Macworld UK June 2016

Welcome to the latest issue of Macworld. This month we’re looking forward to WWDC. A highlight of Apple’s yearly calendar, the annual get-together for the company’s software partners always sees it unveil a range of new products. This time around we’re expecting new versions of its operating systems, updates to Siri and Apple Music, and potentially new laptops. Read our preview on page 4. Last year, we were bowled over by the latest addition to the company’s range of laptops – the gorgeous-looking MacBook. Some critics, however, claimed it was a case of style over substance and that its performance was a disappointment – something we disagreed with. In an attempt to tackle this perception, Apple has released a new version with improved specs. Read our review on page 15.…

WWDC, or the Worldwide Developers’ Conference, is a highlight of Apple’s yearly calendar. Due to run from 13 to 17 June, the annual get-together for the company’s software partners (not to mention representatives of the world’s media) always sees Apple unveil a range of new products. This year we’re expecting the latest versions of its operating systems, updates to Siri and Apple Music, and potentially new laptops. Apple Music According to Bloomberg, one of Apple’s focuses at WWDC 2016 will be its music-streaming service, Apple Music, which launched at WWDC 2015 and has received mixed reviews ever since. As we approach its first anniversary, most analysts would agree it has been a qualified success. Apple has established a solid subscriber base, passing 10 million paying users earlier this year, and…

Apple put Siri, its voice-activated personal assistant, in the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV, but not the Mac. We assumed the company realised that people talking to their computers would be rage-inducing to those around them, but OS X has had dictation features for a while, and Apple has actually been testing Siri on the Mac for the past four years. The feature is almost ready to go, 9to5Mac reported recently (tinyurl.com/j4lnw99), and will be announced at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference as part of OS X 10.12 in June. The next version of the Mac operating system is likely to get a public release this autumn. So how will Siri on the Mac work? Kind of like Spotlight search, in that a Siri icon will sit in…

With the help of security researchers, Apple recently quickly blocked a cyberattack aimed at infecting Mac users with file-encrypting malware known as ransomware. The incident is believed to be the first Apple-focused attack using ransomware, which typically targets computers running Windows. Victims of ransomware are asked to pay a fee, usually in bitcoin, to get access to the decryption key to recover their files. Security company Palo Alto Networks wrote that it found the ‘KeRanger’ ransomware wrapped into Transmission, which is a free Mac BitTorrent client. Transmission warned on its website (transmissionbt.com) that people who downloaded the 2.90 version of the client “should immediately upgrade to 2.92”. Sneaking past the Gatekeeper It was unclear how the attackers managed to upload a tampered version of Transmission to the application’s website. But…

From £1,049 inc VAT • apple.com/uk Apple finds itself in a simultaneously difficult and enviable position in 2016. Having cast its spell over the laptop, the smartphone and the tablet, it has run out of things to revolutionise, things to invent. It seems that Apple is starting to plateau, in both creative and financial terms, but (perhaps unfairly) it must live up to its own hype every time it releases a product. Such as this amazing MacBook, an update to the original 12in MacBook unveiled in 2015. Much like the original MacBook Air caused outrage among tech hacks by having only one USB port (Apple later relented and added a second), so the 12in MacBook courted controversy by featuring a lone USB-C port, which also serves as the power connector:…

From £499 inc VAT • apple.com/uk The 9.7in iPad Pro, Apple’s appealing new mid-size tablet, proves that while laptops might still be the best tool for working on the go, they’re no longer necessary. We evaluate its build quality and new features, put the device through our rigorous speed benchmarks and battery-life tests, and compare the value for money it offers compared to other iPads (and rival tablets) on the market. Design If you’ve seen the iPad Air 2 then you’ve pretty much seen the 9.7in iPad Pro too. They’re virtually identical; the physical dimensions match up, down to the nearest gram or tenth of a millimetre, and the positioning of almost all the buttons, slots, apertures and so on is the same. Yet some minor and a couple of…