MacFormat Autumn 2020

Whether you’re buying a new iPhone this year or not, there’s always one upgrade you can get for free – and that’s a fresh new version of iOS. To that end, we’re celebrating the imminent arrival of iOS 14 by taking an in-depth look at some of its incredible new features – from its dynamic and customisable Home screens and widgets to App Clips, App Library and the host of other welcome improvements and changes that Apple has made along the way. The party starts on page 12. Mail for Mac is one of those Marmite apps you either love or hate, so on page 52 you’ll discover some great ways to make the most of it, some must-have add-ons that will make it even smarter, plus some awesome alternatives…

Whether you’re buying a new iPhone this year or not, there’s always one upgrade you can get for free – and that’s a fresh new version of iOS. To that end, we’re celebrating the imminent arrival of iOS 14 by taking an in-depth look at some of its incredible new features – from its dynamic and customisable Home screens and widgets to App Clips, App Library and the host of other welcome improvements and changes that Apple has made along the way. The party starts on page 12. Mail for Mac is one of those Marmite apps you either love or hate, so on page 52 you’ll discover some great ways to make the most of it, some must-have add-ons that will make it even smarter, plus some awesome alternatives to Mail…

For months now, Apple has been subject to repeated criticism over the way it manages the App Store – and the 30% commission it levies on developers. In July, Tim Cook appeared in front of a US congress sub-committee investigating anti-trust issues, and the company has been accused of anti-competitive/monopolistic behaviour, somewhat ironically in some cases, by the likes of Microsoft, Facebook and others. One particular point of contention erupted in August when Apple banned game and software developer Epic Games from the App Store, because it was encouraging players of its incredibly popular Fortnite game to make purchases outside the Store, which is against Apple’s rules. Epic Games retaliated by filing an anti-competitive lawsuit against Apple, arguing “At the most basic level, we’re fighting for the freedom of people who…

For months now, Apple has been subject to repeated criticism over the way it manages the App Store – and the 30% commission it levies on developers. In July, Tim Cook appeared in front of a US congress sub-committee investigating anti-trust issues, and the company has been accused of anti-competitive/monopolistic behaviour, somewhat ironically in some cases, by the likes of Microsoft, Facebook and others. One particular point of contention erupted in August when Apple banned game and software developer Epic Games from the App Store, because it was encouraging players of its incredibly popular Fortnite game to make purchases outside the Store, which is against Apple’s rules. Epic Games retaliated by filing an anti-competitive lawsuit against Apple, arguing “At the most basic level, we’re fighting for the freedom of people…

The latest news from The China Times suggests that the first Apple silicon-based iMac model could arrive in early 2021. With a redesigned chassis and 24-inch Retina display, Apple’s 64-bit Arm-based architecture will also ditch support for AMD graphics in favour of Apple GPUs. According to The China Times, Apple is currently working on a graphics processor codenamed ‘Lifuka’, which is destined to be used in future iMacs. Like Apple’s upcoming A14X processor, it will use TSMC’s 5nm (nanometre) process and “provide better performance-per-watt and higher computing performance. It has tile-based deferred rendering technology that allows application developers to write more powerful professional application software and game software.” The China Times also reports that the first Apple silicon Mac to arrive this year will be a 12-inch MacBook, as we speculated last…

The latest news from The China Times suggests that the first Apple silicon-based iMac model could arrive in early 2021. With a redesigned chassis and 24-inch Retina display, Apple’s 64-bit Arm-based architecture will also ditch support for AMD graphics in favour of Apple GPUs. According to The China Times, Apple is currently working on a graphics processor codenamed ‘Lifuka’, which is destined to be used in future iMacs. Like Apple’s upcoming A14X processor, it will use TSMC’s 5nm (nanometre) process and “provide better performance-per-watt and higher computing performance. It has tile-based deferred rendering technology that allows application developers to write more powerful professional application software and game software.” The China Times also reports that the first Apple silicon Mac to arrive this year will be a 12-inch MacBook, as we…