Innehållsförteckning för January 2022 från Macworld UK

The M1 Pro and M1 Max might still have that new-chip smell, but that’s not stopping Apple from moving ahead with the next generation of its desktop processors. And according to a new report by The Information, the future is bright for Apple silicon. Apple makes its current chips in partnership with TSMC, with the M1 series being based on a 5nm process with a single die. The next generation of chips – presumably the M2, M2 Pro, and M2 Max – will use an enhanced 5nm process, according to The Information. That likely refers to TSMC’s N4P node, which represents a small 6 per cent die shrink and a 10 per cent performance boost over the current node, according to reports. However, there’s more to the story. The Information’s…

If you’ve downloaded iOS 15, you might have noticed something different about your iCloud account. Apple is upgrading all paid iCloud accounts to something it calls iCloud+. It includes several interesting new features on top of the existing iCloud storage, sync, and cloud features, but the most interesting might be something Apple calls iCloud Private Relay. At first, it sounds like a VPN: your web browsing traffic is encrypted and sent through a relay to hide your exact location, IP or the contents of your browsing traffic. It’s not a VPN, though. Not quite. There are important differences, which we’ll describe here. But iCloud Private Relay may be enough for most people, giving the most obvious benefits of a VPN to millions of users who would never consider signing up…

A year ago last month the era of Apple silicon truly began, as the first reviews of M1 Macs arrived, followed shortly thereafter by M1 Macs arriving in Apple Stores and in the hands of Mac users everywhere. We had hope that the future would be brighter with Apple-designed processors, but that optimism was tempered by Apple’s recent Mac missteps. There were also a lot of questions about a processor that had only really seen success in iPhones and iPads. Would there be unexpected pitfalls of abandoning Intel? Could Apple pull off its latest Mac chip transition with the same skill that it showed during the two previous transitions? Twelve months later, the answers are much clear: we’re in the brightest timeline. THE MAC IS IN A SAFER PLACE Right…

Even before Apple’s M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBooks hit the market, rumblings of future Apple silicon were already hitting the wire. Dubbed the M2, this chip is the likely successor to the M1 that powers the MacBook Air, 13in MacBook Pro, Mac mini and the 24in iMac. According to reports it will arrive in the first half of 2022. So if you’re wondering whether you should wait for the M2 instead of investing in an M1 MacBook Air or M1 Pro MacBook Pro, we’re here to help. M1, M1 PRO & M1 MAX Apple’s first three Mac chips are all built on the same architecture, but they’re quite different: M1 CPU core (performance): 4 CPU core (efficiency): 4 GPU cores: ⅞ NPU cores: 16 Memory: 8GB/16GB M1 Pro CPU…

A secret weapon in the Finder arsenal is the Go > Go to Folder feature. Choose that menu item (or type Command-Shift-G) and you can leap around the macOS file system without having to navigate folders. This is frequently useful when you’re working with low-level settings files or items hidden away in the user or system Library folder. Apple made a significant change between macOS Big Sur and Monterey in how it helps you find folders: Monterey offers a squishier set of matching options, making it more likely you’ll find a folder that you don’t know the precise name of, or if you type fewer characters to make a match. In Big Sur, start to type a path and macOS will offer only auto-fill suggestions. In Monterey, however, it offers…

What a difference a year and a few months make. My advice in July 2020 about how to keep your Mac laptop’s battery in good shape included lots of hedges, provisos, and tweaks. Despite that, Mac 911 continues to receive email from readers asking exactly how to avoid overcharging their battery and shortening its lifetime. Fortunately, Big Sur swept in a new approach to battery charging, and the upcoming macOS Monterey adds more options. The upshot? Plug in when you want, unplug when you want. For most people, macOS will manage charging better than we can and with zero effort. Before Big Sur, macOS charged a laptop to 100 per cent power whenever it was plugged in and kept charging it to make sure it stayed at that level. That…

Bluetooth can be a useful technology for short-range connections, sometimes known as personal area networks (PANs). We use Bluetooth for fitness bands, earbuds and headphones, hotspot tethering and input peripherals. But sometimes your Mac seems to get the wrong idea about one or more devices. Even after unpairing and re-pairing, you can’t make a connection. Or, worse, macOS won’t let you remove a paired device from the Bluetooth preference pane. Apple hides Bluetooth reset options in the Bluetooth menu: • In any version of macOS, hold down Shift and Option and click the Bluetooth menu in the menu bar. (If that menu doesn’t appear, open the Bluetooth preference pane and check ‘Show Bluetooth in menu bar’.) • In Big Sur or later, click to open the Control Centre and then…

Apple has always encouraged the use of Apple devices at work, often pitching Macs and iPads as powerful productivity machines, but the company hasn’t really directed a lot of software and services specifically at the corporate interests. That’s changing with the new Apple Business Essentials service. Currently in beta with a full launch in the spring of 2022, Apple Business Essentials combines device management, iCloud storage, employee onboarding, and service/support into a single monthly subscription package. It’s aimed as business with up to 500 employees, and features a simplified set of three price tiers: Single device: $2.99 (£tbc)/month (per user), supports one device and provides 50GB of iCloud storage. Multi-device: $6.99 (£tbc)/month (per user), supports up to three devices and provides 200GB of iCloud storage. Multi-device, more storage: $12.99 (£tbc)/month…

As one of the biggest and most influential companies in the world, Apple is usually on board with the latest tech trends. But when it comes to cryptocurrency, the company is taking its time. During an interview as part of The New York Times’ DealBook Online Summit, Tim Cook offered his thoughts on the digital currency currently valued at over $60,000 per Bitcoin. For one, he’s an investor. He said cryptocurrency is “interesting” and thinks “it’s reasonable to own it as part of a diversified portfolio”. However, speaking as a CEO, he said Apple is “looking at” incorporating cryptocurrencies into Apple Pay but doesn’t have “immediate plans” to support the payment. Additionally, he “(isn’t) planning in the immediate future to take crypto for our products as a mean of tender”.…

When Apple released the M1 chip at the end of last year, we were blown away by the speed improvements over its Intel predecessors. A year later Apple did it again with the M1 Pro and M1 Max and rumours suggest that the next generation will be an even bigger leap. Here’s how the Apple silicon transition has gone so far – and where it’s going. M1: DECEMBER 2020 Apple’s current M1 processor is based on the 5nm A14 chip the first arrived in the iPad Air and later the iPhone 12. It has 4 high-performance cores with 192 KB of L1 instruction cache and 128 KB of L1 data cache and shared 12MB L2 cache and 4 energy-efficient cores with 128 KB of instruction cache, 64KB of L1 data…

With the removal of the Touch Bar from top-of-the-line MacBook Pro models – and make no mistake, the grim reaper is coming for the 13in MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, too – Apple’s era of experimentation with the keyboard is over. Out with 2015’s ‘butterfly’ keyboard, out with 2016’s Touch Bar, in with the Magic Keyboard and a row of full-height function keys. For some reason, in the middle of the 2010s, Apple decided it was ready to reinvent how keyboards on laptops work. It was a bad decision that the company has spent years trying to fix. Of all the innovations from that period, the only one that remains intact is the Touch ID sensor on the power button. The rest of the changes are just a bad memory.…

As the waning days of 2021 are upon us, it’s time once again to look ahead to the future, to the horizon. Despite a global pandemic and supply chain woes aplenty, Apple has had a blockbuster year, with successful launches of new iPhones and iPads, and a continued transition on the Mac that is redefining the product line for the next generation. But in the tech business, you’re only as good as your next move. No company can afford to rest on its laurels, and even Apple, with all of its success, is not an exception. So as we start thinking about closing the books on 2021, it’s worth looking ahead to that puck that Apple’s skating towards. And while we may have good reason to anticipate some of its…

You’ll find the latest version of macOS – Monterey – in the Software Update pane in System Preferences. However, if you want to update the old-fashioned way, we’ll show you what you need to create a bootable macOS Monterey installation drive. (These instructions are for the officially released version of Monterey, not a beta. It was performed on a Mac running macOS Big Sur.) GET AN EXTERNAL DRIVE AND MAYBE AN ADAPTER The macOS Monterey installer software is over 12GB, so you need a USB external drive that can hold that much data. The drive can be a thumb drive, hard drive, or SSD. If you have a 2015 or newer Mac laptop that has Thunderbolt/USB-C ports, you may need Apple’s USB to USB-C adapter. This will allow you to…

If you have an iPhone, you’re probably familiar with Low Power Mode, an option you can set so the device preserves battery life. Now the Mac has a low power mode too, and it does a similar thing: Reduces energy consumption by automatically turning down the screen brightness and system clock speed to save battery life and make your Mac run more quietly. Low power mode is available on the MacBook (Early 2016 and later) and MacBook Pro (Early 2016 and later) running macOS Monterey. Here’s how to turn it on: 1. Launch System Preferences. 2. Select the Battery pane. 3. In the left column, click Battery. Check the box for Low power mode if you want to use it while you’re running off of the MacBook’s battery. You can…

The Mac can support different keyboard layouts and you can switch between them quite easily. It’s one way you can get more out of the keyboard, especially if you work in multiple languages. However, it’s not slap-your-face obvious on how to change the keyboard layout in macOS Monterey and Big Sur. First, you’ll need to go to System Preferences and open the Keyboard pane. The keyboard layouts appear in the Input Sources tab, and the ones you currently have active will be in the left column. Apple offers several keyboard layouts based on different languages, and you can add more by clicking on the ‘+’ button on the lower left (clicking ‘-’ removes a layout). A pop-up window will appear with the layouts that are available. You can add as…

HOW TO LET IMPORTANT PEOPLE GET THROUGH iOS 15’S DO NOT DISTURB OR FOCUS SETTINGS The Do Not Disturb option added to iOS, iPadOS, and eventually macOS should be entered in history books for their contributions to people’s uninterrupted periods of sleep and focused times while working. However, what if want to provide an exception for people important in your life, particularly for emergencies? iOS has offered a bypass for several releases in a couple of different places; iOS 15 improves upon this. With Do Not Disturb, you could allow anyone in your Favourites list in the Phone app to bypass the DND setting for calls. A separate option for calls and the only way to pass through text notifications required a non-obvious process: open a contact, tap Edit, tap…

After backtracking on a move that would have made iPhone 13 screen repairs nearly impossible for all but the largest repair centres, Apple has announced a new programme that lets anyone repair their broken iPhone at home with Apple genuine parts and tools. The new Self Service Repair programme, which is launching early next year in the US and expanding to additional countries throughout 2022, will offer consumers access to Apple parts and repair manuals as well as recycling for the parts that are being replaced. Apple says the programme will initially focus on the most commonly serviced parts, such as the iPhone display, battery and camera, and expand to more technical repairs later in the year. The programme will offer more than 200 individual parts and tools via a…

According to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is stepping up its car ambitions. The company now aims to launch a fully autonomous vehicle in four years, though that 2025 target date is fluid. Apple has been hiring engineers and automotive veterans for years under what is widely believed to be called Project Titan. In fact, the project has gone on so long that many of Apple’s original hires have since left the company. Notably, Apple poached Tesla veteran Doug Field for VP of Special Projects, but Field left earlier this year to serve as Chief Officer of Advanced Technology at Ford. Apple then handed the project over to Kevin Lynch, the software engineer responsible for the Apple Watch’s software. Under this new leadership, the report claims, Apple…

For the past 10 months, I’ve used a 13in M1 MacBook Pro supplied by my employer. Most days it’s great, with exceptional battery life and excellent speeds, and is an overall massive upgrade over my previous 2016 model. But some days it’s nearly impossible to get anything done. More than any Mac I’ve owned, this MacBook regularly experiences freezes, crashes, and restarts that often seem to be related to memory issues. It’s been nearly impossible to pinpoint a pattern, but I assumed it was something installed on my machine by my company. After reading numerous reports recently about similar issues, I’m not so sure. When Gregory McFadden tweeted that Control Centre was using 26GB of the 64GB of RAM on his new MacBook Pro, the screenshot looked very familiar. While…

It was just a few short years ago when we told you about a then-upcoming wireless technology called Wi-Fi 6. At the time, what was once known as 802.11ax was henceforth given a much more consumer-friendly name, and previous convoluted Wi-Fi standards got similar names: 802.11ac became Wi-Fi 5, 802.11n became Wi-Fi 4, and so on. And now we have an even newer name, Wi-Fi 6E. It’s an updated version of Wi-Fi 6 that includes access to the new 6GHz frequency band. But while it doesn’t bring new technology over Wi-Fi 6, this new frequency could be a huge deal and will make a major impact on the future of wireless networking. Rumours suggest that Wi-Fi 6E could show up in the iPhone 14. WHAT’S UP WITH THAT E? It’s…

On any Mac, you can experience odd slowdowns when copying or acting on a large number of files, such as duplicating a folder with many items in it, cloning a drive, or testing drive performance. That’s because Spotlight never sleeps. It’s constantly looking for modified or new files to index. Spotlight’s ‘polling’ can have a significant performance toll. For example, cloning speed might be half the rate you expect or even lower. But you can tell Spotlight to keep its hands off while performing operations that it might otherwise slow down. The secret is the Spotlight preference pane’s Privacy view (System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy). Apple uses the term ‘privacy’ to indicate you don’t want items indexed that are shown in the volumes or folders list in that view.…

Hidden inside the Mac Utilities folder, Keychain Access provides access to the passwords and other private information saved through your Mac’s keychain. If you think managing your passwords on the Mac is limited to Safari, you’ve never explored the Keychain Access utility. With Keychain Access, you can review, change, delete and create passwords for your online accounts and examine security keys and certificates and add password-protected notes. First, you’ll need to make sure that iCloud Keychain is enabled. Open System Preferences, click the icon for Apple ID and click the checkbox for Keychain. Then when you browse to a password-protected website, iCloud Keychain will ask if you want to save the password. Click Save Password and it’ll be securely stored in your Keychain. As you visit websites, you’ll automatically accumulate…

Whether you need to better organize your hard drive or resolve disk errors, Disk Utility is the tool for the job. Built into macOS, Disk Utility allows you to view details on your hard drive, add or remove partitions and volumes, and check the disk for glitches. Here’s how it works. To access Disk Utility while logged in, go to the Finder and click the Go menu, select Utilities, and then in the window that appears, double-click the Disk Utility icon. The tool displays details and a graph of your hard drive configuration, showing the overall capacity as well as the used and free space and the various volumes. To dig up more information on your drive, click the Info icon at the top. The window that pops up displays…