Innehållsförteckning för March 2024 från Macworld

Forty years. In the world of technology, where many devices seem to evaporate after only a matter of months, lasting for a decade is an accomplishment—but lasting for four decades? It’s practically unheard of. And yet today marks the Macintosh’s 40th anniversary. While it has certainly seen its ups and downs over the intervening years, it’s a device that has nevertheless been in constant production since the day Apple co-founder Steve Jobs first took the wraps off it back in 1984. In that time, it’s run on four different processor architectures and two major operating systems, making it a bit of a computer of Theseus. It’s seen challengers rise and fall, and it has been threatened with extinction more than once, and yet for all of that has emerged in recent…

Getting new Apple hardware can be an exciting experience, but for customers who are finally switching from an Intel Mac, the experience is a little different from a simple upgrade. The recently released MacBook Pro with the M3 chip is filled to the brim with changes. Even if you’ve been using an older M-series MacBook, there are still a few surprises. For users new to the M3 MacBook Pro experience, let’s take a look at what’s in store, from the hardware at your fingertips to the software you use. If you haven’t made a purchase yet, these tidbits can help you decide what model to get. And if you already have one, I’ll cover a few things to help you get the most out of the laptop. (For a deep…

Following the dramatic news in December that the International Trade Commission was banning the sale of Apple’s flagship Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches, an appeals court has denied Apple’s motion for a continuing stay on the sales ban, which means that the ban went into effect January 18. To continue selling the watch, Apple has removed the blood-oxygen sensor’s functionality while the case works its way through the courts. The ITC ruled that the blood-oxygen sensors in the devices infringe patents owned by another company named Masimo. The initial ban lasted only a few days, with an appeals court granting Apple’s request for a temporary stay, but the future remains uncertain. The company wants the ban to be paused for the entire appeals process, which could last a…

The Power Bank Wallet from ESR is very compact for what it does. It’s a wallet for your cards and cash, and it’s a practical stand. It’s also a 5,000 mAh MagSafe battery that holds enough power to charge an iPhone 15 almost 1.5 times. Since it works with MagSafe, the Power Bank Wallet can charge MagSafe-equipped iPhones at a rate of 7.5W. The Power Bank Wallet also has a USB-C port that charges devices at 12W and can be also used to charge the battery itself. The bank charged as expected but got pretty warm while supplying juice to other devices. When charging through MagSafe. I found that an iPhone 15 gained 21 percent more battery life within 30 minutes. When using USB-C, the iPhone 15 increased 36 percent in…

The Apple Watch Ultra is squarely aimed at adventurers: divers, hikers, and other athletes who need a rugged, long-lasting smartwatch that can cope with endurance events and extreme weather. But in exactly the same way that people buy 4x4s with absolutely no intention of ever driving them off-road, the Ultra has also proven popular with ordinary folk that are never going to test its water resistance to a depth of 100m or rely on following waypoints out in the wilderness. They just love its looks and the fact it lasts twice as long between charges compared to a regular Apple Watch. It has almost become a status symbol because of its high price, although not quite to the extent that the original Edition models did. The fact it’s so distinct…

macOS has a lot of features that control when your Mac reduces the power it uses and how it behaves when it does. There’s a relatively hidden setting that automatically logs you out of the current macOS account after a chosen number of minutes idle. This doesn’t shut down your Mac, but it quits all open programs and makes the Mac inaccessible without a password unless you’ve turned on the Guest account. The setting is found at System Settings → Privacy & Security. Scroll down to the very bottom and click the Advanced button. This is where you’ll find “Log out automatically after inactivity.” If this is enabled, there’s also a field into which you can enter the amount of time desired. If it was a mystery as to why…

Back in June, Apple announced it would bring third-party VPN support to the Apple TV. It was the final bullet point in a press release issued during WWDC, but far from being boring and unimportant, it means Apple TV owners could install VPN apps just as those with Amazon Fire TV Sticks and other streaming devices that natively support VPNs. It’s important because it means you can now get around regional blocks and, say, watch shows on Netflix that aren’t available in your country. Previously, the only way to fool streaming services into believing you were in a different country using a VPN was to configure a suitable router with your VPN details, or set up a computer (such as a Windows laptop) with a VPN and share its internet…

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR PHOTOS AREN’T SYNCING ACROSS YOUR APPLE DEVICES iCloud Photos lets you see the same images and videos on all your devices connected to the same iCloud account and with syncing for Photos enabled. If you aren’t seeing synced media, or your media isn’t appearing at iCloud.com or on other devices, try the following. Check that syncing is enabled You should first make sure that a setting didn’t get turned off for some reason: iOS/iPadOS: Go to Settings → Account Name → iCloud → Photos and enable Sync this iPhone/iPad. (The text varies in older versions of iOS/iPadOS). macOS: Go to Photos → Settings/Preferences → iCloud and check that iCloud Photos is checked. If it’s checked in all the above, there are no additional options to…

With the current M-series Mac lineup, Apple is taking absolutely no prisoners. In this dog-eat-dog, survival-of-the-fittest release cycle featuring the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips, Apple demonstrates that it prioritizes perpetual progress. Apple has one chip left in the M3 series to be released, the M3 Ultra, and if history is any indication, it is poised to be an incredible powerhouse. On paper, the M3 Max MacBook Pro is inferior to the top-end M2 Ultra Mac Studio, but in practice, its performance in real-world scenarios gets very close. Both the performance and efficiency gains of the M3 Max lead to a potentially groundbreaking chip with the anticipated M3 Ultra. A new report claims the M3 Ultra is due to arrive this summer using a new enhanced 3nm process, and when it…

Even though Apple has improved its security focus in recent years, including releasing more frequent macOS updates when significant exploits are found in the wild, there’s still a place for good antiviral tools. To this end, Avast Premium Security for macOS (version 15.74 at the time of writing) does an excellent job, setting out to keep your Mac secure from viruses and malware, scanning network content, and only missing an occasional beat. Like a number of antiviral software packages for the Mac (click to see our Best Picks), Avast Premium Security divides itself into several modules (Virus Scans, Core Shields, Traffic Monitor, Network Inspector, Email Guardian, Ransomware Shield, Quarantine, and Store). The home screen offers easy access to these tools. Click on the Virus Scans button, and Avast Premium Security will…

Now that the Apple Vision Pro is available at last, you may be having a moment of indecision. Unlike a new iPhone, Apple Watch, or even a MacBook, $3,499 (to start) is a lot of money for a device that you have not seen or tried out, and the hands-on coverage has been limited and very controlled by Apple. If you’re on the fence about getting a Vision Pro, you’ll need more convincing before you take the leap. Here are five reasons why you should make the investment. 1. SPATIAL VIDEO WILL TOUCH YOUR HEART The Vision Pro, along with the iPhone 15 Pro, can record spatial videos, which is a fancy term for 3D home videos. If you watch a spatial video on an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or any…

Look, I don’t know if that recent report about the new OLED iPad Pro costing between $1,500 and $2,000 is accurate. It’s always tricky to predict product prices since they’re decided deep inside Apple Park, not on the supply chain from which most new-product rumors emanate. But I do know this: Adding OLED to the iPad Pro is only going to make it more expensive. The current iPad Pro models start at $799 and $1,099 and go up from there. (A 2TB 12.9-inch M2 iPad Pro with cellular, an Apple Pencil, and a Magic Keyboard will run you nearly $2,900!) I would be surprised, frankly, if any OLED iPad Pro starts at anything less than $999, and even a price that low seems unlikely. We’re talking prices that are getting pretty comparable…

iPhone owners frequently complain about battery life, even with the latest 15-series models. The unavoidable fact is that the more we use our phones, run apps, and take, edit, or share photos and videos, the less time we get between charges. If you’re near a power source and have your charger and cable to hand, this is not much of a problem. We’ve even rounded up the best iPhone chargers and best iPhone charging cables or best Lightning cables for older iPhones, and these should be your go-to when you’re in need of a quick recharge. Since the launch of the iPhone 12, you have been able to conveniently charge wirelessly using Apple’s efficient MagSafe technology—and again, we have reviewed the best MagSafe wireless chargers. When you’re out and about away from a…

While you may not use it as much as you used to, email still has a valuable role in digital communications. Maybe you spend more time using text messages, direct messaging, or even FaceTime, so it’s even more important than ever to get the most out of Apple’s Mail app. Here are some tips for Mail in macOS to help you manage your email. 1. SAVE ATTACHMENTS To save email attachments to a folder, hover over the dividing line between the letterhead and the message. Mail then displays five icons. The paper clip icon on the very right is responsible for the attachments and the number shows how many there are. When you click the icon, a drop-down menu appears; select Save All to save all of the attachments. In…

One of the previous advantages of third-party virtual camera apps (like Camo from Reincubate) over a built-in or add-on webcam used with your Mac is that they let you use an iPhone as a webcam for FaceTime, Zoom, and other videoconferencing apps. Apple changed that equation by adding Continuity Camera, which lets your iPhone appear as another video input to any app on your Mac. But there was still a virtual camera advantage: Continuity Camera showed you framed in the view of your phone’s Ultra Wide camera or followed you around with Center Stage. But you couldn’t get the advantage of a place between those options: zooming in or out and panning within the frame. Apple added that feature quietly in a way that’s hard to discover in macOS Sonoma.…

Don’t be misled by the Brane X portable speaker’s modest appearance. While diminutive and stealthy in style, this seemingly mild-mannered Bluetooth and streaming speaker is a kick-ass techno wonder that transforms into a sonic superhero faster than you can say “Shazam.” Or more appropriately here, “Alexa.” First shown at CES 2023, the Brane X features a driver the manufacturer says represents “the most significant innovation in audio driver in a century.” Dubbed the RAD (the acronym stands for Repel-Attract Driver), the Brane X’s driver delivers levels of sub-bass more typically associated with loudspeakers reinforced by a discrete subwoofer and megawatts of power. The Brane X is a cute little 7.7-pound thing, humming on 200-plus watts of Class D amplification. It can rock out as royally loudly as a three-times-heavier, roll-about…

While most of Apple’s “Scary Fast” event was predictable, there were a couple of surprises. The first was Space Black, which is Apple’s best laptop color in years. The other was the introduction of the new 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro for $1,599, replacing the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro at the entrylevel position. On the surface, it seems like a great deal. You get a new design with a larger ProMotion display, an HDMI 2.1 port, and an SD card reader for just $100 more than the previous entry-level Pro with the same 512GB of storage. But when you take a step back, it gets a little more confusing. The 15-inch MacBook Air with 512GB of storage costs $1,499, but you don’t get ProMotion or the extra ports. (At the moment, it also…

Sometimes an application that could have been outstanding sabotages itself, with a series of corporate and engineering decisions as well as bugs twisting a potentially great idea into something clunky and awkward to use. This may have been the case with PC Matic, as the macOS version stumbles out the gate and never regains its stride, and a series of infuriating corporate decisions makes a frustrating interface only that much more infuriating. First and foremost, PC Matic is an application for macOS that, like similar applications, works to scan for and remove viruses and malware—take a look at our roundup of the “Best Antivirus for Mac”. The app takes a unique approach in that it’s centered around customizable blacklist and whitelist classifications, which designate which applications and file systems are…

Apple Vision Pro is here. Pre-orders are over, and the device is shipping now. Obviously, the pundits have already started to opine about its odds of success. And within just a few months, we’re going to get breathless articles about how Apple Vision Pro is a runaway hit. Or a massive failure. But how do we even measure success for something like this? This product is, in more ways than one, different from many of the other new-category products Apple has launched. Before we declare Apple Vision Pro a success or a failure, we should probably set some goalposts and discuss expectations. Defining success is a critical part of the start of any new endeavor–so how do we define success for the most important new Apple product in over a decade?…

The newest iPhones always have a raft of fun and useful new features, but they don’t do much good if your phone doesn’t last through the day. That’s why Apple has been adding battery-saving features to iOS for years—and there’s one that you should start using. A quick caveat: This feature is currently limited to iPhone 15 models, but there’s no reason Apple couldn’t bring it to older iPhones in iOS 18 or an iOS 17 update. If you have one of Apple’s newest phones, you’ll find a new 80% Limit option inside the Charging Optimization tab in the Battery Health & Charging settings. And if you haven’t already turned it on, you should. Apple introduced the concept of Optimized Battery Charging in iOS 13. Powered by machine learning, it tracks…

While the look, feel, and general interface of macOS are the same from generation to generation, each version introduces new features. If you’ve been using an older version, you may not know about the things that Sonoma introduces. If you’re new to Sonoma, welcome! Let’s get you started right by showing you some of the things you can do with Sonoma that you couldn’t do before. This will help you get the most out of your Mac, and best of all, they’re all pretty easy to learn. 1. ADJUST THE ‘REVEAL DESKTOP’ SETTING With Sonoma, Apple made one major change to the user interface that can be disorienting to longtime Mac users. Before Sonoma, if you clicked on the wallpaper, the interface switched to the Desktop, but the app you…

The problem was simple. I had a long table of shipping data that I needed to export from Numbers to Excel via File → Export To → Excel. After making choices and saving the exported file, Numbers popped up with an error: “Some changes were made to your exported spreadsheet. Filtered table cells were exported hidden.” I didn’t recall enabling a filter in the Organize Inspector’s Filter tab—but there it was. Filters let you exclude or include rows based on detailed criteria you can set. They apply to the currently selected table. For instance, perhaps you want to see only rows that contain a movie you ranked as 4.0 or higher, or just address entries for people in Texas or people born after 1979. This is a powerful way to…

If you’ve got the cash for Apple’s Vision Pro, you’ll have your pick of streaming services once you strap on the immersive headset, including native apps for the biggest players in the streaming universe—well, with one major exception. Apple is touting the Vision Pro’s entertainment abilities in the runup to the AR headset’s February 2 launch date, from the ability to stream 3D movies such as Avatar: The Way of Water and Dune to an exclusive “glimpse” into an Alicia Keys rehearsal session via the Apple TV app. Users can also expect Dolby Atmos and lossless audio quality. More importantly, Apple has ticked off all the major streaming services that had native apps ready for the Vision Pro at launch, and the list includes most of the usual suspects, with one…

The JLab Nightfall is the first in a lineup of products from JLab that look likely to make waves in the budget gaming category, if its audio quality, comfort, and styling is anything to go by. When I say budget, the Nightfall is extremely well priced—you can expect to pay $39.99 for a cheap meal out these days, so it seems a small price to pay for a well-made pair of headphones with 50mm audio drivers. Yet despite everything this headset has going for it, a big question mark hangs over its mic performance, which included a lot of static feedback in my play testing. Read on to find out more. DESIGN AND BUILD Lightweight plastic dominates the Nightfall’s build, which is unsurprising considering the headset’s $39.99 price tag. I’ve…