Innehållsförteckning för March 2025 från Macworld UK

Twenty-five years ago, Steve Jobs took the stage at Macworld Expo in San Francisco and unveiled Mac OS X (fave.co/40J7T1o), ushering in a new era for the Mac and the world of desktop computing at large. That sounds like hyperbole, but after watching the keynote (fave.co/42F0l2h) for a second time—the first time was from the front row, thank you very much!—it’s remarkable what an enormous moment this was for Apple and the Mac. It’s funny. What’s remarkable about the moment is actually how uneventful it seems. When I watch the video back, it’s almost surreal how Steve Jobs keeps doing utterly normal, boring things in Mac OS X while the crowd completely loses its collective mind. Viewed by someone without any historical context, it would seem like a cult being…

When Apple updated its lineup of Magic Mac accessories (fave.co/3CjgeRd) in November, we didn’t get the redesign we were hoping for. All that changed was the Lightning ports, which were swapped out with USB-C ones. Everything else remained the same, including the Magic Mouse’s wonky upside-down charging. With no significant updates since 2015, we assumed the Magic Mouse was forever doomed to charge through its belly. However, a rumor from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims that Apple is actually working on a new Magic Mouse to finally address its critics’ “longstanding complaints.” It’s not just the charging, though that’s easily the most criticized feature. The Magic Mouse has a very low profile that forces your hand to lie flatter while using it and contort somewhat uncomfortably to use the multi-touch gestures.…

Harber London is a relatively young family business from London (as the name implies) that specializes in high-quality accessories made from equally high-quality materials: full-grain leather, wool felt, and, more recently, a plastic textile made from recycled plastic bottles. Most of the laptop sleeves, such as the Leather MacBook Sleeve, are completely plastic-free. Even though it is made of high-quality leather and wool felt, the Leather MacBook Sleeve is quite simple overall. The back half consists of a thin piece of leather, the front of a thicker piece of felt, onto which another piece of thin leather is sewn, which provides two small pockets. And that’s it. The sleeve comes in four color options: light gray (Classic) or dark gray felt (Black Edition), combined with black or brown leather. It…

Among the less-publicized features introduced late last year in iOS 18.2 is a massive change to the Mail app. For longtime users of the Mail app, it was a shock to the system and definitely takes some getting used to. But if that hasn’t happened, there’s good news—you can change it back to the old way. The new Mail app breaks the Inbox into several categories: Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions. Primary: Personal and other time-sensitive messages. Transactions: Purchases, receipts, and shipping messages. Updates: Newsletters, mailing lists, and social updates. Promotions: Coupons, sales announcements, and spam that doesn’t land in junk. Once you start using iOS 18.2, the new Mail will be on by default and messages will automatically begin routing to their respective categories. Any folders will remain, of…

As we head into a new year, Apple has outlined some of its plans for its Fitness+ service (fave.co/4gg1r7C). The new content will kick off on Monday, January 6, and includes the following new and updated workouts: Progressive strength training: A three-week program that starts with Progressive Overload (Week One), Time Under Tension (Week Two), and finally Dynamic Power (Week Three). It’s designed to be repeated with higher weights as you build strength. Strength, Endurance, and Agility for Pickleball: For some reason, pickleball is the country’s fastest-growing sport. And this program, featuring professional pickleball champion Catherine Parenteau, is designed to up your game. Yoga Peak Poses: Similar to a one-on-one instructional session, with each highlighting a single peak pose. Introduction to Breath Meditation: Five different 10-minute meditations guiding you through…

The Baseus Nomos 5-in-1 Charger is a unique and versatile all-round device charger that can fast-charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro at 140W. It has spare USB ports and a built-in 100W USB-C cable that enable you to charge five devices at the same time. A desktop USB-C charger is a great on-desk solution for charging multiple power-hungry devices at the same time. They are usually fairly slab-like blocks of USB ports attached to a fairly hefty power brick and then to a wall socket. With its Nomos 5-in-1 Charger Baseus has created a desktop charger like no other, boasting handy features and wired and wireless charging flexibility alongside top-end ports, with even the chance to call its solution portable. SPECS AND FEATURES Dimensions: 4.7×3.5×1.6 inches (11.9×8.9×4.1cm) Weight: 1.05lb (476g) Ports:…

The great strength of iPads is their long battery life. With a current iPad, you can surf the web or watch videos for up to ten hours. However, not everything you do gives you ten hours of battery life; if you play a demanding game, use a video editing app intensively, or operate the iPad at full brightness, the battery drains quite quickly. But it is not always clear why your battery is draining so quickly. Sometimes the cause is a background process or a poorly programmed app. You have probably already read numerous tips on how to extend the battery life of an iPad, but many of the instructions circulating on the web are pure legend, and there are a few new features you should be aware of. We…

From business presentations to high-school slideshows, PowerPoint is so famous it’s almost a verb in some circles. And while Apple’s Keynote is a fantastic alternative, as with Microsoft Word there’s a good chance you’ve worked with Microsoft’s suite for so long it’d be harder to change. That doesn’t mean there’s any lack of reasons to use PowerPoint on its own merit, though. In fact, it’s a fantastic presentation builder that’s packed with templates for just about anything, has deep OneDrive integration, and is likely to be supported for decades to come. Interestingly, it doesn’t pack as many AI features as Keynote (at least not yet), but with the likes of Canva and Figma on its case, there’s every chance that could happen soon as Microsoft looks to keep competition at…

For over a year, Apple’s CarPlay site has teased the arrival of the next generation in 2024. Now that it’s 2025, Apple finally admits that’s not happening. When it was announced at WWDC in 2022, next-gen CarPlay was an exciting peek at the future of in-dash navigation systems. Instead of a rectangular screen, the next-gen CarPlay takes over the entire instrument panel, including car functions such as air conditioning and gauges. Apple says next-gen CarPlay “ensures a cohesive design experience that is the very best of your car and your iPhone—with designs for each automaker that express your vehicle’s character and brand.” While it was originally supposed to arrive in 2023 (fave.co/3uM3lvf), only two automakers, Porsche and Aston Martin, have announced actual support for the system (fave.co/4jG4oRV) and neither has…

YOU DON’T HAVE TO TURN ON RCS TO MESSAGE WITH ANDROID USERS Apple added support for the Google-supported Rich Communication Services message standard with iOS 18. RCS was created by the cellular industry to add advanced media and other features to messaging that would work across operating systems. Google adopted RCS in Android about five years ago, and it’s available for most phones that can run Android 5 (Lollipop, 2014) or later. The standard requires carrier upgrades, and nearly all have made them. Turning on RCS for your iPhone lets Android users send and receive messaging information or formatting that previously was limited to Android-to-Android (via RCS) or Apple-to-Apple (via iMessage). This includes read receipts that show when the recipient has viewed a message (if they have that option enabled),…

Apple M-series MacBooks turn on automatically when you open the laptop or plug in the power adapter. It sort of makes sense, right? If you’re opening your MacBook, you’re probably going to use it, so it should turn on. (As for plugging it in, I’m unsure what the thinking is by Apple to have the MacBook automatically turn on.) However, what if you want to be able to open it or plug it in without it turning on? With macOS Sequoia, you can now adjust your MacBook so it does not turn on when you open it or plug in the adapter (fave.co/4jAs1Lw). To change this setting, you need to enter commands through the Terminal app, located in Applications → Utilities. After launching Terminal, enter one of these commands: >…

Apple Intelligence arrived on the Mac in October 2024, and if you’ve been looking for it on your Mac and can’t find it, you’re probably not alone. It’s not as if there’s an app called Apple Intelligence on your Mac—it’s a set of features and services scattered throughout macOS. Here’s how to turn on Apple Intelligence on your Mac and tap into the new features. WHAT YOU NEED FOR APPLE INTELLIGENCE > An M-series Mac. Apple Intelligence does not run on Intel-based Macs. > macOS Sequoia 15.1 or later. Apple has released new Apple Intelligence gradually (fave.co/3MZugcd), so you’ll need to update to the latest version of macOS to get the latest features. For example, Sequoia 15.1 includes the first set of features; Sequoia 15.2 added Image Playground and ChatGPT…

OWC’s ThunderBlade delivers excellent read and write performance in a handsome, svelte package that is available in capacities up to a whopping 32TB. In fact it’s the third fastest external SSD we’ve tested, and the fastest Thunderbolt SSD in the charts. What it is not is cheap. Expect to lay down thousands, not hundreds, for the experience. For a product aimed at film and video pros, that’s not generally an issue. For you and me… The ThunderBlade is a black, radiator-finned, 4-slot NVMe M.2 SSD enclosure measuring approximately 7.5 inches long, by 4.75 inches wide, by 1 inch tall. It’s a rather hefty (and sexy by my lights) beast at 1 pound, 10 ounces. There’ll be no inadvertently sliding off the table with this one. A 3-inch-long slit on the…

I love to use my Apple products to set timers, usually while cooking. I use my Apple Watch for this all the time, raising my messy hands up to tell Siri to start a timer. My HomePod is another favorite for the same reason—when I’m cooking, touching my phone means getting gunk all over it. I have a Nest Hub in the kitchen, and that’s my go-to for timers for two reasons. One, it has a display, so it’s really useful to glance over and see how much time is left (a situation my Apple Watch also solves, but not easily with multiple timers going). But the other reason I like to use Google’s product to manage timers is that it offers a dead-simple, table-stakes feature that Apple still hasn’t…

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Apple, accusing the company of knowingly using harmful chemicals in three Apple Watch bands. In January, Apple made a public statement about the lawsuit, stating that the bands are “safe for users to wear.” The lawsuit cites a University of Notre Dame study (fave.co/3EsRXbO) that found that 15 of 22 watch bands tested contain toxic polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The PFAS can be absorbed through the skin, eventually leading to health problems. The published study cites ten companies whose bands were tested (including Apple, Nike, Google, and Fitbit), but the published results use labels that don’t specifically identify the band and model tested. The bands cited in the lawsuit are the Sport Band (fave.co/3WG0puA, the band included with a new Apple Watch), the Ocean…

If you’re of a certain age, Microsoft Word is likely to have been a cornerstone of your early computing life. Before Google Docs and the like, many of us used Word, helping Microsoft’s word processor become a household name whether you enjoyed using it or not. While it still has its quirks, Word is now better than it has ever been and is rolled into an already compelling Office 365 suite (fave.co/4hjyDMZ) that takes away the pain of expensive one-off licenses from yesteryear. (If you don’t want a subscription, you can get Word as part of Office 2024 in a non-subscription standalone version.) FIRST IMPRESSIONS Whatever platform you use Word on, there’s a pleasing familiarity to it. I used it throughout all levels of education, and as a result I…

There’s no shortage of good data recovery utilities available for the Mac (fave.co/4aLFnzB), and while Wondershare Recoverit (fave.co/3CCN5R0) may not have the name recognition of seminal titles like Data Rescue (fave.co/40ZL36Q) or DiskWarrior (fave.co/3WJPm3Q), there’s still something good here. The software is centered around the usual modules that you might see in this kind of suite: Hard Drives and Locations and SD Card for file recovery, Enhanced Recovery and Corrupted Video Repair for video and photo restoration, and System Crashed Computer and NAS and Linux for additional recovery features. It’s easy to download and install, assign permissions to, and begin to work with. It requires macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) or later to install. Wondershare Recoverit is variably priced (fave.co/40YLCO7), the package currently on offer and retailing for $79.99/£63.99 (usually $109.99/£93.97)…

Open-ear earphones don’t have a seal between your ears and the device, allowing outside sounds to be heard. That might be preferable in some instances, like if you’re running or riding a bike alongside traffic or on a trail where you want to be aware of what’s around you. Also, the fit of an open-ear earphone might be more comfortable. The Shokz Openfit Air has an open-ear design. It uses a well-shaped ear hook made of a nickel-titanium alloy to ensure an ideal fit on the ear. It is covered with soft silicone so that it is also comfortable to wear during sporting activity. They look big, but they weigh just 8.7 grams and are correspondingly light to wear. As with all headphones with ear hooks, people who wear glasses…

The Mac Pro has garnered staunch criticism from the crowd that would usually buy one—and in most cases, it’s warranted. The Mac Studio (fave.co/44RXssy) is alarmingly good for much less money. I, too, bought into the critique of the Mac Pro being a bad buy. But the Mac Pro does have value—a lot of it. As a fan of the 2019 Intel Mac Pro (fave.co/3CtrWIV), I tried the M2 Max MacBook Pro and Mac Studio, but I found that the Mac Pro has advantages that can’t be overlooked. HIDDEN COSTS OF OTHER MACS When I tried to switch over to a MacBook Pro as my primary Mac, the problems started almost immediately as I attempted to mimic the hefty storage and port options that I had on my 2019 Mac…

The Plugable Thunderbolt Docking Station with DisplayLink (TBT-6950PD) is a full 11-port docking station that beats nearly all other Thunderbolt docks by boasting not just four Thunderbolt 4 ports (one upstream to the host computer) but two HDMI 2.0 ports as well. That’s a lot of video connection options, and, with some software installed, it can support up to four external 4K displays at 60Hz. If you want to hook up three or more monitors to your Mac (fave.co/3RbaED1), this dock is a solution that will keep the Mac’s other ports free for various duties while adding a bunch more for extensive flexibility. There are two other Thunderbolt docks that match this setup. The ridiculously endowed 21-port iVanky Fusion Dock Max dock—which is superpowered with not one but two Thunderbolt…

SWIPPITT swippitt.com Swippitt offers a different approach to battery charging with its two-part system. The first is the Swippitt Link, a battery case for the iPhone. The second is a toaster-like device called the Swippitt Hub, which houses and charges five batteries that work in the Link case. When you insert the Swippitt Link–encased iPhone into the Hub, the battery in the Link is swapped out with one of the charged batteries in the Hub.—ROMAN LOYOLA SHIFTCAM PLANCK shiftcam.com Planck is a USB-C SSD that will be available in 1TB or 2TB capacities. Its small size makes it ideal for use with an iPhone when shooting video, especially if you’re using the ProRes format, which creates large files and quickly takes up storage space. It offers transfer speeds up to…

Apple unveiled the Apple Watch (fave.co/3WGOrRn) ten years ago last September, prompting the rumor mill to speculate about an anniversary watch—just like the iPhone X (fave.co/3TbWqnN) once was. The Apple Watch X was supposed to feature a new magnetic wristband system that could free up more space in the case for the battery and other modules. Several months ago, there was speculation about an estimate of blood pressure, which Apple is said to have finally succeeded in doing. Just a few years ago, the blogosphere was buzzing about blood glucose measurement, but hope for this feature to arrive has shifted to the late 2020s, if then. What Apple presented in September was without question a solid update: The Apple Watch Series 10 (fave.co/3ARav4d) has retained the best of the Apple…

Scuf Gaming (a gaming controller division of Corsair) introduced the Scuf Nomad smartphone controller, joining a small but growing niche of mobile gaming controllers that turn the smartphone into a gaming handheld and produce something resembling the design of the Nintendo Switch. This niche has been populated by Razer with the Razer Kishi V2 and Razer Kishi Ultra (fave.co/3WFXrGH), the Backbone One and the GameSir X3 and X2 Pro. In contrast to the competition, Scuf takes a completely different approach: The controller does not connect to the iPhone via a plug (USB-C or Lightning)—it connects via Bluetooth. DESIGN AND CONTROLS As usual in this product category, the Scuf Nomad looks like an ordinary game controller that has been sawn in half and reconnected with a bridge. The first major difference…

It’s fair to say that iOS 18 is more highly customizable than any prior release. The big personalized lock screen (fave.co/3Sp3EmA) update of iOS 16 definitely let us add some personality to our iPhones, but that’s nothing compared to the freedom to fiddle afforded in iOS 18 (fave.co/3Bk1PTU). Unfortunately, that means you’re going to have to do a little work. Apple’s latest major update lets you customize the lock screen shortcuts, expands customization of the Action button (now available on all new models), finally gives you full control over the Home screen layout (fave.co/4eL8ENk) and color, and includes an all-new Control Center (fave.co/3C6Xpjq) with multiple pages, third-party controls, resizable controls, and more. And let’s not forget the redesigned Photos app, which has moved around and reorganized everything. The freedom to…

Love them or hate them, spreadsheets are a key part of the business world, but even with the rise of Google Sheets and the like, there’s a good chance your work leans on Microsoft Office’s apps because, well, that’s just the way it’s been for years. We’ve already reviewed Word 2024 (page 89) and PowerPoint 2024 (page 96) and how both are starting to lean into Microsoft’s AI tools, even on Mac, but at the moment Excel feels strangely free from that. Sure, it’s likely to come in the future, but for now, it’s a relatively old-school experience—and that’s not a bad thing for many of us. From building a whole host of charts to drop into a Powerpoint via OneDrive, to less intense household financial plans and math homework,…

The addition of a FaceTime app in tvOS 17 for the Apple TV 4K (2nd generation or later) lets you take advantage of a big screen for viewing and Continuity Camera with an iPhone or iPad for your video input. Some people and organizations use an old iPhone to set up a dedicated FaceTime or videoconferencing workstation, one that various members of a family, office, or other organization can use. (This can make sense when an outdated iPhone has a perfectly good rear-facing camera or cameras but is too slow or beat up for other purposes.) Apple added an option that makes this less effort and more turnkey starting in tvOS 18. You can choose to set an iPhone (not an iPad) as a dedicated device, which makes the microphone,…

Hi-fi manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins (fave.co/4jLHoAM) makes some of the very best Bluetooth headphones (fave.co/3Prhvtf) and earbuds (fave.co/3Yg29L8), but it’s also well known among Apple users for its Zeppelin range of speakers, which first appeared way back in 2007. The first Zeppelin actually had a 30-pin connector for use with an iPod, although later models went completely wireless, adopting Bluetooth, along with both Wi-Fi and AirPlay to provide the best compatibility for Apple devices. The current Zeppelin model—which was last updated in 2021—remains on sale for the time being, but when existing stocks sell out it will be replaced by the new Zeppelin Pro Edition that was launched at the end of 2024. The two models look almost identical, though, and they’re both priced at $799/£699, so take care to…