Innehållsförteckning för March 2018 från MacLife

SINCE THE RELEASE of High Sierra, Apple has endured a mix of security issues in the latest macOS, and now it has to contend with additional woes. First, several lawsuits have been filed over the company’s controversial decision to “adjust” the performance of recent iPhone models as their batteries degrade over time. I wonder: had Apple disclosed the behavior, which was quietly introduced in a software update some time ago, would this even be an issue? I’ve mentioned before how I wish Apple would improve its documentation of software updates, though on previous occasions my dismay has largely been limited to wishing I’d been told about a useful new feature. Second, Apple got caught up in concerns over a potential security issue that stems from an optimization in many processors…

TECHNOLOGY IS OFTEN mystifying, but in different ways to different people. An in-law might barely know how to turn on their first Mac, an accountant with a degree in Microsoft Excel might not know where to start with iPhoneography, while an Instagram-famous artist may be clueless about turning their feed into a business. Enter Today at Apple — a big new bet to empower customers and transform Apple Stores into spaces for community, learning, and creativity. The brainchild of Angela Ahrendts, senior vice president of retail at Apple, Today at Apple is a new series of tech and skills classes at all 490-plus Apple Stores worldwide. The classes span the full gamut of industries and skill levels, including “How to get started with your Mac,” photo walks that focus on…

For years, Apple had packed its iMacs with PowerPC processors, developed with IBM and Motorola. First debuting in the Power Macintosh and Performa models of 1994, the PowerPC chip was a mainstay of Apple desktop computers for 12 years before being phased out in 2006. Apple had long been fighting against what it called the “megahertz myth,” which it said led to inaccurate assessments of its computers. While PowerPC chips often came with slower clock speeds than their rivals, they just as often matched or outperformed them, since calculating a processor’s power is about far more than just its megahertz count. However, Apple was clearly thinking about moving beyond PowerPC. Indeed, Apple’s press release announcing the Intel-based iMac seemed to admit that PowerPC chips were no longer up to scratch.…

$4.99 From Chroma Noir, halide.cam Made for iPhone Needs iOS 10.0 or later, iPhone 5s or later (some features require newer hardware) Third-party cell phone camera apps are compromised out of the gate. They can’t offer shortcut access from the lock screen, a handy convenience when shooting fast-moving subjects like kids and animals, which makes the default Camera app hard to beat. Halide is a contender to the iPhone camera app throne that caters to discriminating shooters who prefer to manually play around with settings before tapping on the shutter. The app also offers a desirable option lacking from Apple’s own: Higher quality Raw images. (The default is HEIC.) You’ll need an iPhone 6s or later to snap Raw photos; other cool features like real-time histogram and focus peaking —…

$0.99 From Dilmer Valecillos, dilmergames.com Made for iPhone, iPad Needs iOS 8.0 or later Minimalist iOS puzzle games must be big moneymakers, because the App Store is swamped with them. They’re relatively easy to make — two or three colors, one cube, several levels to go through (and you could even make the levels infinitely procedurally generated for ultimate customer value). And yet, for the people who love them, each offers something new, and so they keep coming. Cubiques 2 is the sequel to Cubiques, a game that came out in June — testament to how quickly these games can be made. It’s pretty much a textbook version of a minimalist cube-based puzzle game, and although there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, it’s also nothing groundbreaking, nor is it a…

$0.99 From MingleBit, minglebit.com Made For iPhone, Apple Watch Needs iOS 10.3 or later Few endless runner games support watchOS, but Gravity Runner is a noteworthy exception, as it was built for Apple Watch — on the iPhone version you can only view scores on a background. Gravity Runner has pretty much everything you could want in a watchOS game, including sound effects and a spoken “Game Over” voice. The objective is simple: Move from the top or bottom of the screen and avoid obstacles at an ever-increasing speed. Players start with 100 life points, but each obstacle subtracts from that until you hit zero and that’s a wrap. There are three types of obstacles: Rocks deduct 10 points, tire spikes are 20, and brick walls cost you 30. You…

$45 (upgrade $25) From Literature & Latte, literatureandlatte.com Features Custom metadata, Dialogue Focus Needs macOS 10.12 or later TOUGH TESTING, TRUSTED RATINGS Scrivener is an app for writers who need to write big things — dissertations, or training courses, or Game Of Thrones fan fiction, or the Great American Novel. It’s not just a manuscript editor, although it’s a very good one. It’s not just a publishing tool, although it’s very good at that too. And it’s not just a place to store all your research, although it’s damn good at that as well. It’s a writing companion that’s with you from the first spark of an idea to the final edit, a Swiss Army Knife for every writing-related activity except heavy drinking and poor life choices. We’d used Scrivener…

$59.99 From Pixelmator, pixelmator.com/pro Features Solid editing tools, Machine Learning Needs macOS 10.13 or later Pixelmator Pro is a Mac-only photo editing and graphics app, distinct from the existing Pixelmator app and with a new interface and some advanced technologies. Its single-window interface, with controls you can quickly access and hide at the edges, allows you to focus on your images instead of juggling windows. The workflow is quick to pick up, you won’t waste much time delving into sub-menus, and there’s a wealth of tools on offer, from advanced shapes, type, and transformations to pens, selections, layers, and more. The brushes are particularly responsive and fun to use. The art tools do a good job of not seeming too daunting to less experienced users while providing plenty of depth…

TODAY I WENT back to work in an office for the first time since my kid was born two years ago. Until now, I’ve earned a crust by sitting in my pajamas typing into the void until the editor sends me some cash just to make me stop. But today! Today, I rejoined the human workforce, and there were meetings and there were coffee maker rules and printer jams — I’ve never felt so alive! One thing that troubled me, though, was how easy it was to keep watching my toddler enjoying her day at home with daddy. It’s not that I wanted her to pine for me, I just would’ve liked her to notice I wasn’t there. Perhaps clutch one of my cardigans to her cheek and inhale, wistfully.…

macOS RECOVERY The Recovery system contains tools to help you look up info online when macOS won’t start, and to repair or reinstall the system. Learn more at bit.ly/mlrecovery. SAFE MODE When you start your Mac in Safe mode, macOS performs extra checks and stops certain third-party software from running. See how to use it at bit.ly/mlsafemode. RESET SMC & NVRAM These features handle low-level functions and store key settings for your Mac, respectively. Resetting them can fix various issues described at bit.ly/mlresetsmc and bit.ly/mlresetnvram. HARDWARE ISSUES Your Mac includes tools that check for certain hardware issues without going to a Genius Bar. For Macs introduced in June 2013 or later, see bit.ly/mldiag, otherwise see bit.ly/mlahwt.…

REQUIRES Automator, iTunes, and an admin password YOU WILL LEARN How to create Services and give them their own keyboard shortcut IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes AUTOMATOR MUST ENVY Siri. While Apple’s digital assistant hogs all the headlines, good ol’ Automator just gets on with automating things on your Mac and gets hardly any credit. It’s incredibly powerful, and not as frightening as it looks. Automator’s job is to handle common tasks for you. In effect it’s a programming tool, but once you’ve done the prep, it can generate the necessary script for you. One of the best things about Automator is that you can use it to add features. In iTunes, for example, it’s possible to navigate much of the interface from the keyboard, but there are no shortcuts…

REQUIRES iOS 11 YOU WILL LEARN How to scan documents into the iPhone Notes app IT WILL TAKE 10 minutes SHARE SCANNED DOCUMENTS Open a Note and tap the Share button to mark up a scanned document, mark up as PDF, print, copy and share your scans. THE CAMERA ON your iPhone is so good, it can be used as a scanner to capture documents, receipts and other paper-based items so you don’t lose them, they won’t fade, and they’re easier to find and organize (when it’s time to file your tax return, for example). There are dozens of excellent scanner apps in the Store, but do you need one? Apple has upgraded the Notes app in iOS 11 and it now includes a great scanning feature. This enables you…

REQUIRES iOS 11, watchOS 4 YOU WILL LEARN How to customize your Apple Watch face IT WILL TAKE 5 minutes TURN OFF “NOW PLAYING” When you play music on your Apple Watch, Now Playing automatically opens. To change this, go to My Watch > General > Wake Screen in the Apple Watch app and turn off “Auto-launch Audio apps.” IT’S LONG BEEN possible to customize your Watch face using your own images, but altering the image has meant having pictures within a synced album. In iOS 11 there’s a new “Create Watch Face” share sheet option in the Photos app of the iPhone. You can pick a set of up to ten images to use as a custom watch face, which will change to the next image each time you…

APPLE ACQUIRES SHAZAM Apple has acquired Shazam, the two companies have confirmed, for about $400m. The music recognition service is a natural complement to Apple Music, but the company’s algorithms could prove to be even more farreaching, for example bolstering Apple’s ambitions in the field of augmented reality (AR). CONSUMERS WANT AR According to a survey by accenture.com, consumers are more interested in practical, daily-life augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) applications than gaming. Just 47% said they want to play games, while 67% said they want to learn more about a place they are visiting, 61% want to visualize how clothes might fit, and 54% want to shop for household items and furniture. APPLE ACQUIRES BUDDYBUILD Apple has also bought a Canadian startup that creates software development tools for coders.…

RECENT MONTHS HAVE seen a flurry of reports and comments about “BatteryGate,” as some people were calling it. (This is not to be confused with the earlier iPhone 6s controversy also referred to as BatteryGate — that model iPhone might contain a processor from either of two suppliers, but one of the two reportedly drained the battery much faster than the other. And of course we’re not talking about batteries exploding, as in the case of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 a year ago.) The issue here was that — as Apple admitted — your iPhone will intentionally scale back performance as its battery ages. Some people cited this as evidence that Apple is cynically driving iPhone users to upgrade. As you notice your old iPhone’s performance deteriorating, the argument runs,…

1998 iMac G3 $1,299 The machine that began a revolution. Apple showed that computers could be beautiful as well as easy to use. 2007 iMac $1,199 Apple refined its all-in-one approach by switching to a thinner-than-ever aluminum case in 2007. A unibody model came later. 2002 iMac G4 $1,299 Apple proved that the iMac wasn’t a fluke with its stunning iMac G4. Design and power met head-on in this model, released four years on. 2012 iMac $1,299 The embodiment of Apple’s search for ultimate thinness is the 2012 iMac. It’s sleek, slender, and super-powerful. 2004 iMac G5 $1,299 The iPod lookalike was the first all-in-one flat-screen iMac and defined the design language that iMacs still use to this day. 2017 iMac Pro $4,999 The next step in the iMac evolution…

iMac FACTS The Pixar connection Apple played on the iMac G4’s similarities to Pixar’s mascot, Luxo Jr. In an Apple ad, an anthropomorphic iMac G4 sits in a shop window and reacts to people as they walk past. When a man sticks his tongue out at the iMac, it cheekily opens its optical drive in response. HOW EXACTLY TO follow the revolutionary success of the iMac G3 was something of a problem for Apple. After all, it was the device that saved Apple. A new model had to be something even more special. Apple was stabilizing; its next computer had to make it successful. Expectations were high. Ive and Jobs were keenly aware of this. After all, they’d experienced it before — as soon as the original iMac was announced,…

Whether you’ve already bought iPhone X, plan to do so in the next few months, or will wait at least a generation, one thing’s for sure: The new model marks a step change in how you interact with your Apple device. That’s largely because iPhone X dispenses with the Home button, a fundamental feature since the original iPhone burst onto the scene in 2007. Here we’ll walk you through the fluid new gestures for accessing features you’ll use often, new shortcuts, and new settings that make iPhone X even more delightful to use. We’ll explain how to start migrating your apps and data from your existing phone, whether it’s an older iPhone running iOS 11 or an Android device. And we’ll provide you with compatibility pointers that you need to…

Free trial ($19.99 after) From Black Pixel LLC, getpixelboardapp.com Made for iPad Needs iOS 11 or later Virtual meetings can be useful, but they often lack a crucial component: a virtual whiteboard where you can sketch ideas or highlight things. That’s something Black Pixel encountered, and so created a virtual whiteboard app for iOS. Pixelboard Pro enables you to share up to three boards with nine other people simultaneously. The free app is fully-featured for two weeks, and if you don’t then unlock it (for a reasonable $19.99, currently discounted to $9.99), the app is reduced to one board without collaboration or gesture support. By then you’ll know if it’s right for you. The interface is very simple and straightforward, so nobody’s wasting time trying to make it work when…

If you’re a designer, artist, or creative, you’re no doubt inspired by everything around you. (Hello, trees! Hello, flowers!) But those passing epiphanies can all too easily slip away unrecorded. Instead of having to walk around with a paper notebook glued to your side, or desperately trying to recall the day’s inspiration before you go to bed, nail it down on the spot with these apps that specialize in converting what’s in front of your face into digital data you can look up later. Whether you want to identify a font or capture a color, make a sketch or create a moodboard, we’ve found an app for you. PLOTBOARD INSTANT MOODBOARD Free Made for iPhone, iPad This simple one-screen app lets you lay out images and text on a grid,…

Free (Premium subscription $0.99) From Ornate Apps, vigorapps.com Made For iPhone, Apple Watch Needs iOS 9.0 or later Everyone knows that drinking the right amount of water each day is good for you, but who’s got the time to keep track of how much is enough? That’s where Water Balance comes into play. It’s an app that enables iPhone and Apple Watch users to log their liquid intake habits and get notifications when it’s time to drink more. To get the full experience, you’ll need to pay $0.99 per month — without it, drink types are limited to water, coffee, and tea, although that was enough for us. A membership also removes ads, adds statistics, and enables you to arrange frequently-used beverages. On the Watch app, you can add new…

AIRPORT UPDATES Apple has released firmware updates for various models of its AirPort networking hardware that fix the KRACK vulnerability. See Apple’s security updates page at bit.ly/ml138ask1. IF YOU’RE LOCKED OUT OF YOUR IPHONE Forgotten the passcode for your iPhone or iPad and been locked out of your device? You’ll need to erase it to reset the device, then restore from a backup. (You’ve made a backup, right?) Details at bit.ly/ml138ask2. tvOS UPDATES The Apple TV (4K or 4thgen) OS now has a Sports tab, Amazon Prime Video app, and improvements to HomeKit. See bit.ly/ml138ask3. Learn how to update automatically at bit.ly/ml138ask4…

HOW TO DO ANYTHING ON YOUR MAC, iPHONE & iPAD REQUIRES Photoshop CC, an imperfect image YOU WILL LEARN How to use Photoshop CC’s Spot Healing Brush, Clone Stamp, and Camera Raw filter Spot Removal tool to retouch images and remove flaws IT WILL TAKE A few hours’ practice GENIUS TIP Easy does it. Avoid making very large changes in an attempt to get the job done sooner. Poor-quality cloning is very easy to spot, particularly in print. UNFORTUNATELY, NOT EVERY image can be perfect, and unwanted elements often make their way into even the most carefully considered compositions. And that’s not even to mention the intrusion of dust spots caused by specks of dust on your lens or camera sensor. Photoshop offers a wealth of tools for cleaning up…

REQUIRES iPad with iOS 11 YOU WILL LEARN How to use the latest features of Slide Over and Split View in iOS 11 to use several apps at one time IT WILL TAKE 5 minutes SPLIT VIEW AND Slide Over have been around for a while — since iOS 9 in 2015, with compatible apps — but they are now more useful than ever, thanks to the introduction of drag and drop and some new tweaks in iOS 11. As before, Split View displays two apps side-by-side, while Slide Over opens the second app in a floating window over the first. Now, though, you can have the smaller window to the left if you want — previously it could sit only to the right. It is also possible to add…

Next month: we review a camera without using the term “resolution” and test some storage devices without mentioning megabytes or data transfer speed. Seriously, we do try to get the balance right between technical and conversational language in Mac|Life, and always appreciate feedback. Not managing In your feature about cleaning up your Mac in Mac|Life 136, on page 21, “How to scan with System Information”, I could not get it started because there is no “Manage button” to click on. I have an iMac running OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan. Frank Haeg The Manage button was added in macOS 10.12 Sierra. Earlier versions don’t have it and won’t recommend ways to optimize your storage. Sorry we didn’t make this clear. SimplePhone wanted I have a Mac and therefore, personally, don’t…

The mouse One of Apple’s most infamous missteps, the round Apple USB Mouse was difficult to orient and uncomfortable to use. Jony Ive was a fan, though (see iMac Fact). The keyboard The Apple USB Keyboard was more compact than many of Apple’s previous efforts, with some keys eliminated or reduced in size. But you could switch on with its power button. The floppy drive The lack of a floppy drive was controversial at the time, and third-party manufacturers stepped in to fill the breach. But it wasn’t long until the floppy became a relic.…

WHILE THE IDEA of mounting a computer’s components behind its display was ahead of its time in 2001, by 2004 it was much more feasible. Other PC companies had tried it, but none had been successful. Now it was Apple’s turn to shake up the industry once again. The iMac G5 took the sleek white design trappings of the iMac G4 and the iPod and took them further. Where the G4’s neck was glossy and reflective, the G5’s stand was matte, creating a more understated, less showy visual style. Indeed, from the side it bore a striking resemblance to a large iPod mounted on a metal stand. There were further iPod connections. Apple’s slogan promoting the iMac G5 was “from the creators of the iPod,” clearly meaning to lure in…

THIS MONTH’S MOST INTERESTING iPHONE & iPAD APPS $4.99 From Majesco Entertainment, majescoent.com Made for iPhone, iPad Needs iOS 7 or later Gameplayers with very long memories might remember the original A Boy and His Blob, released for the NES in 1989. Designed by industry luminary David Crane, the game featured the titular characters — a boy and his shapeshifting alien pal — trying to topple a despot on the planet of Blobolonia. It was a playable, inventive platform game, but the clever part was the shapeshifting. Lob a jellybean at Blob, and he changed into something useful like a ladder or a flamethrower. And although the swift and tricky action of the NES game has largely been dispensed with on iOS (where you’re in fact playing a touchscreen take…

$9.99 From Hunter Research and Technology, hunter.pairsite.com Made for iPhone, iPad Needs iOS 10.11 or later Apple believes Augmented Reality (AR) is going to be a big deal, and we’re inclined to agree — whether it’s Carrot’s argumentative AR app or Theodolite’s extraordinary measuring powers, there’s something really compelling about the combination of reality and digital information. Theodolite was one of the first iOS AR apps, and its latest incarnation is better than ever. At its simplest, Theodolite tells you where you are and what you’re looking at by overlaying information on your camera’s viewfinder. You can use it to measure distances, shoot on location (with up to 8x digital zoom and filters for improved visibility), triangulate via landmarks, and map your progress and position, signal permitting. Apple used it…

$3.99 From Layton Hawkes, laytonhawkes.com Made for iPhone, iPad Needs iOS 8 or later Remember when your kindly old grandfather would take you camping and then, as the sun went down, turn the campfire into a series of fiendish puzzles you had to complete before you could eat your toasted marshmallow? Us neither. But developer Layton Hawkes clearly does, and the memories have found an outlet in this outdoorsy grid-based puzzler app. Each campfire is divided into squares. Marshmallows on various sticks are introduced, and must be toasted evenly on both sides without burning. They can be rolled, pushed, or, in the case of wooden sticks, rotated, and their movement can be blocked by burning logs, the edge of the grid, or each other. Most of the time there’s one…

$0.99 From Nick Zmachynski Made For iPhone, Apple Watch Needs iOS 11.0 or later APPS AND GUIDES TO GET MORE FROM YOUR WATCH If turn-by-turn directions on navigation apps like Apple Maps seem overstuffed with data, here’s one that’s about as minimalist as they come. Pathit, from the maker of TV show tracking app TVGraph, enables you to establish a route using map information powered by Google on your iPhone, then automatically sync it to your Apple Watch for use while on the go. There’s not a whole lot more to Pathit, but the advantage of the Watch app is that you can leave the iPhone at home and still be able to follow the current route from Apple Watch — even if there’s no cellular connectivity built-in. Although auto…

1 SWITCH THE DOCK By default, watchOS Dock is populated with your most recently used apps. To change this, open the Watch app on iPhone and select Dock > Favorites. 2 PLAYING FAVORITES With Dock options still open, tap Edit, then rearrange apps up or down on the list of Favorites below into whatever order you’d like them to appear in. 3 APPS BE GONE Don’t want to see a particular app in your Dock? While Favorites is selected, tap the Remove button at the left to purge it, then tap Done.…

1 DROP SCALE $79.95 getdrop.com A practical kitchen tool, the Drop Scale is Bluetooth-enabled, and its app includes a database of recipes. The app can adjust weights and ingredients for different numbers of people, and also suggest substitute ingredients if you’re missing anything from the recipe. 2 NEST PROTECT $119 store.nest.com Nest’s smoke alarm can work in any room, but it’s a particularly good option for the kitchen. It can detect CO2 as well as smoke, and its voice alerts can tell you to check the burning toast in the kitchen before going crazy with its blaring siren. You can then easily silence the alarm from your iPhone if it’s safe. 3 SAMSUNG FAMILY HUB From $3,499 samsung.com Samsung’s “super-fridge” includes Wi-Fi and an LCD display for music, web browsing,…

SAMSUNG QN75Q8CAMFXZA $6,799.99 • SAMSUNG.COM This 75-inch curved QLED with Quantum Dot 4K is one of Samsung’s more spectacular 2017 arrivals, which can now be found for a street price of under five grand. Stunning blacks and gorgeous color are equally complemented by fluid motion and a unique “Invisible Connection” to keep unsightly cables out of sight. ZAMO HDMI AUDIO EXTRACTOR $25.99 • AMAZON.COM After the loss of Apple TV’s optical port, this little gadget delivers the next best thing: an SPDIF audio port, as well as stereo RCA jacks from HDMI output. You can even pass the incoming HDMI video to a TV or receiver and manually switch between two-channel and 5.1 surround output.…

HOW CAN I DOWNLOAD APPS USING THE NEW ITUNES 12.7? From iTunes v12.7 on, Apple has removed access to iOS apps, ringtones, and some other features, which you’re supposed to access directly on iOS devices, or using High Sierra’s Content Caching feature. You can install iTunes 12.6.3 from bit.ly/apps-itunes, which supports those older features, iOS 11, and iPhone 8, but requires an old version of your iTunes Library. HOW DO I SCAN A QR CODE IN IOS 11? Reading QR codes now couldn’t be simpler. In Camera’s Photo or Square mode, position the QR code centrally in the view. Once the camera focuses on the code, a notification will appear; tap it to act on the code’s content. HOW CAN I PROTECT AGAINST THE KRACK WI-FI ATTACK? El Capitan and…

REQUIRES Safari 11 (some features available in older versions) YOU WILL LEARN How to make better use of advanced features in Safari on the Mac IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes EVERYONE KNOWS how to use a web browser, but do you know about the special settings and techniques that make your browsing experience better? Safari is packed with them. One of Safari 11’s most useful additions is the ability to apply per-site settings to zoom in on pages’ contents, define whether media plays automatically, and set whether the Reader feature is invoked automatically to help you read lengthy articles. However, it’s easy to forget these options exist, and that’s exacerbated by access to them being tucked away: they’re accessed either from Safari’s eponymous menu, or by Ctrl-clicking a page’s address…

REQUIRES Some people’s info already added to the Contacts app YOU WILL LEARN How to use Mac-only features of Contacts IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes THESE DAYS, APPLE makes quite a big deal about how a lot of its apps are broadly the same on macOS and iOS. Even if you’re using just an iPhone, you get the majority of the features of GarageBand or Numbers in the palm of your hand. Which is great until you realize you need to use some of the bits Apple left out. Given its relative simplicity on the Mac, it’s perhaps surprising to realize that Contacts isn’t quite as feature-rich on the iPhone and iPad. Sure, you can easily access all your contacts (assuming you’re using iCloud), and the interface is all very…

REQUIRES A device running iOS 9.0 or later, Apple TV Remote app, iTunes Remote app YOU WILL LEARN How to use your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch as a remote control for Apple TV, iTunes, and other smart devices IT WILL TAKE 20 minutes MANY OF US watch TV at the same time as browsing the web, checking in with our social networks, or even playing games on an iPhone or iPad. When the movie or show you’re watching comes to an end, you don’t need to reach for the remote control that came with your Apple TV to start playing something else, since iOS 11 has a built-in control that mimics the Siri Remote’s trackpad and buttons. The first walkthrough here shows you how to enable that feature and…