Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2021 i MacFormat

Our Macs are brilliant: fast, easy to use, powerful, and they “just work”… until you suddenly find they don’t. Luckily, this month’s lead feature (p20) is here to help you unleash your inner Apple Genius and fix those annoying problems that crop up from time to time – from apps that don’t play nicely to networking issues to the dreaded flashing question mark folder at startup. Over 13 pages, you’ll discover the tips, tricks and techniques that can help bring your Mac back to its full just-working glory. Turn to p62 and you’ll find an in-depth guide to another modern problem – how to eke out more battery life from your devices, whether it’s a MacBook, an iPhone, an iPad or an Apple Watch. We’ll help you identify power hogs…

Rumours that Apple has been working on iPhone reverse charging finally bore fruit when the company released its £99 MagSafe Battery Pack. This small puck magnetically clips to the back of an iPhone and offers up to 5W of wireless power for your phone when attached. If the Battery Pack is connected to a 20W charger or higher over Lightning and clipped onto your iPhone, it can charge your phone at 15W. Interestingly, its own internal battery can be restored by your iPhone. When the two devices are attached, you can plug in your iPhone and it will start charging the MagSafe Battery Pack as well. This uses the iPhone 12’s reverse-charging tech, which was discovered in late 2020 but has only just been enabled by Apple. Currently, it doesn’t…

Apple often touts the security benefits of its products, but a new report from Amnesty International has highlighted an alarming vulnerability that allows hackers access to an iPhone without the user doing anything or even being aware of their presence. According to the report, iPhones belonging to journalists and human rights lawyers have been found to contain spyware called Pegasus made by NSO Group, an Israeli surveillance company. Pegasus allows access to a device’s messages, emails, microphone and camera. Worryingly, these attacks appeared to be successful even on fully patched and updated iPhones, and some attacks managed to inject spyware without any user interaction (like tapping an infected link). The report was partly based on a leaked database of 50,000 phone numbers, which included those of a former French environment…

Where are my files? Your files are stored in Macintosh HD > Users > [Your name] in various folders: Movies, Music, Pictures and so on. If you use iCloud Drive, your files and folders are in the Mobile Documents folder in your user account’s library; to locate it in Finder, follow the steps in “Where’s my Library folder?” Why can’t I empty the Bin? This is usually because something in the Bin is still being used by an app (or because your Mac thinks it is, which can sometimes happen after an app crashes). Quit the app if you can and try again; if that doesn’t work, you’ll need to restart your Mac. Still no joy? Boot into Safe Mode (p26) and try once more. Where’s my Library folder? It’s…

How much is a new laptop battery? If your battery isn’t covered by warranty or AppleCare+, Apple will replace it for you. The prices start at £129 for a 13-inch or 15-inch MacBook Pro rising to £199 for the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display and the 16-inch MacBook Pro. What’s the hardest Mac to repair? It’s a constantly changing list but right now the Mac teardown experts at iFixit.com give the 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro just one out of ten for repairability and the 2019 13-inch MacBook Pro gets two out of ten. The 16-inch almost seems designed to frustrate fiddling: if a key component isn’t glued or soldered to something, it’s riveted instead. iMacs are a little easier once you get the screen off – iFixit…

Whether or not Time Machine makes regular backups of your Mac, making a complete copy (a clone or mirror) of its contents is a good idea before you undertake to install macOS updates or upgrades. Carbon Copy Cloner 6 (£29.90, bombich.com) can make a one-off clone or regular backups in addition to, or instead of, Time Machine, and previous versions work for Mojave and earlier. Catalina and Big Sur change the way that you restore from a clone. Rather than cloning back from the copy to your internal storage, it’s better to install macOS then migrate from the copy, and that’s the only way for M1 Macs. That means you don’t need to clone the System volume, which saves space, although CCC can still do that if you wish. CCC…

You’ve made your music and you’ve learned how to perform it live. Next step: sharing it with the wider world, and hopefully making a bit of money too. It’s really easy to put your music online, and that includes on Apple Music and Spotify. In this tutorial we’ll look at three services: Bandcamp, Sound-Cloud and DistroKid. The first two are free with some chargeable, optional add-ons, while DistroKid charges a small fee for its services – which is worth it, because when you upload your music on DistroKid you can sell it in Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, YouTube and services you may not even know existed. Sell, sell, sell (or stream) Bandcamp is a sales platform too, but it won’t distribute your music anywhere else: the idea is that…

Drag and drop, one of the features that characterised the Mac when it first arrived all the way back in 1984, comes to the iPhone later this year in iOS 15. Even in early beta versions, it looks like it works very well, and will make a huge difference to getting work done on the iPhone. The feature will also be included in iPadOS 15, but won’t have quite the same impact on the iPad as it will on the iPhone. Why? Because you can already drag and drop between apps in iPadOS, and you can drag and drop files between folders in the Files app. The key difference between the way drag and drop will work in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 and the way it currently works in…

Why can’t First Aid check a disk? Q After Time Machine made its first backup of my M1 iMac, I ran Disk Utility’s First Aid, but it couldn’t check the backup disk as it couldn’t unmount it. How can I check that backup is good? by ANDY INNES A The simplest way to check special volumes such as Time Machine backups is to start up in Recovery, select Options, and use Disk Utility from its main window. That ensures that other processes, Time Machine or Spotlight indexing, won’t access the volume, enabling Disk Utility to unmount it cleanly. Even then, this doesn’t always work first time: you may need to try two or three times before it’s eventually successful. You may not even need to run First Aid, though. Older…

Whether you’re creating a whole movie or just a trailer, the most important thing is to plan it in advance. Decide what shots you need before you start shooting. Are they inside or outside? Do they need daylight? What about audio? You don’t need a detailed script, but a list of shots will help a great deal and ease a lot of frustration during editing. Think about the story you want to tell, and how you can tell it using a mix of close-ups, side shots, and even action sequences. When you create a trailer in iMovie, you’ll see there is already a list of shots prepared, all you have to do is drop the relevant clips onto their placeholder. When it comes to titles and transitions, choose those that…

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£69 FROM Moft, madebymoft.com FEATURES 5-in-1 laptop stand with 25°, 45° and 60° angles; size: 279x238x12mm (flat); 890g; holds laptop up to 22lbs (10kg) in weight The Moft Z Stand is a 5-in-1 laptop stand for a MacBook or tablet that enables you to prop up your Apple machine at 25, 45 and 60° angles and even use your laptop standing up. Fashioned from hardwearing polyurethane and fibreglass and available in four different colours (orange, blue, grey and black), the fold-flat, magazine-sized design means the Z Stand is easy to stash in a bag without taking up too much room. The trick is figuring out those five different positions. Folding, unfolding, flipping and switching the Z Stand’s various flaps and panels (some of which attach magnetically) feels like putting up…

ON TEST… Brave Epic Privacy Browser Firefox Opera Tor Vivaldi Apple’s Safari is a great web browser, and if you’re an iCloud subscriber it’ll become even more so this autumn with iCloud+ and iCloud Private Relay. That routes your traffic through a relay to hide your IP address, your exact geographic location and your browsing data. It’s not quite a Virtual Private Network (VPN), but it’s pretty close. That’s great if you’re an iCloud subscriber upgrading to macOS Monterey. But if you aren’t, the browsers on test here all promise to keep you safe, secure and private when you’re online. You’ll notice that one browser is conspicuous by its absence: Chrome. That’s because Chrome is at heart a browser built to connect to Google, and as Mozilla told Forbes magazine:…

£14.99 Premium FROM Kevin Reutter, kevinreutter.de NEEDS macOS 11 or later Planny combines notes, calendar, reminders and to-do lists in a single app. Version 5 has been rewritten, and it has a new interface too. Although Planny is free, the £14.99 annual Premium subscription unlocks features like the ability to set priorities and pin items, create subtasks and unlimited lists. It also allows you to create and search by tags. The interface has a colour-coded sidebar with Favorites – categories such as Overdue, Upcoming and Pinned – and Lists, where you can organise different kinds of content such as groceries or project items. There are game-style awards and graphs to show productivity. This version is visually identical to the iPad version, and pre-populated items refer to tapping icons rather than…

DESKTOP SPEAKER Ruark MR1 £329.99 ruarkaudio.com Winner of MF357’s head to head, the MR1 speaker set looks and sounds the business. The dome tweeter and longthrow woofer can handle a variety of audio styles with aplomb. You get a good variety of connectivity options, and we love the chunky function/volume dial too. IN-EAR WIRLESS EARPHONES Sony WF-1000XM4 £250 sony.co.uk The WF-1000XM4 are slightly smaller than their predecessor and the case is 40% smaller – and more ecofriendly. The true wireless earbuds have a good audio ability, support voice-assistant control and the Headphones Connect app provides lots of customisation and ease of use. As well as LDAC, the WF-1000XM4 are compatible with SBC and AAC codecs. KEYBOARD (MAC/iOS) Logitech MX Keys For Mac £99.99 logitech.com If you spend a lot of…

WE ASKED… Which iOS 15 feature are you most excited about? Log on and see next issue’s big question! twitter.com/macformat facebook.com/macformat iPad mini set for huge redesign This year, the iPad mini could get an all-screen makeover that brings it closer to the iPad Air. A new report from 9to5Mac has now claimed to reveal more details about the tablet. Citing “sources familiar with the matter”, the outlet says the new iPad mini will feature Apple’s upcoming A15 chip, a USB-C port, and a magnetic Smart Connector. Paired with the removal of the Home button, this could be the largest iPad mini overhaul ever. The A15 chip will be the same as that in this year’s new iPhones. By equipping it with a USB-C port and Smart Connector, meanwhile, Apple…

Some Apple products come with small features that have an impressive, outsized impact when you use them. The Apple Watch’s always-on display is one such feature, and it looks like Apple might bring similar tech to the iPhone 13 when it launches this year. In an edition of his Power On newsletter, reporter Mark Gurman has claimed the next iPhone might come with an “Apple Watch-like always-on mode.” This would enable you to see some details on the screen at a lower brightness without having to fully switch on the display. Elsewhere in the newsletter, Gurman predicted the iPhone 13 would come with a 120Hz refresh rate for smoother interactions, something that has been rumoured a lot in the past year or two. He also forecast a new A15 chip,…

Why isn’t iCloud syncing? Check out apple.com/support/systemstatus to see if any iCloud services have problems. Nothing? Make sure you’re logged in with the correct ID on your devices and that the specific services are turned on in their preferences. On your Mac that’s System Preferences > Apple ID. Why have I run out of space on iCloud? Unless you’re a student, your free iCloud space is a miserly 5GB – but even paid accounts can run out of room, especially if you’re backing up mobile devices. You can manage which apps use iCloud storage in System Preferences > Apple ID and delete unwanted data by clicking Manage. Why have my photos stopped syncing? If you run out of storage space, new photos and videos won’t upload until you free some…

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Unless you have an iPad Pro with a storage capacity that’s measured in TB, the chances are that sooner or later you’ll run into the problem of not having enough storage space on your iPad or iPhone to do what you want to do. Often, it’s only when you come to update to a new version of the OS that you realise you’re running short of space. Thankfully, there is plenty you can do to clear out the clutter and create more free space. How you use your iPhone or iPad will play a big role in how much storage space you use and how easy it is to free up. For example, if you download movies and TV programmes to view offline while you travel, then you’ll quickly fill…

iPhone battery cases/packs MagSafe Battery Pack £99 FROM apple.com/uk FEATURES Lightning charging port This brand-new battery pack is designed to clamp to the back of your iPhone 12 using magnets to keep its battery topped up on the go. While it’s a bit bulky, your phone should still fit in your pocket while the magnetic connection is a strong one. It’s also designed to integrate into iOS, so you get a notification when it’s connected, and your battery level glows green as it’s being charged. iPhone Smart Battery Case From £99 FROM apple.com/uk FEATURES Available for iPhone 7 or later, features vary with model Apple’s official case is the obvious choice for those looking to boost their battery life without a MagSafe connection during the day, with up to 50%…

Adding clips to the timeline, trimming them and adding titles and transitions are the nuts and bolts of making movies in iMovie. Once you’ve got the hang of those, you’ll be able to make great-looking videos. However, there’s a lot more to iMovie than that. We talked in the introduction about trailers, and we’ll show you how to make one here. Trailers are a great introduction to storyboarding, since the templates are presented as storyboards with placeholders for you to simply add your own content. We’ll also show you how to add a narration track for your videos from within iMovie, which makes it easy to sync your voiceover with the video you’re talking about. Finally, we’ll show you how to detach the audio of a clip from its video,…

£129.99 FROM Beats by Dre, beatsbydre.com/uk FEATURES True wireless earbuds, Bluetooth 5.2, Active Noise Cancelling (ANC), up to 24 hours battery life between recharges (8 hours earbuds, 16 hours case with ANC off), iOS/Android compatible, water and sweat resistant to IPX4, hands-free Siri, USB-C charging port The only time you’re ever going to want to take them out of your ears is when they need recharging Beats built its name and reputation on two things: being seen on (and in) the ears of pop stars, elite athletes and other influencers; and bass, lots and lots of bass. Since Apple took over in 2014, things have slowly changed. Beats still has that cool cachet (perhaps even more so), but its cans also finally sound as good as they look – that…

£149.99 FROM Western Digital, shop.westerndigital.com FEATURES 1TB NVMe solid-state drive (SSD), up to 900MB/s data transfer speed, 1x USB-C port (up to 10GB/s), USB-C to USB 3.2 cable; 96x45.9x60.5mm, 137g Western’s Digital’s WD_BLACK line may be aimed primarily at PC and console gamers, but that’s not a reason for us Mac users to miss out. Case in point: the new WD_BLACK D30 – a compact (96x45.9x60.5mm) external SSD with max data transfer speeds of up to 900MB/s, clad in a black military-style plastic shell. The D30 comes with a single USB-C port on the back (a USB-C to USB-A 3.2 cable is included) and a white LED drive light on the front. There’s also a small plastic stand that clips to the bottom to position the drive vertically instead of…

£199.99 FROM Logitech, logitech.com FEATURES Backlit, detachable keyboard, click-anywhere trackpad, smart connector charges via iPad; 28.56x22.57x1.74cm; 780g This Logitech’s Combo Touch is an £80-cheaper alternative to Apple’s Magic Keyboard stand for the iPad Pro 12.9-inch, and it’s superior in almost every way. Firstly, it has an extra row of keys, including media keys, sound and brightness keys and a home key. It has a bigger trackpad, which means your finger can go further without having to readjust. There are more viewing angles and, unlike the Apple Magic Keyboard, you can magnetically detach the keyboard, which is a lot better for keeping your iPad protected in a case when using the Apple Pencil. In terms of key action it’s hard to pick a favourite between this and Apple’s Magic contender, they’re…

£9.99 FROM Filmage, filmagepro.com NEEDS Mac OS X 10.11 or later Playing movies in anything other than Apple’s preferred MP4 and MOV formats on a Mac, is tricky. You need a third-party app to change legacy or unusual formats such as WMV, AVI into Mac-friendly movies. Filmage Converter puts a simple interface on to video codecs and libraries. Drag any movie for conversion on to the app and choose an output format or device type. Pretty much everything is available from iPad or Apple TV formats through Apple ProRes, WMV, and more, all with frame size, rate, and quality presets. You can click to edit any preset and reveal options on the level of quality – as well as codec, frame, and bit rate settings and audio bit and sample…

The App Store is teeming with Apple Watch apps, but some are better than others. While some cover the bare minimum, others are the total opposite, offering tailored experiences that take advantage of the Watch’s form factor and make the most of everything it offers. We want to highlight those apps here. Whether you are dashing to catch a train or checking off items on your grocery list, these apps understand the ways you use your Watch and what you need from an excellent wrist–based app. Their companion iPhone apps may be good, but in terms of easy wrist-tapping, these Watch apps are truly great, and will simplify your life. Just Press Record £4.99 NEEDS iOS 13 or later Sometimes you might want to record something but it is inconvenient…

Back in July 1985, Aldus PageMaker 1.0 was released for the Macintosh. Along with the LaserWriter printer it helped create the modern desktop publishing industry, with Apple devices right at the heart of it. (A version of the software for IBM PC didn’t start shipping until January 1987, and the PC release of subsequent versions tended to trail behind those for the Mac.) Indeed, Apple and Aldus played off each other, with the former’s ground-breaking graphical interface the perfect platform on which to use design software like PageMaker. The popularity of PageMaker also helped drive Macintosh sales in the late 80s and the two firms worked closely together for years. PageMaker 1.0 included key features, such as free-form drag and drop to position page elements and a variety of type…

Over the past year, Apple’s business practices have come under scrutiny from governments across the world that believe the Cupertino giant is too large and potentially abusing its powerful position. The UK government has not been absent from these intrigues, and has been mulling actions to exert more control over Apple and other ‘Big Tech’ firms. One of the government’s latest moves is its mooted introduction of the Digital Markets Unit, or DMU, which will operate under the Competition and Markets Authority. This unit will be able to assign companies ‘Strategic Market Status’, which means they will need to follow “new rules of acceptable behaviour with competitors and customers in a move that will benefit the public and drive growth and innovation across the economy.” The designation will be applied…

Designing a website and managing its code can seem like a daunting task. But recent years have seen a spate of drag-and-drop apps like EverWeb that make web design far more accessible no matter your experience. EverWeb 3.5 brings a host of new features, and its creator describes it as one of the app’s biggest-ever updates. As well as natively running on Apple’s M1 Macs, EverWeb 3.5 has seen significant speed improvements across the board, plus better SEO tools, and more. The biggest new feature is the ability to add a built-in search bar, helping your visitors to find things on your website. The search bar comes in three types and each can be customised to match your site layout. Whether you’re a seasoned web designer or just looking to…

240 megawatt-hours (MWh) Amount of electricity that can be stored at Apple’s California Flats energy storage project, which uses batteries to support the 130-megawatt solar farm there. 22.6 million tons Apple’s total CO2 emissions in 2020 – that’s 15.8 million tons less than the company used in 2015. 13.9 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) Total reduction in Apple’s energy use in 2020, saving 4,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year. 200 Number of iPhones that Apple’s Daisy can recycle per hour. The disassembly robot was joined in 2020 by Dave. Between them they’re responsible for recovering thousands of tons of recyclable materials a year. 10.4 million Total number of devices refurbished by Apple in 2020, giving new life to older devices. 87% Proportion of Apple-created projects that use long-term renewable energy…

PRIZES WORTH £639! Little Snitch and LaunchBar for your Mac! Apple has made security and privacy a big part of its Mac appeal in recent years, but there are some things it does not touch. The Little Snitch app, made by Objective Development, steps up to the plate and has you covered, alerting you whenever an app on your Mac attempts to connect to the internet. With that info at your disposal, you will know exactly when your data is being sent out and where it is headed, and if there is something you’re not happy with, all you have to do is block the app and your data stays safe. This issue, 10 lucky winners will each win a single licence for Little Snitch, helping protect them from unwanted…

When should I reinstall macOS, and how? Reinstalling macOS is the last resort when your other troubleshooting steps haven’t worked. Back up anything important (if possible) before you do it. On an M-powered Mac, press and hold the power button until you see startup options; on Intel, hold down press power and don’t let go until you see the Apple logo. What does this error code mean? Apple’s error messages are usually quite good at telling you what’s wrong, but some of them are just mysterious numbers that don’t really tell you anything – especially with iPhone syncing and software updates. You can look up error codes and find out how to fix them at support.apple.com/en-gb/HT203174. When should I start in Safe Mode, and how? Safe Mode can help you…

My Mac just won’t switch on! A Mac that appears to be turned off might not be: the display may be off while the Mac itself is okay. Press and hold the power button on your Mac for 10 seconds to turn the entire Mac off, and then press and release the power button like you normally would. If your Mac partially starts up and displays a no-entry symbol that means your macOS is corrupt or incompatible. You can fix this in macOS Recovery. If that doesn’t work or your Mac didn’t get that far, it’s time to give Apple Support a call. How do I stop my battery dying in storage? If your Mac laptop is going to be left unused for a long period – months rather than days…

Many of us feel like we waste too much time on our Macs. Whether we’re getting distracted from the work we should be doing or simply spending too long sat in front of our screens, getting back on track is important. With macOS Catalina, Apple introduced Screen Time to the Mac for the first time. This handy tool is your one-stop shop for restricting distracting content and tracking your device usage. Enable a few settings and you could find yourself more focused than ever before. Because it is on iPhones and iPads too, it works well across all your devices, letting you track your habits and learn what should be changed. And if you want to protect the limits you put in place, you can set a Screen Time passcode.…

Replace your Time Capsule Q We use a 3TB Time Capsule to back up our two Macs. That’s almost full, and we want to upgrade both of them to Big Sur. What’s the best replacement storage option? by STEVE YOUNG A To get the best from Time Machine in Big Sur it should back up to APFS, which means it couldn’t continue using your Time Capsule unless you were to delete most of your existing backups. As that’s now over three years old, its hard disk is becoming increasingly likely to fail. If you possibly can, now’s the time to put that drive as an archive of those old backups, and start backing up to new external storage. Time Machine in Big Sur will back up happily to networked storage,…

IN PRINT ON iPAD & iPHONE ISSUE 368 SEPTEMBER 2021 Ultimate guide: iPhone photography The evolution of Apple TV Get started with Keynote Do more with HomePod mini ISSUE 367 AUGUST 2021 57 amazing Apple projects NEW APPLE KIT TESTED: iMac 24in, iPad Pro 12.9in, Apple TV 4K What’s coming in macOS Monterey ISSUE 366 JULY 2021 Say hello to the new iMac! Meet the all-new M1 iPad Pro PLUS: iPadOS 14 tips and tricks AirTag: Apple’s new tracker on test To order back issues of the print magazine, go to bit.ly/macformat_backissues or phone +44 (0)330 333 1113 and we’ll post them out to you. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/macformat-mac-ipad-iphone/id451439182?mt=8 Download back issues onto your iOS device at any time and keep them forever in your personal library. bit.ly/macformatipad NEVER MISS AN ISSUE! SUBSCRIBE…

£199 FROM Nanoleaf, nanoleaf.me/en-GB FEATURES LED smart lights (max 22 ANSI lumens each), Ambient whites (1500-4000K colour temperature), works with Apple HomeKit, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi (2.4GHz) You can get the lights to respond to touch, sound, controller or the free app Nanoleaf’s brilliantly colourful Shapes Hexagon (MF359) smart lights aren’t for everyone. For those that might find them a bit too colourful, the company has come up with Elements… ‘nature-inspired’ decorative lighting versions that eschew scenes such as Rave and Tropical Rainfall (that can turn any living space into a teenagers’ RGB-festooned bedroom), and plump for more muted colours like Ambient White, Bloom and Calming Waterfall. That’s partly because the Elements come in wood-effect plastic, and partly because the seven light panels traverse the ambient white colour gamut from 1,500K to…

$119 (about £85) FROM vissles.com FEATURES Mechanical keyboard with Bluetooth and USB connectivity, 12 function keys, rechargeable battery (up to 180 hours) The keys travel well and feel firm and responsive when you’re typing up a storm The slimline designs used for many modern keyboards may look very elegant, but the low-profile keys feel limp and lifeless for anyone that needs to type quickly when they’re working (yes, Apple, we’re looking at you). The latest 2.0 version of Vissles’ V84 keyboard is a good alternative, as it uses a good old-fashioned mechanical design, with a switch mechanism inside each key that feels much firmer and more responsive. The V84 has a ‘75% layout’, which means that it lacks a numeric keypad, but it measures just 315mm wide, so it’s a…

Two USB-C ports and a headphone jack – that’s the extent of today’s MacBook wired connectivity. Thankfully, accessory makers turned this shortcoming into opportunity with third-party docks for connecting external monitors, USB devices, Gigabit Ethernet, and more. We tested four of the best on the market and found they had a lot in common. Aside from high-quality 4K 60Hz video – the standard for smooth motion on screens – they all provide excellent data transfer speeds. There are drawbacks though, notably the lack of dual external monitor support on M1–powered MacBooks, and AC power bricks practically as large as the dock itself. Which one is worth your time and money? Read on to find out. OWC Thunderbolt Dock £312.99 FROM Other World Computing, owcdigital.com FEATURES 3x Thunderbolt, 4x USB, Ethernet,…

£25 (or £40 with Analog Filter and Analog Border packs) FROM Realmac Software, realmacsoftware.com NEEDS macOS 10.14 or later Squash has a slick-looking interface that can be set to a light or dark theme Squash is a batch image processor that has a range of tricks up its sleeve. For starters, it can take any file formats that you throw at it and quickly convert them into easily shareable JPEG files. This is especially useful if you capture images on an iPhone as HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) files or larger DNG (Digital negative) files shot in Apple ProRAW. While an HEIF file takes up less space (around 1MB) it is not as useful as a JPEG file that can be shared via email or uploaded to social media platforms.…

£79 FROM Hit’n’Mix Ltd, hitnmix.com NEEDS macOS 10.10 or later There’s a lot of potential and power here, but RipX has a steep learning curve RipX is related to the same developer’s Infinity, an audio studio that enables you to extract and manipulate audio. This is more focused and more affordable. It enables you to extract vocals or instruments from MP3s and other audio formats and then mix them with other samples. You can also export the stems (individual files for each audio track) for use in a digital audio workstation such as Logic Pro X or Ableton Live. There’s some powerful technology here but it’s wrapped in a pretty horrid interface; we’ve seen the PC version and that isn’t brilliant but the Mac version is worse. It’s a wall…

PLUS: Must-try tips and tricks Get set for Monterey The next big update for your Mac is coming – here’s how to make sure you’re ready for the big day! Back to basics Master Parental Controls and Family Sharing – in-depth guide + ALSO INSIDE… Create your own macOS shortcuts Group test: portable printers Master the Files app on iPad … and much more! Contents subject to change ISSUE 370 ON SALE 21 SEP 2021 DON’T MISS IT – SUBSCRIBE TODAY! IN PRINT & ON YOUR iPAD Our print and digital bundle gets you the paper magazine as well as our iPad edition magazinesdirect.com/macformat-magazine-subscription ON YOUR MAC Read digitally on your Mac: subscribe with Zinio at bit.ly/ziniomacf…