MacFormat December 2022

We love this time of year. Not only are there brand new versions of macOS, iOS, iPadOS and watchOS to play with, but new hardware to play them on too – with the M2 iPad Pro and iPad 10.9in (detailed on page 6) being just the two most recent examples. But it’s also great opportunity to treat ourselves and others to the gadgets and goodies we’ve been coveting all year, which is why on p58 you’ll discover this year’s Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide – an Aladdin’s cave of assorted accessories, carefully curated to match your Apple device and your lifestyle. We’ll hope you’ll find it both useful and inspirational. Talking of inspiration, turn to p20 and you’ll discover some of the incredible things you can do in iPadOS 16, while…

What’s inside 6–8 RUMOUR & NEWS The latest updates from Cupertino and beyond 9 APPS & GAMES Our top picks of the month for Mac and iOS 10 CRAVE The hot new gear we’re lusting after 14 OPINION Stage Manager on iPad heralds a smarter, adaptive future 16 MACFORMAT INVESTIGATES Whether there’s a VPN flaw in iOS Contact us Email your queries to letters@macformat.com Join the conversation at facebook.com/macformat or on Twitter @macformat HOT TOPIC! E arlier this year, it was widely expected that Apple would hold an October event where a number of new products, including iPads and MacBooks, would be revealed, but that never came to pass. Instead, Apple has launched new iPad, iPad Pro, and Apple TV 4K models via a series of press releases. The changes…

The Mac Pro hasn’t been updated since 2019, and although Apple teased its upcoming transition to Apple silicon chips at WWDC in June, we’ve heard nothing since. But, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, big things could be on the horizon. In his Power On newsletter, Gurman explained the Mac Pro might not arrive until early 2023. Apple could then offer chips that are “at least twice or four times as powerful as the M2 Max” to power the Mac Pro. Gurman dubs these chips the M2 Ultra and M2 Extreme. He goes on to state that these chips could come in a couple of variations: a 24-core or 48-core CPU, a 76-core or 152-core GPU, and up to 256GB of memory. That would outshine the M1 Ultra, Apple’s most powerful…

WFolding devices are all the rage at the moment, but Apple has been conspicuous by its absence. That could all change by 2024, according to analysts at CCS Insight, who predict that Apple will launch a foldable iPad in the near future. The analysts believe the folding iPad will be a dry run for a foldable iPhone. Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight, explained that a folding iPhone would be “super high risk” for Apple for two reasons. Firstly, it would need to be very expensive (around $2,500, or £2,200) in order to not cannibalise other iPhones. And secondly, any issues with the new technology would lead to a “feeding frenzy” among Apple’s critics. However, Wood claimed Apple cannot ignore the current trend of foldable devices, so will…

APPLE CAR PROJECT RESTARTED DEVELOPMENT TEAM REFORMING? > The rumoured Apple Car has had a chequered history, but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims the team responsible for it will reform before the end of 2022, leading to work restarting on Project Titan. Little is known about the Apple Car, other than that it is expected to be a fully self-driving vehicle. Rumours suggest Kia might manufacture it, and Kuo predicts it could launch some time between 2025 and 2027. PRIVACY: WHATSAPP VS iMESSAGE META-APPLE RIVALRY HEATS UP > Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has claimed that WhatsApp is “far more private and secure” than iMessage in a post to Instagram. The Facebook chief stated that WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption, disappearing chats, and fully encrypted backups give it an edge over Apple’s messaging app.…

[ MAC APP] Spark Free (IAPs) The best email app gets even better Considering we all use email practically every day, finding a great email client can make all the difference. There’s no doubting that Spark is one of the best email apps available, and it’s just had a major update that takes it to even greater heights. It’s all centred on what Spark’s developers call “intentional productivity”. That means the things that matter to you are targeted first. Emails from real people sit at the top of your inbox, and messages you’ve dealt with can be marked as ‘done’ and removed from the inbox. There’s a new Command Center that works like Spotlight, giving you quick access to tasks with a simple keyboard shortcut. There are reams of other…