Innehållsförteckning för January 1, 2016 från Macworld UK

If you carry around sensitive information on your iPhone, you could soon have one less reason to panic. Apple has filed a patent to activate ‘panic mode’ when unlocking your iPhone using a designated finger. Once your iPhone is unlocked using the secret panic mode method, the device would automatically limit access to personal information, reset the device altogether or activate preset actions. Since Touch ID can register several different fingerprints, the patent suggests that iPhone users could designate a specific fingerprint to unlock the iPhone in ‘panic mode’. This would then make your left thumb your secret ‘panic finger’. According to the patent, using this finger would alert your iPhone you are in distress or in an emergency situation, and your phone would respond accordingly. Panic mode would give…

Whenever I set up a new Mac, I install a number of utilities that make me more productive, that save me time, or that protect my data. I bought a new MacBook recently, and, as with every Mac, I installed some essential utilities. I’ve been using some of these apps for many years; others are recent additions to my roster of essential software. Here’s a look at my 10 essential Mac utilities. 1. LaunchBar LaunchBar is one of the rare apps that has consistently garnered five-star reviews here at Macworld. I use it to launch apps without needing to rifle through my Applications folder, to move and rename files from the keyboard, to search the web, and to search contacts, calendars, and much more. And I do all this from…

From £679 inc VAT • apple.com/uk Well, I tried. I tried the whole “use the iPad Pro instead of my computer for a week” thing and barely lasted a day. It doesn’t fit my workflow like my MacBook Air does, so I stopped trying to force it – and that’s okay. Apple’s newest largest tablet doesn’t need to be a laptop replacement to be good, but for a £280 premium over the cheapest iPad Air 2, it does need to deliver more than just a larger screen. In some ways it does. Thanks to a faster processor and more RAM, the iPad Pro can enable a new class of applications that feel as powerful as desktop apps. Support for the Apple Pencil is limited to this iPad, so if your…

Christmas is rapidly approaching, which means gift-buying season is upon us. We know how difficult it can be to find the perfect gift for everyone, so here we’ve rounded-up the best new Apple-related tech we’ve seen throughout the year. This year, Apple has launched the iPad Pro, iPad mini 4, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, as well as a new MacBook and a brand new Apple TV. That means there are plenty of new accessories and peripherals to choose from, whether you’re looking for something fun, something practical, something fashionable or something to keep your sparkly new Apple devices safe. We’ve got cases, battery packs, storage devices, speakers, headphones, quirky gadgets and more in our Christmas Gift Guide 2015, so read on to get some gift inspiration. In-ear headphones:…

Apple CEO Tim Cook caused a minor kerfuffle recently while promoting the iPad Pro in an interview when he asked, “Why would you buy a PC anymore? No really, why would you buy one?” The question baffled Mac users, and seemed to suggest that Apple might one day phase out the Mac – or combine it with the iPad to make a hybrid device similar to Microsoft’s new Surface Book. Cook clarified the meaning behind his question in an interview with the Irish Independent, telling the newspaper that Macs and PCs are not the same. Dig on PCs aside, Cook said he understands that some people need desktops and notebooks, while for others, a powerful tablet like the iPad Pro will suffice. “We feel strongly that customers are not really…

Consider yourself a Mac power-user? Or do you aspire to take your place amongst such privileged ranks? Here’s a selection of classic yet simple tricks taken from Mac Kung Fu: Second Edition to help you on your way. Priced just £1.49, it has over 400 tips and it’s written by regular Macworld contributor and Apple expert Keir Thomas, to boot. What more could you want? 1. Instantly Add Movies and Music to iTunes If you use third-party software to download or rip music and movies to your computer, you’ll be familiar with the rather lengthy process needed to add them to your iTunes library – you have to start iTunes, then ensure the correct music or movie list is visible, and finally drag and drop the files on to the…

From £129 inc VAT • apple.com/uk The new fourth generation Apple TV is now available. It includes an A8 processor (a significant upgrade from the A5 in the older Apple TV), a Siri-enabled remote, a revamped user interface and a brand new App Store for third party applications and games. It’s an impressive package and there are some great new features, but there are also some annoyances. What we like When you first start up the new Apple TV, you’ll notice some similarities to the older Apple TV in terms of interface, but some significant differences. The older interface was quite cluttered with ‘channels’ that chances are you would never have watched (such as KORTV, Wall Street Journal Live, or MLB.TV Premium). The only channel most people paid attention to…

The initial set up of an Apple TV isn’t difficult, and can be done pretty quickly – especially if you have an iPhone or iPad to hand. But there are some further tweaks that you might want to do to completely personalise the interface and make it suit your needs. We’ll look at how to get your new Apple TV working just the way you want it in this article. 1. The ports There’s an HDMI port for connecting to your TV. The HDMI cable doesn’t come in the box so you will either need to use an old one you have lying around. Apple sells an HDMI-to-HDMI cable (here) for £15, alternatively you can buy an HDMI cable on Amazon for less than £5. The Apple TV will connect…

Some iPad Pro owners have noticed some strange behaviour in their new 12.9in tablets. Normally when you charge a device, unless the battery has completely died, the screen remains responsive. But some iPad Pros are completely freezing, then dying, after a recharge. Apple knows about the problem, but hasn’t said why it’s happening. There doesn’t seem to be a real fix for it, either – at least not yet. The company published a support document on Thursday advising Pro users to force restart their tablets to bring them back to life, but that’s not really a long-term solution, because the issue is ongoing.…

As you may have guessed, we’re rather big fans of Apple computers here at Macworld. From the pristine beautify of the new iMac with Retina display, to the svelte pleasures of the new 12in MacBook, we enjoy them all. But why do these devices cause such loyalty and affections from users, when they could buy a perfectly good PC for a lot less money? Here are 10 reasons why we think Macs are better than their Windows based brethren. Any comparison of Macs and PCs needs to note that Macs are PCs. In fact, as Apple used to say in every boilerplate of every press release: “Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh.”…

From £1,199 inc VAT • apple.com/uk The Mac is a small fraction of Apple’s total business, and of that, roughly three-quarters of the Macs sold are laptops. Apple could probably be forgiven if it put the entire iMac line into maintenance mode: after all, sometimes it seems like that’s what most of the PC industry has done. But it’s clear that Apple views the Mac in general and the iMac in particular as a point of pride. In a time when PC growth has stalled, Apple continues to grow its market share and update Mac hardware in interesting, innovative ways. Last autumn, Apple finally brought its high-resolution Retina display technology to the desktop for the first time on the 27in iMac with Retina 5K display. Now with the new 21.5in…

The Siri Remote fits in your hand well and the touchpad is responsive (sometime a little too responsive). Unfortunately there are quite a few things we don’t really like about the Siri Remote, and these features can be seen to hold back the Apple TV experience. Probably top of the list is the fact that entering passwords and search terms using the trackpad and the on-screen keyboard is painfully frustrating. Entering a password also highlights another issue with the Siri Remote: swiping on the trackpad can be a little tiring on the finger. You can read more of our criticisms of the Apple Remote in our review of the Apple TV. It’s not all bad, however, for example you might be thinking that the Siri Remote has a lot of…