Índex per October 2018 a Macworld

Stop the presses, we have a new Mac mini rumor. Well, at least the germination of a rumor. According to Bloomberg’s very connected Mark Gurman and Debbie Wu, Apple is planning “a professional-focused upgrade to the Mac mini desktop later this year,” and “new storage and processor options are likely to make it more expensive than previous versions.” That’s a lot of words for not really saying anything at all. While Gurman and Wu are basically confirming Ming Chi-Kuo’s earlier report that the long-in-the-tooth mini will be getting an update before the year’s out, they leave an awful lot of blanks to be filled in between now and its release, presumably sometime in mid- to late fall. Even if they’re right about the new pro focus, everything else about the new…

Apple at last has an external graphics processing unit on the hallowed shelves of the Apple Store, and as you might expect, it’s a looker. The Blackmagic eGPU (from Blackmagic Design) was designed in collaboration with Apple. With its brushed aluminum casing and the spot-on space gray coloring, the Blackmagic eGPU, MacBook Pro, and iMac could pass for cousins in a family portrait. It belongs. It also follows many of the same design philosophies that make Apple’s own products so beloved. It’s quiet and sleek, with its noise reaching only around 15dB at peak performance, thanks to a tangle of cooling tubes. It’s inconspicuous and easy to set up, to the point that it doesn’t even have a power switch. You simply plug it into your Mac’s Thunderbolt 3 port…

ROOST SMART BATTERY The 9-volt Roost Smart Battery connects to a mobile app to keep you in the loop both when the battery is running low and when your smoke alarm (which usually uses a 9-volt battery) is going off. You can receive alerts as a push notification, email, text message, or some combination of those, and in-app notifications are accompanied by a loud klaxon sound that should never fail to get your attention. The battery relies on your home Wi-Fi to send mobile alerts, so you won’t receive notifications if your home’s power goes off, although the battery will still function as a normal battery would.—ALEXANDRIA HASLAM NETGEAR ORBI VOICE Netgear’s latest Orbi Wi-Fi mesh satellite—the Orbi Voice—is also an Amazon Alexa-powered smart speaker with a 35-watt amplifier driving…

Martin Jonasson, the creator of the popular ricochet game Holedown, says that the usual business of “freemium” games like cooldowns and consumables rubs him the wrong way. He acknowledges that some games implement free-to-play monetization systems well, but he’s turned off by how they force him to serve “multiple masters.” “You can’t only focus on making the player’s experience positive [under that model]; you have to ensure there’s some money trickling in as well,” he tells me. “That’s a concern I’m happy to avoid.” Focusing on the experience alone has paid off. Holedown only costs $3.99, but it’s simple and endlessly entertaining. It isn’t hard: Its main challenges deal with learning how to aim and collecting enough crystals to shoot more balls at once and move on to even deeper…

The Charge Stream Pad+ is a substantial upgrade over Mophie’s previous charging pad offering, the Wireless Charging Base. At a retail price of about $60, it’s a little on the expensive side, but it’s a better buy than the Wireless Charging Base was. While the Wireless Charging Base used a proprietary power adapter that connected to the charge pad via a small barrel connector, the Charge Stream Pad+ uses a microUSB cable and adapter. The connector for it on the pad is deeply recessed, which makes it hard to use other microUSB cables with it, but at least you can use the adapter and cable to charge other microUSB devices (like digital cameras or Android phones). Charge performance is improved, too. It tops out at 10 watts on supported Android…

Since its introduction in 2016, the MacBook Pro as we know it today has produced mixed reactions from its users. People love the combination of size, weight, and performance. But there are legitimate issues that make people hesitate or even regret buying a MacBook Pro: keyboard problems, the need to find ways to work with its Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports, a low RAM ceiling. With the 2018 MacBook Pro, Apple has addressed some of those issues. And if you’re lamenting that I didn’t say all of those issues, well, there are some things that, in an effort to move towards a particular technological ideal, Apple won’t change. But as a whole, the 2018 MacBook Pro is a better laptop than its 2017 predecessor, and a vast improvement over the 2016 model.…

August was a rough month for Google. A report by Digital Content Next revealed some troubling news: Android phones, even when idle, send data to Google at an alarming pace. In fact the study found that an Android phone “communicated location information to Google 340 times during a 24-hour period” with the Chrome browser merely active in the background. That’s 10 times more data than iPhones give up. If that’s not enough to scare you, this report came on the heels of a class-action lawsuit filed after Google was accused of being less than clear about how, when, and where it tracks your location. In response to an AP report that showed Android phones still tracked location even with Location History turned off, Google changed some of the verbiage on its privacy page to…

Crazybaby’s Air Nano wireless earphones remind us that it’s pretty difficult to make a pair of true wireless headphones that can beat the pricing of Apple’s AirPods. We’re not all that surprised: The associated technology is still pretty fresh and it doesn’t come cheap. Companies who want to take Apple’s wireless darlings head-on thus often end up cutting corners in everything from build quality to audio fidelity if they want to claim similar features to what AirPods offer while still matching Apple’s pricing. In the case of the Air Nano, the $99 price tag for ostensibly smaller, similarly equipped truly wireless buds looks attractive, but the final product comes with too many annoying issues for me to recommend them. HARDWARE As their name implies, the Air Nano buds are small.…

At $349 each, you’ll pay a pretty price to get two HomePods and pair them to work as stereo speakers. The stereo feature relies on AirPlay 2, which Apple pushed out to iOS, Apple TV, and HomePod in May 2018, after a long delay. You’ll note I didn’t list macOS. That’s related to the question I received from Macworld reader Mikael. He paired his two HomePods for stereo sound, and cannot figure out how to access them from macOS as a single stereo audio destination. The reason? It’s currently not possible. (See Apple’s system requirements list for AirPlay 2.) Apple provides AirPlay 2 support within iTunes (in both macOS and Windows versions), but it’s not yet available system-wide in macOS. As a result, paired HomePod speakers still appear as two separate…

The Apple rumor mill never sleeps. This week, it was Mark Gurman and Debby Wu at Bloomberg who spurred discussion with their somewhat vague report about a new MacBook and a “professional” update to the Mac mini. Over at Daring Fireball, John Gruber has already spent a lot of time ruminating on what said MacBook update might look like and where exactly it fits into Apple’s laptop lineup, but I find myself focusing more on the Mac mini news. I’ve long been a fan of the diminutive desktop Mac, and I’ve owned two or three of them over the years, most recently a 2012 model that currently acts as my file and media server. It’s a great little computer, especially after I spent the time to upgrade it a little bit,…

With the release of Toast 17 Pro (as well as DVD-only sibling Toast 17 Titanium), Roxio is sending a clear message that optical media is here to stay. Following last year’s purely cosmetic overhaul which added a dark UI, the latest version sports an under-the-hood tune-up. The application is finally 64-bit, in time for the release of macOS Mojave this fall, the last macOS to support 32-bit apps. That means Toast will continue working when macOS goes 64-bit–only, but users won’t have to wait that long to reap the benefits. Aside from initial post-installation problems with the application refusing to launch after the first time, Toast 17 Titanium is the snappiest it’s ever been. I’m not sure if my issue was caused by the new, sleeker internet-based installation (which downloads…

This is a weird time in the technology world. The traditional PC, strong for four decades, is on the wane. The smartphone is dominant, devices so powerful that they can rival the power found in those traditional PCs. We’re rapidly exiting the era where devices were differentiated based on raw computing power, and entering one where ergonomics becomes a defining factor. (No, I’m not saying that there aren’t cases where PCs still have more power than phones. I’m saying that away from high-performance edge cases, the differences are increasingly small.) If we accept that an iPhone can do most of the work that most people need a computing device to do, where does that leave the iPad and the Mac? It means that they’re defined by their shapes, by how…

If the rumors are true—and they are often, if not always—Apple is preparing to release a new generation of iPad Pro models this fall. I bought the first-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro back in 2015 and still use it as my primary portable computer, so I’m excited at the rumors of a major iPad Pro redesign. Let’s sift through the rumors and reports and see if we can figure out where the iPad Pro is headed next. GETTING BIGGER AND SMALLER According to supply-chain sleuth Ming-Chi Kuo, the new iPad Pros will feature 11-inch and 12.9-inch screens. This continues a trend of upsizing the smaller iPad Pro model, which was introduced in early 2016 as a 9.7-inch model (the traditional iPad size), then replaced with a 10.5-inch version in 2017. Apple’s done…

Teen Titans Go! Teen Titans Go! Figure game for iOS ($4) is a sequel to 2016’s Teeny Titans game, but if you didn’t play the original, you don’t have to worry about looping back: Just start right here. It’s a richer role-playing experience than you might expect, with a Pokémon sort of allure to it. Liberation Dx2 The Shin Megami Tensei role-playing game franchise enjoys a devoted following on consoles and handhelds (especially the Persona sub-series), and now the free-to-play Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2 ($4) brings the essence of the demon-battling experience to mobile. Galak-Z: Variant  Galak-Z: Variant Mobile ($4) hearkens back to the era of giant robot anime series like Macross and Gundam, with visual and storytelling styles that strongly recall those early 1980s classics. In practice, Galak-Z is an exploration-driven space…

The iMac made an instant impression when Apple first unveiled it in May 1998. But it didn’t start to really shake things up unitl it began to ship—which happened on August 15, 1998. Arguably the most influential desktop computer of the last decade, the original iMac’s specifications seem quaint by today’s standards. For $1,299, you came home with a 233MHz PowerPC G3 processor, 32MB of RAM, a 4GB hard drive, a 15-inch built-in monitor, and stereo speakers—all in an amazingly stylish case. The Bondi Blue wonder heralded the return of Steve Jobs as a visionary leader for Apple, and it halted Apple’s mid-1990s financial freefall. Initially marketed as an easy-to-use gateway to the internet, the iMac transcended that simple role and redefined the desktop PC market—not to mention consumer industrial…

With all the new features coming to macOS 10.14 Mojave, there’s actually one feature that’s going away when Apple officially releases the upgrade this fall: Back to My Mac. As pointed out by MacRumors, beta versions of Mojave started to alert users that Back to My Mac will end soon. An Apple support document (posted on August 9, 2018) confirms that the feature will not be supported in Mojave. What is Back to My Mac? It allows users to remotely access Macs to perform file sharing and screen sharing. It requires the Macs involved to use the same iCloud account and run at least OS X 10.7.5 Lion. If you don’t upgrade to Mojave, you can still use Back to My Mac. Apple has a support document on how to…

If you’ve longed to bring out the best in your music, but balked at the astronomical cost of high-res music players, then take a serious look at the Activo CT10. At $299, this budget-priced player is anything but entry-level. The Activo CT10 is a high-resolution digital audio player from Groovers Japan, a high-res download and streaming music provider based in Japan. The CT10 was developed in collaboration with Astell&Kern and iRiver (Astell&Kern’s parent company). Astell&Kern makes some of our most favorably-reviewed high-res digital audio players, though they can cost up to several thousand dollars. Can the Activo give you a taste of that high-end sound at a fraction of the price? Absolutely. ASTELL&KERN TECH UNDER THE HOOD The Activo CT10 features Astell&Kern’s Teraton TM200, a circuit board that combines a…

HOW TO MERGE TWO APPLE ID ACCOUNTS As I’ve written before, it sometimes seems like the Apple ID back-end systems run on ancient mainframes, given how inflexible the company is about allowing changes—especially in not providing a way to merge accounts, data, and ownership associated with multiple Apple IDs. I, like many people who have kicked around in the Apple ecosystem for a while, have two Apple IDs, and use one for purchases and the other for iCloud stuff. I’d rather have one, as many of you would. Macworld reader Deb writes in with a related question that may have a better solution. She’s been using an Apple ID connected with her Gmail address for several years. However, her daughter set up an iPad and iPhone for her with a…

Once Apple finally introduced support for third-party NVMe drives in macOS 10.12 Sierra, NVMe over Thunderbolt storage became only a matter of time. And for a while, the path to external storage nirvana was a bit of a rocky road—but the bumpy ride is over now thanks to Samsung’s Portable SSD X5, a ready-made NVMe over Thunderbolt 3 storage solution that delivers blazingly fast 2GBps-plus read and write speeds The X5 is now the portable drive for multimedia pros, or anyone who doesn’t like to wait for their files to copy—if you can afford it and, of course, have Thunderbolt 3. NOT CHEAP The X5 is a blazingly fast and expensive drive: $400 for 500GB, $700 for 1TB, and $1,400 for 2TB. If it helps, that’s actually not as “Apple-priced” as…

In our age of divisiveness, the World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth expansion begins with a premise that cuts deep. It’s nasty stuff. Greed (and quite a bit of petty hate) led the Horde to burn the Night Elves’ tree city a few weeks before launch, potentially killing thousands. The Alliance sought revenge, leading to an assault on its old capital of Lordaeron. And all because a godlike figure thrust his gigantic sword into Azeroth itself, causing a powerful new substance called Azerite to erupt from its core through fissures and even small volcanoes, spread over the entire world. At a time when everyone should have been working together, suddenly everyone was at each other’s throats. Considering what the world had just gone through, the conflict seemed unnecessary. It was…

Physical issues and anthologies of comic book series don’t always fit neatly into limited shelf space or travel well—but that’s where digital comics come in. Growing support for the format means you can collect to your heart’s content and take the entirety of it anywhere you go. All you need is your iPhone or iPad. Key to the experience is a good app. While a digital comic may not please the senses as paper issues do, having an app that offers access to a wide variety of content or broad support for common file formats (PDF, ePUB, CBR, and CBZ) can ease the transition. In general, the better apps offer one of two paths: Straightforward purchase (or rental) of content from major publishers like Marvel, DC, Image Comics, and Dark…

Mophie’s Powerstation line of portable battery packs have been around for some time, and they’re generally solid (if somewhat expensive) products. Now, the company has versions made exclusively for the Apple Store. What sets these apart is that they recharge using a Lightning port, so you can use your standard iPhone or iPad power adapter and cable to recharge the battery pack. In other words, you don’t have to carry around a separate microUSB or USB-C cable (and maybe power adapter) just to recharge your portable battery pack. That’s convenient if you’re all-in on Apple hardware, but the fact that you can get higher-capacity batteries for less if you’re willing to lug around one more cable makes it hard to recommend. MORE CAPACITY, BUT NO INTEGRATED LIGHTNING CABLE Mophie’s Powerstation…

ASPHALT 9: LEGENDS After five years, Gameloft’s long-awaited sequel to the fantastic Asphalt 8: Airborne is finally here—and early on, Asphalt 9: Legends (free) is every bit the fast, fun, and flashy sequel we’ve been looking for. Asphalt 9 doesn’t break at all from the series’ core approach of sending speedy cars barreling across race tracks, all while grabbing huge air and smashing up rivals. THE WALKING DEAD: OUR WORLD We’re finally seeing location-based Pokémon Go clones emerge on the App Store, and following the recent ho-hum Jurassic World Alive, now The Walking Dead: Our World is here to deliver augmented reality zombie-blasting. And as we found out during our hands-on testing earlier this month, it’s actually surprisingly compelling. MOTORSPORT MANAGER 3 MOBILE Asphalt 9 is all about white-knuckle, wreck-inducing…

So you have a Mac but also want to run Windows? You’re in luck: shortly after the first Intel-based Macs arrived on the market in 2009, Apple released a tool called Boot Camp, which lets Mac owners install and start their machines natively in Microsoft Windows. With the press of a button, you can switch between Mac and Windows every time your computer turns on. Probably the most common reason Mac owners use Boot Camp is to play Windows-only games. For instance, PC MMOs such as Star Trek Online, Tera, and Star Wars: The Old Republic only run on Windows. Boot Camp is also better at running Windows software than virtual machines like Parallels or VMWare Fusion, which are programs that simultaneously run Windows inside Mac’s operating system. Without further…

If you’ve ever had your hands cramp after hours of using a mouse at your desk, it’s likely more the mouse’s fault than your own. That’s the basic idea behind Logitech’s new MX Vertical ergonomic mouse, which attempts to eradicate such pains with a design that better complements the natural resting position of our hands. I’m fond of the concept, but in practice, getting used to the MX Vertical feels a bit like learning a new language. It’s a good mouse, but it’s not ideal for every activity. The design, though, makes some sense. Logitech’s reasoning is that we usually don’t use mice with our hands in the position they normally fall into when they’re stretched out in front of us, and the MX Vertical addresses that keeping our hands…

I was impressed with the last set of Edifier speakers I tested, the $250 Luna e25, but those absolutely pale in comparison with the $400, S2000 Pro the company sent this time. At reasonable volumes, the S2000 Pro compare favorably with professional studio monitors, such as my Yamaha HS8 ($350 each at Amazon), and they blow away the average Bluetooth units. Considering they cost less that the single-unit Bluesound Pulse Mini I just reviewed, they’re a heck of a bargain. DESIGN AND FEATURES In my experience, people fall into two camps with wood—they love it or hate it. But I’m not so sure the S2000 Pro won’t attract some crossovers from the hater camp. The sides and top are covered with a thick wood veneer, which partially explains their heft. I…