Macworld December 2022

Apple in October revealed a redesign for iCloud.com, the company’s portal for its cloudbased services. The new design makes iCloud on the web a better destination for accessing your personal data. The redesign is in beta, and can be seen at beta.icloud.com, or, if you log into your iCloud account at icloud.com, you can click the alert at the top of the page to see it. Apple did not announce when the redesign will exit the beta phase and be implemented on the regular site. The new design uses customizable widgets, which allow you to get instant access to your personal information. By default, the widgets displayed are Calendar, Reminders, Photos, and Mail, with a section for other apps such as Find My, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. It fits with Apple’s recent…

The Mac’s FaceTime camera sucks—720p or 1080p, it doesn’t matter. But Apple does make great cameras, like those in the iPhone, and with macOS Ventura and iOS 16, Apple is leveraging its iPhone cameras so they can be used as a webcam through a new enhancement to macOS’s Continuity Camera feature. If you’re sick of being embarrassed by your Mac camera’s image quality during videoconferences, or you demand better quality for video recordings of yourself that you want to use, Continuity Camera is a godsend. And fortunately, it’s so easy to set up and use, that you’ll come to rely on it and only use the Mac’s built-in camera in emergencies. Here’s how to set up and use Continuity Camera. But first, here are the requirements: > A Mac running macOS Ventura > An…

One of the major (and majorly controversial) changes in macOS Ventura is a redesign of System Preferences. It’s now called System Settings and it’s designed to better resemble the iOS Settings app. Apple’s desire to have more commonality between macOS and iOS is understandable, but the problem is that it’s now a chore to find the settings you need. The years of muscle memory developed by Mac users are out the window and it’s time to relearn where everything is. You can find most of the frequently-access preferences up front (Apple ID, Battery, Bluetooth, and Sound, for example). Others have been renamed to match the corresponding iOS setting, such as Security & Privacy, which is now Privacy & Security. But most notably, System Settings now uses a lot of subsections and lists,…

Apple will launch a new external display in the first three months of 2023, according to an analyst with a proven track record of accurate prediction. Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants tweeted to superfollowers in early October (via MacRumors) that Apple had again “pushed” the launch of the product, which he had previously claimed would launch at WWDC in June 2022, and then again in October 2022. The launch will now take place in Q1 2023, Young said. There are various definitions of Q1 (Apple’s last fiscal Q1 ran from September 26 to January 1), but MacRumors takes this to mean the first calendar quarter of 2023, which means some time in January, February, or March. Apple tends not to launch much in the first two months of the year,…

In 2021, the iMac got a major refresh with a new design and an M1 processor. At the time, it was a much-needed update to Apple’s iconic line of computers, but now that it’s about a year and a half later, it’s about time for a new model—possibly an even better one. After putting some thought into a new iMac, I concluded that most of the features I’d like to see don’t fit with the current iMac. Instead, I’d like to see a return of the iMac Pro, which was discontinued last year. When it launched in 2017, it was largely seen as a stopgap between Mac Pro models, but it was an important machine that helped separate the iMac into distinct lines—the 21.5-inch model for budget-minded consumers, the 27-inch model…

Logitech’s latest Brio webcam is a significant step down in quality from the top-of-the-line Brio 4K, but offers some nice features for those who want a webcam primarily for work video meetings rather than those aiming to be the next Twitch streaming star. If you’ve got a brand-new MacBook or iMac, you might find that the video quality out of the Brio 500 isn’t much of an upgrade—Apple has finally delivered webcam quality you can live with (though we feel it should do better). For any Mac prior to the M1 generation, the webcam quality leaves a lot to be desired, and something like this will definitely make you look better. Aside from video quality, the wide field of view, auto-tracking feature, and Show mode to show your desk are welcome features…