Innehållsförteckning för September 2023 från Macworld

At the Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple unveiled a batch of new Macs, including models based on the M2, M2 Max, and M2 Ultra processors. The second generation of Apple’s M-class chips first appeared in June 2022, so there were hopes that we might get a glimpse of the M3 at this year’s summer event. Those hopes were dashed. Still, we may not have to wait much longer for the third generation, if Mark Gurman’s sources are correct. The widely read Bloomberg leaker-analyst has predicted in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter that this September’s iPhone and Apple Watch launches will be quickly followed by a second fall event focusing on the Mac. “Now that Apple has gotten the 15-inch MacBook Air and new M2 Ultra-based Macs out the door,”…

Back at Worldwide Developers Conference 2020, Apple announced that it was going to make its own Mac processors, and the first question that popped up in everyone’s head was “When will they be released?” To many users, the second question that popped up was more important: “How much longer will Apple support the Intel Mac I’m using right now?” Apple will soon start its third generation of its M-series chips for the Mac (see page 9), so users are starting to ask that second question more frequently. Over at Ars Technica, Andrew Cunningham has done extensive research to figure out when Apple may drop support for Intel Macs, and it may be sooner than you think. Starting with the original iMac that was released in 1998, Cunningham tracked when each Mac…

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s SuperDock! But what makes Sonnet’s latest Thunderbolt 4 laptop docking station so super? The superness is not the 19 top-end ports, although these are certainly impressive. It’s not the 2.5 times faster Ethernet connection. And it’s not the backward-compatible Thunderbolt 4 technology, which is certified to the very latest Intel standards. What makes the Sonnet Echo 20 Thunderbolt 4 SuperDock so super is its built-in M.2 NVMe SSD slot, which means you can add up to 8TB of SSD storage to your system without connecting an external storage device to the dock or computer. But first let’s look at the abundance of ports this dock boasts to connect devices at top speed. SPECS AND FEATURES The Sonnet Echo 20 Thunderbolt…

The European Council, a governing body that decides regulations for European Union member states, just adopted a massive new battery regulation. Technically, it’s a set of amendments and repeals to earlier battery directives, aimed at providing a more ecologically sound energy storage infrastructure for the EU. Once the European Parliament and European Council sign the regulation, it will set into motion a major shift in the battery industry. In theory it only applies to EU member states, but that’s a massive part of the world economy and will have global effects. Notably, the regulations will require that portable devices—including phones, tablets, and laptops—have batteries that users can easily replace without requiring any special tools or training. That would necessitate a massive shift in design from Apple for its iPhones, iPads,…

Apple has expanded its Self Service Repair program to include the current iPhone 14 lineup and M2 Macs. The company also changed its iPhone System Configurator process, and in some countries it added new components that can be self-repaired. Each iPhone 14 model, the M2 13-inch MacBook Air, the M2 Pro MacBook Pro, and the M2 Max MacBook Pro are part of the Self Service Repair program. Anyone wanting to repair these devices can use the same parts, tools, and manuals the Apple Store locations and Authorized Service Providers use. These items are available at the Self Service Repair Store. In Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the U.K., and the U.S., Apple has added Self Service Repair for desktop M1 Macs, and the True Depth camera and top…

The words “generative AI” are on everyone’s lips at the moment. These technologies can create text, images, or video clips from simple prompts, and could change the media landscape as we know it. Adobe certainly thinks generative AI is worth further investigation, and is putting its marketing muscle behind Generative Fill, a new Photoshop feature that allows you to edit or manipulate your images in new ways. You can see for yourself how it works in the images below: before (1) and after (2). The blank areas were filled in—which is to say, extrapolated from what’s in the rest of the image—by Photoshop’s artificial intelligence. Thanks to technologies like this, it has never been easier to transform images in portrait format into landscape. Generative Fill is still officially in beta.…

Safari is a great browser but for various reasons, a lot of people use Google Chrome instead—but the major compromise to make is that you can’t get iCloud features such as password access. That’s going to change, however, in macOS Sonoma—the next version of macOS will allow Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers to access iCloud passwords. As highlighted by Apple’s Ricky Mondello, the iCloud Passwords Chrome extension will allow Chrome users in Sonoma to access Apple’s password manager. Mondello states that the functionality is working now, even though the product description on the Chrome Web Store does not point this out, nor does it state that the extension can be used on a Mac (it says it’s “for Windows users”). Mondello explains that users can “AutoFill passwords and one-time codes, save new…

The Soundcore Motion X600 is the best-sounding Bluetooth speaker I’ve received from Anker Innovations. It’s right up there with the Marshall Middleton for TechHive’s coveted “Best sonics in Bluetooth” award. OK, that award is largely bestowed in my head. But you get the point: This speaker sounds excellent. And more importantly in this economy—it sounds excellent for $100 less than its rival! DESIGN AND SPECS Anker isn’t Apple, but the folks at its Soundcore division do have their own design aesthetic; one that I’ve become rather fond of. In the case of the Motion X600. I’m particularly enamored with the copious amounts of genuine metal used in the fabrication of its enclosure. There’s lots of metal in the rounded rectangle that surrounds the unit, as well as in the very solid, permanently…

WATCH OUT FOR UNEXPECTED NFC TAG ALERTS ON YOUR iPHONE Near-field communications (NFC) allow very short-range transmission of data from a device that can be battery-free. The field generator by the NFC reader produces the tiny amount of power required to trigger a signal. Starting with AirTag support in the iPhone 6s in 2015, all iPhone models have had some kind of ability to activate and read NFC tags. (Starting with ever earlier iPhones, all Watch models, and many iPads, NFC transmission or encoding is used for Apple Pay.) You might have received certain kinds of NFC tag notifications. The most common are: AirTag: Tapping an AirTag after receiving an alert that one is near you. AirTags that aren’t registered to you will be identified by your iPhone. When brought…

With the introduction of the M2 Ultra, bringing us Mac Studio updates and the Mac Pro with it, Apple has completed its transition away from Intel and wrapped up the M2 family of processors. Now all eyes are looking ahead to M3. Reports say that Apple is already testing new laptops with the M3 and the first possibly arriving later this year (see page 7). We don’t know much about the M3 yet, except that it will likely be made using TSMC’s 3nm manufacturing process. If we want to have some idea of what to expect with the M3, we can look at the evolution of M-series processors and how they relate to the A-series used in iPhones and iPads. Nobody really knows what the M3 will bring until Apple tells us, but…

Apple’s Mac lineup offers a model for every user, which is great because more choices are always good for the customer. But with that comes a bit of confusion as to whether a particular Mac model is actually a good deal. When researching a new Mac purchase, it can become dizzying to compare models and prices. Apple’s online comparison tool can help, but some customers may find sorting through the different specs intimidating—and it doesn’t include pricing. Fortunately, there are some clear-cut choices on which Macs you should avoid. There are three models that stand out, not because they’re bad performers, but because you can get more for your money. Here are the three Macs you should avoid and the Macs you should consider instead. AVOID: M1 MACBOOK AIR  GET: M2…

VAONIS HESTIA The Vaonis Hestia is a device that is used with the iPhone as a telescope that lets you take amazing photos of the planets and stars. Place the iPhone on the Hestia, and the device uses its 30mm lens and a set of prisms that work with the iPhone’s optics. The device weighs about a pound and can be easily stashed into a backpack. The iPhone app has a built-in sky map to help navigate the stars.—ROMAN LOYOLA ESR HALOLOCK 3-IN-1 TRAVEL WIRELESS CHARGING SET The ESR HaloLock 3-in-1 provides a convenient place to charge your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods all on one stand. The iPhone mount uses a MagSafe connector and can hold the phone vertically or horizonatally for when you want to watch videos while…

Apple has warned that it will shut down services such as FaceTime and iMessage in the U.K. if the government of that country goes ahead with passing controversial legislation. A proposed update to the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 is currently in open consultation. Members of the public are invited to offer feedback on the amendments, which include a requirement for messaging services to notify the Home Office, a department of the British Government that handles immigration, security, and law and order, of new security features before they are rolled out, and the right for the Home Office to privately demand that security features be disabled immediately. Under current legislation, the latter can be requested, but there is an independent oversight process and room for appeal before action is taken. “As…

Apple announced iOS 17 at the Worldwide Developers Conference back in June, and what had been rumored to be little more than a “maintenance release” focused on performance and reliability turned out to be a whole lot more. There are dozens of new features coming to our iPhones this fall, and while some are minor tweaks, others are game-changers. We expect iOS 17 to be released this month. Apple made an early beta available to registered developers in June, with a public beta ready in late July. We have a guide to tell you all about how to download the iOS beta. These are the five features that have us most excited to update our iPhones this fall. 1. LIVE VOICEMAIL TRANSCRIPTION When you get a call and let it…

The macOS sleep mode lets your computer mostly rest its burden, reducing energy consumption during those periods. For laptops, it’s particularly useful in conserving battery life. For an AC-powered desktop Mac, however, sleep these days has a very modest reduction in wattage, and you may want your Mac to stay alert to perform actions or respond to remote queries, as in a remote screen-sharing session. macOS Ventura made these settings harder to understand, so much so that I didn’t realize until testing a remote-access app that my Mac was going to sleep, as the Monterey settings didn’t produce the same result. 1. LOCK SCREEN SETTINGS To avoid using unwanted energy and burning hours on your display while it’s not in use, start with System Settings → Lock Screen. On a…

Cyber security firm Guardz has announced that it has discovered new malware designed to “steal sensitive data” in the background on macOS. Dubbed “ShadowVault,” the malware, according to a forum posting discovered by Guardz, can grab usernames and password, stored credit card info, data from crypto wallets, and more. Guardz learned about ShadowVault through the XSS forum on the dark web, where it was being offered to anyone who was willing to pay $500 per month to rent the malware. The development of ShadowVault is part of a growing trend of malware as a service (sometimes referred to as MaaS) against macOS. Back in April, Cyble Research and Intelligence Labs discovered AMOS, and in March, Uptycs discovered MacStealer, both of which were available to bad actors for a fee. The…

Audio-Technica’s charmingly compact Sound Burger is a portable, battery-powered turntable that’s just the ticket for bin-hunting expeditions and going on the road to share your beloved vinyl collection with friends. This deceptively small, 2-pound record player streams to Bluetooth speakers or headphones, and it has a 3.5mm line-level output for connecting to powered speakers or an amplifier. True to the notion “what goes around comes around,” the “new” Sound Burger is an updated version of a portable phonograph that Audio-Technica brought to market in 1983, 40 years ago. Marketed in the U.S. as the Mister Disc, the turntable was a belated response to the personal stereo craze sparked by the 1979 launch of the Sony Walkman portable cassette player. Like the model before it, the Sound Burger’s footprint isn’t much bigger…

At the end of June, I said that we probably wouldn’t be getting any new Macs for the rest of the year, based on reports that Apple’s chips cycle had been affected by production issues. However, new reports indicate that Apple could be releasing new Macs this fall. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple may release new Macs this October (see page 7) that feature the M3 chip. Either Apple and TSMC (the chip manufacturer) have been able to address the production issues, or the reports of a delay were exaggerated. In any case, Gurman reports that the first Macs to get the M3 are the iMac, the 13-inch MacBook Air…and the 13-inch MacBook Pro. The 13-inch MacBook Pro! It’s the misfit of Apple’s Mac lineup, but if there’s any doubt that…

One of our favorite third-party displays is Alogic’s Clarity, a great-looking premium 27-inch 4K monitor that can pivot from landscape to portrait orientations and boasts a back-mounted USB-C hub. Read our full Alogic Clarity Monitor review. Alogic has now added two new monitors to its Clarity range: the Clarity Pro and Clarity Pro Touch. The Clarity Pro adds an all-important webcam to the display. The Clarity Pro Touch also has a webcam, but adds a touchscreen display that you can use much like an iPad with on-screen tap, swipe, slide, and pinch. SCREEN PIXELS AND COLORS Of course, the most important consideration when buying a display is the picture quality. As with the original Clarity, the Alogic Clarity Pro and Pro Touch offer a 4K (3840-x-2160 pixels) screen, capable of…

Generally speaking, Apple’s smartwatches follow a predictable release schedule: Since the Series 3, every standard model has come out one year after its predecessor. But the nonstandard SE and Ultra models are more complicated to predict, and the latter in particular presents a conundrum. There’s only been one Ultra so far, for one thing, which means there’s no pattern to examine. One theory holds that, because it’s a more expensive version of the Apple Watch, customers will buy new Ultra units less frequently, and the maker will follow a similar principle when bringing out new models: every other year, perhaps. But that theory is looking increasingly shaky, with a second major analyst now nailing his colors to the annual-refresh mast. In an investors’ note published this weekend (seen by GSMArena),…

Apple’s announcement of the Vision Pro mixed-reality headset at the Worldwide Developers Conference 2023 was an impressive affair in many ways, from the slick design and obvious tech chops of the device itself to the high production values of the video showing them off. But the best performance of the night may have been the presenters’ intricate dance to avoid the ghosts of past failures. That’s because, as usual, Apple is not the first to this market (at least in the broad sense—Vision Pro is breaking new ground in terms of some specifics). Google tried to make augmented reality a thing back in 2013 and finally gave up on its Glass project earlier this year. Facebook is desperately trying to make the metaverse a thing and has succeeded only in…

The Mac Studio had a splashy debut last year, a new desktop design with speed that filled the needs of the most demanding professionals. But it also raised a few questions at the time: Does it replace the Mac Pro? And if it doesn’t, will Apple continue the Mac Studio line once the Apple silicon Mac Pro arrives? Would the Mac Studio end up just like iMac Pro, a model that got little attention after its release and eventually was discontinued? We now have answers that give the Mac lineup some much-needed clarity. Apple showed at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June that it is dedicated to upgrading and maintaining the high-end desktop Mac as a platform with the release of the M2 Max/Ultra Mac Studio and the M2 Ultra Mac…

If you connect to Outlook via a Mac email client, and your organization requires a fresh login after a certain number of days set by its security policy, you might find yourself mysteriously stymied and unable to troubleshoot the problem, if you hit the same snag I did recently. After years of receiving weekly requests to perform a login and two-factor authentication via my browser for an Outlook account, it suddenly failed. No amount of troubleshooting seemed to allow me to reconnect. Strangely, on a different Mac, authentication continued to work without a hitch. After a substantial amount of trial and error, I discovered a new piece of software that I had installed interfered with my email client’s browser launch. The new software, PeakHour, operates a tiny local web server…

Some of Apple’s best AirPods aren’t AirPods, they’re Beats. The company’s other headphone brand regularly breaks out products with nearly all the same features and technology as AirPods but with better style, compatibility, and pricing. If you’re in the market for a set of over-the-ear headphones and considering the AirPods Max, you now have a better option. The new Beats Studio Pro may not be made of aluminum and steel with a fancy mesh headband, but they cost $200 less and deliver better sound, broader compatibility, and most of the important AirPods features. Oh, and they come with a real carrying case. EXCELLENT APPLE (AND ANDROID) SUPPORT The main reason to get AirPods over other headphones is their seamless integration with your Apple ecosystem. They pair just by holding them near…

Some on-the-go music listeners want earbuds that just work out of the box, the kind you pair and forget about until the batteries need charging. Others are frustrated by limited options or the idea that the buds become useless the instant the batteries die for good. The excellent Shure Aonic 215 Gen 2 wireless earphones have a modular design that splits the speakers that sit in your ear from the unit housing the batteries and wireless circuitry, making it possible to swap earbuds or use them with a cable plugged into the source. The Shure Play app also allows for precise EQ adjustments, allowing listeners to create and save their own preferred settings. It’s the eternal tradeoff with audio products. The more options the manufacturer provides, the more complicated it…