’s suspended between life and death. Separated from your feline companions, you must help an android underclass escape their slum city and find a way to the surface world. From helping a flying bot recover its memories to reuniting a band of explorers who sought a way out of their subterranean incarceration, Stray’s story is compelling at every turn. Its main conceit…

The European Union (EU) has recently forced Apple to open up its ecosystem to third-party app stores, essentially allowing users to ‘sideload’ apps onto their devices, mostly outside of Apple’s control. At first it seemed that this new policy would be limited to other app stores, but now it looks like Apple is going to let you download apps directly from websites, without ever having to go through an app store at all. The functionality was implemented in the first developer beta of iOS 17.5, and in some ways brings iOS a lot closer to macOS, where you’ve been able to download apps from websites for years. However, iPad users will not be able to get apps this way, as it’s limited to those using iOS. Apple is imposing several…

Edifier QR65 >£329.99 > From edifier.com Desktop speakers are increasingly rare, which is why we’re celebrating the arrival of Edifier’s QR65 Active Desktop Monitors. Capable of belting out your tunes at a staggering 70W, and in old-school stereo too, they’ll look great parked on either side of your Mac – with either black or white finishes to choose from. You also get a choice of 11 different 3D lighting effects (available by pressing a button on the speaker’s side) with other customisation options available via the Edifier ConneX app for iPhone. Each rigid MDF speaker cabinet is equipped with a 1.25in silk dome tweeter and a 2.75in aluminium mid-low driver, giving the QR65 a frequency response of 55Hz-40kHz. The speakers also have Bluetooth 5.3, USB-A and RCA (phono),…

Contact us Email your queries and your questions to letters@macformat.com LETTER OF THE MONTH! HOMEKIT CONUNDRUM Your Beginners Guide ‘Automate your smart home’ (#MF403) was invaluable. However, I seem to have come across an unspoken challenge in the installation of smart home devices which require/use Matter. The issue is associated with the Wi-Fi router which I have discovered also needs to support the protocol. The requirement is not mentioned in your article or identified on the Eve website, whose devices I have been using. If my experience is typical it would appear routers provided by ISPs are generally not compatible! Over the years, I have installed a number of Eve devices which have worked very well. Recently, I purchased and attempted to install an Eve Motion which requires a ‘compatible…

Mac error codes We’ve all seen them. Those irritating error windows that pop up while you’re trying to do something on your Mac are never welcome, but if you know how to read them, they can tell you much about what’s gone wrong. Error code –36, for example, occurs when copying files, and Error code –500 means there’s a problem with an App Store download. There’s a great article on error codes and what they mean at macpaw.com/how-to/mac-error-codes-guide. Force Quit a misbehaving app If an app has crashed with the spinning beachball, or simply isn’t behaving as it should, quit it and relaunch. If Cmd+Q doesn’t work (which is highly likely if it’s crashed), click the Apple icon in the top left of the menu bar and select Force Quit.…

We all know iCloud is pretty reliable, but what can you do if files aren’t syncing properly across your devices? How do you cope if your iCloud storage is full? And what if you’re receiving too much spam to your iCloud email account? None of these problems are insurmountable. If you have issues with iCloud Drive not syncing reliably, for example, first of all try restarting your Mac. It might be as simple as that. Secondly, check the date and time are correct. If they aren’t, go to System Settings > General > Date & Time. If it’s set automatically, turn this off and on again. If not, correct it manually. Make sure you have enough space on your iCloud and also your Mac, as files are also stored locally.…

NEW IDEAS Your in-depth guide to getting more from your Apple kit Contact us Email your queries and your questions to letters@macformat.com Master Apple shortcuts macOS Cmd is the Command key. Alt or Opt is the Option key. Ctrl is the Control key, also shown as ‘^’ in shortcuts in the menu bar. The thick, outlined up arrow is the Shift key. The thin, left arrow or outlined pointer with ‘X’ inside is the Delete key, which deletes to the left. Pressing the Function key (Fn) and the Delete key deletes to the right. The thin, right arrow key with a small vertical line at the end is the Tab key, which shifts the focus between some controls. iOS A tap is a brief contact of (usually) one finger on…

IT WILL TAKE 5 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to raise your Mac’s brightness for consistent HDR visuals YOU’LL NEED (getvivid. app), macOS 12 or later Vivid app You can get 1,000 nits of brightness by using Vivid Modern Mac displays can go super-bright, but only when HDR content is involved. Fortunately, you can get 1,000 nits of brightness whenever you want by using an app called Vivid. Vivid uses your Mac display’s HDR capabilities to push its brightness beyond its normal bounds. This is great for when you need to use a MacBook outside in bright sunshine, or if you want a better moviewatching experience, even if the content is not in HDR. It works using your standard brightness keys – except they go twice as bright. It…

YOU WILL LEARN The benefits and pitfalls of the USB-C connector and the devices you can connect Key fact If you have a High Dynamic Range (HDR) USB-C display, connect your iPhone using a USB-C cable supporting USB 3.1 or higher then alter the settings to get the most out of it. Just open the Settings app, tap Display & Brightness and select the display you’re using. When you turn on Allow Display Mode Changes, the frame rate and dynamic range will adjust. Introduced in 2012, the Lightning connector has long been a key part of the iPhone range. Apple wanted it to remain that way despite switching to USB-C – the standard adopted by practically every other manufacturer – with its laptops and iPads. But the European Union (EU)…

Recover documents from iCloud Drive Q I’m trying to keep my documents both locally on my Mac and copied to iCloud Drive, so I turned on Desktop & Documents in Sonoma. Everything has ended up in iCloud, and it’s no longer on my Mac. What have I done wrong? by NICK COOK AiCloud Drive has two fundamental controls: Optimise Mac Storage in iCloud settings, and Desktop & Documents Folders, accessed by clicking iCloud Drive in Apps Using iCloud there. You also need ‘Sync this Mac’ enabled to allow these to work properly. With the Optimise Mac Storage option turned off, your Mac contains an identical copy of everything you put in iCloud Drive, and can’t remove or evict files so that they’re only stored remotely. With it turned on, both…

Q Although I typed in my password correctly, when I try to log into my M1 iMac, it refuses to accept it. Has it forgotten or corrupted my password? by STEVE ROWLEY A Because of the way that Apple silicon Macs store and use login passwords, it’s far more likely that it’s not being entered correctly. Don’t keep trying to enter it, though, as your Mac’s security system only allows a limited number of attempts to enter the login password, and soon starts to enforce delays, first of a minute, rising to as much as an hour before locking you out. Check the Caps Lock isn’t lit, then open the keyboard menu at the top right of the login screen and ensure you’ve the correct keyboard set for entering your…

Your iPhone will soon become full of video clips that you can find quickly in the iPhone Photos app by tapping on Albums and scrolling down to Videos. Tap to view a clip. You can then tap Edit to apply the same editing tools that you’d use to adjust a photo’s colours and tones to a clip. In addition, Photo’s video-editing tools enable you to drag trim handles at the start and end of a clip to cut to the best bit. This process also makes the clip shorter and easier to upload if you want to share it to social media. After editing a single clip, tap Done, choose ‘Save Video as New Clip’, then tap Share to share it via Mail, Instagram, and so on. Sharing a single…

Along with many other life hacks, it’s no surprise that there are loads of health and fitness apps for your Apple Watch. As you’re likely aware, the Watch has heaps of features that will enable you to track your activity, workouts and well-being and, depending on the model, can also measure your blood oxygen, generate an ECG (electrocardiogram), track how well you sleep and check for high, low or irregular heart rhythms. Data can be checked within the Health app, but you can make better use of it by installing a bunch of thirdparty options. Some are designed to motivate you, others seek to inspire, while many allow you to better analyse info so that you can make more informed choices. Streaks £5.99 FROM streaks.app NEEDS watchOS 7 or later…

From £1,099 FROM apple.com/uk FEATURES Apple M3 chip, 8GB unified memory (16GB/24GB available), 13.6in Liquid Retina display (2560x1664), 256GB storage (512GB/1TB/2TB available), Wi-Fi 6E (aka 802.11ax Wi-Fi), Bluetooth 5.3, 2x Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm headphone jack W hen the MacBook Air first made its debut in 2008, it was remarkable for both its light weight and compact design – and that’s something that’s continued into the Apple silicon era, even if the original’s wedged-shaped design has given way to something more MacBook Pro-like in 2022’s M2 redesign and this year’s M3. Measuring just 30.41x21.5x1.13cm and weighing 1.24kg, the MacBook Air 13in remains a joy to use when commuting on space-constrained spaces on trains or planes, even if the arrival of the 15-inch version in June last year has…

£50 FROM gamesir.hk FEATURES Anti-drift Hall Effect sticks, Hall Effect analogue triggers, mechanical Microswitch buttons, 1x movable USB-C port, 1x USB-C port for pass-through charging, Turbo function; 110-168mm, 171.6g The GameSir X2s comes with all the buttons, sticks and triggers you’d expect to find Mc FORMAT VERDICT A great quality controller for iPhone 15 gamers. ★★★★★ + Solid, chunky design + Movable USB-C port + Pass-through charging - Doesn’t work with all games Whether you’re a big kid – or a little one – gaming on iPhone is incredibly popular. And it’s getting even more so with the availability of AAA titles like Resident Evil Village, Real Racing 3 and Minecraft. But, while using touchscreenbased controls is often perfectly fine, there are times when you really want to, ahem, up…

Group test Reviewed by ALEX BLAKE ON TEST… > Keychron K2 > Lofree Flow > Logitech MX Keys S > Logitech MX Mechanical Mini > Satechi Slim X3 > Satechi SM1 Slim Apple’s Magic Keyboard is popular with Mac A users, but it’s not for everyone. Its key presses can feel shallow, the standalone version doesn’t have backlighting, and the less said about its squished arrow keys, the better. Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives. Whether you’re looking for a Magic Keyboard replacement or something to complement your MacBook or iPad, a keyboard that will work with multiple devices or one with tactile mechanical switches, you’ll be able to find something for your needs. With our group test to hand, your task will be made considerably easier. We’ve put together…

T he Magic Mouse 2 is notorious for its upsidedown charging and uncomfortable design, and it’s become something of a running joke among computer users of both the Mac and PC persuasion. That might not be the case for much longer, though, as a new Apple patent has revealed how the company plans to overhaul its mouse with some fascinating new features. The patent suggests that future versions of the Magic Mouse might include the ability to tilt the device from side to side or front to back. As well as that, Apple describes circular-shaped mice that could be rolled along their sides. In both cases, the movement might work as a new control method. For example, these extra controls might let you perform functions “whether visibly apparent on a…

Store in iCloud If a file is stored in iCloud Drive, you’ll be able to access it from any Apple device that’s signed into your Apple account, and computer or mobile device with a web browser by logging into iCloud.com and signing in. To access your iCloud Drive from your Mac, open a Finder window and click iCloud Drive in the sidebar. There are already folders in there, for apps such as Pages, Numbers and Keynote. You can also create new folders and drag files into and out of iCloud Drive just like you would with any other Finder window. I can’t access a file If a document won’t open, it might be corrupted. If this is the case, you might have to delete it and obtain a working copy.…

These days, we rely on our home networks more than ever, especially when working wirelessly, remotely or from home. Macs are easy to connect to home networks with Wi-Fi, but you can still encounter problems. Here we explore some of the more common issues, what you can do to identify and address them and how sometimes switching things off and on again is the only thing that works. Seriously. If you can’t get on to the internet, or communicate with other devices on your network, your first step should be to turn off the router, count to 20 and turn it on again. You’ll be amazed how often this solves the problem. Another thing to try early on is Apple’s Wi-Fi Diagnostics. Quit all open apps. Press and hold Option…

IT WILL TAKE 5 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to create aliases for files, folders and more on your Mac YOU’LL NEED Files, folders or apps that you want easy access to Genius tip! When creating an alias, your pointer should turn into a curved black arrow as you drag the file or folder. If not, you’re just moving an item. There will probably have been times when you’ve wanted to access a file or folder on your Mac without having to rummage around inside your computer to locate it. On occasions like that, aliases can be invaluable. In short, an alias provides a shortcut to an item on your Mac. So, you could store a group of files inside a folder in your Documents folder, then create an alias…

IT WILL TAKE 20 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to keep your Mac neat and tidy – automatically! YOU’LL NEED macOS Sonoma, Hazel ($42, about £40, noodlesoft.com) If your Mac’s messier than a teenager’s bedroom after a wild weekend sleepover, it may be time to call in a supernanny – and that’s where Hazel comes in. Now on Version 5, this brilliant utility from Noodlesoft will help tidy up and then keeps things tidy, thanks to its straightforward interface and powerful condition-based rules. Hazel can come to the rescue in all kinds of ways – whether it’s clearing up a particularly messy desktop, fetching and carrying images, video and music files and putting them in the proper places, or even sweeping away the detritus left behind by uninstalled apps. Plus,…

IT WILL TAKE 20 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to design and edit a variety of artwork options YOU’LL NEED Canva (Free, IAPs), iPadOS 13 or later Canva is one of the most useful art and design apps on the iPad, thanks to its ease of use and sheer flexibility. Available for free or with a Premium subscription for £12.99/ month or £99.99/year for more elements, Canva is the perfect app to create artwork, posters, documents, and more. Usually, design apps offer limited services on the free tier, but Canva is genuinely useful without forking out for a Premium membership. The platform is not only one of the best apps on iPad but also one of the best apps on just about any Apple kit, and all of your projects…

Q Storage on my NAS is now completely full of my old Time Machine backups. As I’ve just got a new iMac, how can I start again with fresh backups? by DAVID HIGNETT A This is a good time to consider replacing the hard drives currently in your NAS system, as you could then put the old ones by as archives, and start your new backups on a set of brand new drives. Before changing anything else, update the operating system on the NAS according to its documentation, to ensure it’s fully compatible with your new iMac, which will prefer using the SMB protocol rather than AFP (which is being phased out in macOS). Ensure the iMac has been fully migrated, and you don’t need anything from those old backups to…

Shooting videos on your iPhone is so easy these days that it’s tempting to be a bit blasé about it. But with a little know-how, some video editing skills, and additional third-party film-making accessories, you can turn ordinary clips of your pets, friends and holidays into a mini-movie masterpiece. This guide will show you how! We’ll explain how to set up your iPhone to record footage that suits your movie-making requirements, whether that’s capturing 4K clips for sharing as High Definition footage on a widescreen TV, or shooting smaller social mediafriendly files that will catch the eye (and elicit ‘likes’) in your Instagram or X/ Twitter) feed. We’ll recommend which iPhone movie formats will give you more control when adjusting colours and tones in the edit, and we’ll suggest third-party…

Once you’ve edited rambling raw footage into a short, slick sequence – complete with titles and transitions – you can add an extra level of postproduction polish to make your show stand out from the social media crowd. Due to different lighting scenarios, such as sun and shade, some clips might suffer from colour casts (such as a cold blue or green tint appearing in certain shots). You may even notice a finger partially obscuring a corner of the frame (a common occurrence when holding your iPhone!) Fortunately, iMovie has all the tools you need to counteract problems with composition, colour and tone, as we’ll demonstrate. You can also take your picture adjustments a step further and change the look of a clip more creatively using grading tools such as…

Just Press Record £4.99 FROM openplanet software.com NEEDS watchOS 8.7 or later For utter simplicity, Just Press Record takes some beating. It does exactly as the title suggests: press a button (whether in-app, a complication or a Siri shortcut) and record unlimited audio. Recordings are then transferred to your iPhone, transcribed and synced via iCloud. Your Apple Watch is effectively a mini-computer, so you can harness its ever-present nature to remove some of the stresses and strains of life. You can take the sting out of your daily chores through better organisation. Or speed up laborious processes and even make use of Apple Watch to aid you with your work. Of course, all work and no play will make anyone a bit dull but, thankfully, your Watch can also be…

From £1,299 FROM apple.com/uk FEATURES Apple M3 chip, 8GB unified memory (16/24GB available), 15.3in Liquid Retina display (2880x1864), 256GB storage (512GB/1TB/2TB available), Wi-Fi 6E (aka 802.11ax Wi-Fi), Bluetooth 5.3, 2x Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, MagSafe 3 port, 3.5mm headphone jack Nine months after Apple first introduced the 15-inch MacBook Air, its successor is here – and this time it’s not only £100 cheaper than before to start, but it also comes with an Apple silicon M3 chip on board. Updated alongside the 13-inch MacBook Air (see p78), the new model promises to be 60% faster than the M1 MacBook Air (2020) and 13 times faster than the last of the Intel-powered MacBook Air models, making it quite the upgrade. As before, the M3 MacBook Air is available in four different finishes…

£199.99 FROM uk.jlab.com FEATURES Hybrid Dual Drivers, Smart ANC, Bluetooth 5.3 (Multipoint), spatial audio support, wireless charging, USB-C port (in case), up to 56 hours’ play time, 3 pairs’ foam ear tips, 3 pairs’ silicone gel ear tips, IP55 (earbuds only) Mc FORMAT VERDICT The Epic Lab Edition are JLab’s bestsounding earbuds yet. ★★★★★ +Premium sound and design -Earbuds are a little bulky Famed for making affordable wireless F earbuds, JLab’s now stepping things up a gear with its most expensive in-ears to date: the Epic Lab Edition. Costing £199.99, they’re clearly aimed at Sony’s WF-1000XM5 and Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra with a premium design and audio performance to match. The earbuds feature a hybrid dual driver with spatial audio support and Active Noise Cancelling (ANC), along with Bluetooth 5.3 with…

Picking a winner was tough, but there were a few keyboards we could rule out. The Satechi Slim X3 had a few too many lapses to come out on top. The Logitech MX Mechanical Mini and the Satechi SM1 Slim are decent, but neither did enough to beat out their rivals. Keychron’s K2 is a serious contender, and its layout toggle and hot-swappable switches are excellent features that make it customisable and practical. But in the end its typing feel was too heavy and its layout too condensed. Choosing between the Lofree Flow and the Logitech MX Keys S was almost impossible. Logitech’s superb keyboard is quiet, comfortable, and reliable in almost every way, and if you don’t want a mechanical keyboard, it’s absolutely worth your money. But it was…

£3.99 FROM futurefriendsgames.com NEEDS macOS 13 or later VERDICT A dreamy, relaxing building game with all the freedom you could want. ★★★★ + Very relaxing + Looks beautiful + Detailed item library - Can’t move placed pieces Do intense, stressful games put you off? If so, we have some good news: Summerhouse is the antithesis of that kind of gaming experience. This relaxing home-building title is the epitome of ‘chill’. There are no goals, no win conditions and no ways to lose. You just load it up, start building and see where your creativity takes you. The idea is to construct one or more buildings using various pieces. You place the pieces where you want, slowly exploring different ideas and seeing what works and what doesn’t. You can craft beautiful…