MacFormat August 2022

On 6 June, Apple set out its stall for what we can expect from the Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch for the year ahead – with Tim Cook and others revealing macOS Ventura, iOS 16, iPadOS 16 and watchOS 9. Plus, two new Macs: a totally redesigned MacBook Air with a bigger 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display and an updated MacBook Pro, both sporting the latest slice of Apple silicon – the M2. You can read about all of these (and other developments) starting in our extended news coverage on p6. One thing that’s obviously been missing from Apple’s line-up for a few years now is any kind of network adaptor. While mesh Wi-Fi setups from the likes of Linksys and Netgear have made home networking easier and faster, many of…

On 6 June, Apple set out its stall for what we can expect from the Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch for the year ahead – with Tim Cook and others revealing macOS Ventura, iOS 16, iPadOS 16 and watchOS 9. Plus, two new Macs: a totally redesigned MacBook Air with a bigger 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display and an updated MacBook Pro, both sporting the latest slice of Apple silicon – the M2. You can read about all of these (and other developments) starting in our extended news coverage on p6. One thing that’s obviously been missing from Apple’s line-up for a few years now is any kind of network adaptor. While mesh Wi-Fi setups from the likes of Linksys and Netgear have made home networking easier and faster, many…

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) got underway on 6 June, and this year there were tons of new features and hardware reveals in the opening keynote. The event kicked off with Tim Cook discussing the new Apple Developer Center opposite Apple Park and the company’s initiatives to help developers around the world and from under-represented groups. The first software updates concerned iOS, with plenty of details shared around iOS 16 (see p10). These included personalisation features for the Lock Screen, as well as updates to the Wallet and Home apps, and a lot more. Sharing and collaboration were major themes. SharePlay now works in more apps and you can transfer photos into a shared iCloud folder that can be automatically updated. Child accounts in Family Sharing will become easier to manage, and…

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) got underway on 6 June, and this year there were tons of new features and hardware reveals in the opening keynote. The event kicked off with Tim Cook discussing the new Apple Developer Center opposite Apple Park and the company’s initiatives to help developers around the world and from under-represented groups. The first software updates concerned iOS, with plenty of details shared around iOS 16 (see p10). These included personalisation features for the Lock Screen, as well as updates to the Wallet and Home apps, and a lot more. Sharing and collaboration were major themes. SharePlay now works in more apps and you can transfer photos into a shared iCloud folder that can be automatically updated. Child accounts in Family Sharing will become easier to…

Before WWDC got under way, rumours were spreading that Apple was going to launch at least one new MacBook at the show. The strongest claims pointed towards the MacBook Air getting a complete redesign, and in the end, that idea proved to be bang on the money. In fact, the MacBook Air got the most comprehensive facelift in its decade-plus history. Not only did it get a new Apple silicon chip (see ‘Next-gen M2 chip arrives’ to the right), but its entire chassis was updated and reformed. Gone is the familiar wedge shape that has become so closely identified with the MacBook Air over the years, replaced with a flat-edged design reminiscent of the 14-inch MacBook Pro. But this is no chunky laptop. Apple says it’s cut the MacBook Air’s…

Before WWDC got under way, rumours were spreading that Apple was going to launch at least one new MacBook at the show. The strongest claims pointed towards the MacBook Air getting a complete redesign, and in the end, that idea proved to be bang on the money. In fact, the MacBook Air got the most comprehensive facelift in its decade-plus history. Not only did it get a new Apple silicon chip (see ‘Next-gen M2 chip arrives’ to the right), but its entire chassis was updated and reformed. Gone is the familiar wedge shape that has become so closely identified with the MacBook Air over the years, replaced with a flat-edged design reminiscent of the 14-inch MacBook Pro. But this is no chunky laptop. Apple says it’s cut the MacBook Air’s volume by…