MacFormat July 2021

editor

Apple’s Spring Loaded event in April sprung a wealth of surprises, chief of which is the gorgeous new 24in iMac. It not only now sports an Apple silicon chip inside, but is now available in seven incredible colours. Measuring just 11.5mm thin, it’s also the closest Apple has come to making the computer disappear – although some might wish it had ‘disappeared’ a little further – the choice of white rather than black bezels and its still-pronounced, but otherwise unadorned, ‘chin’ dividing Apple critics. What Apple’s making clear here, though, is that it’s moving on from the Intel era and into an exciting new single-platform direction, reinforced by the decision to also include an Apple M1 chip in the new iPad Pro, rather than use an A-series SoC like before. The…

apple vs epic games

After a long war of words, Apple and Epic Games have finally met in the courts to fight it out. The issue at stake? Whether companies should be allowed to run their own app stores on iOS and, more broadly, whether iOS is run as a monopoly whose power Apple abuses. That is set to be decided over the coming weeks, with potentially massive ramifications for the industry no matter who wins. Epic has long griped that it must go through Apple’s in-app purchase system – and subsequently pay its 30% commission – whenever it sells something inside one of its iOS apps. Then, in August 2020, Epic’s Fortnite game was updated to include a secret feature that allowed Epic to remotely activate its own store inside the app. This functionality was…

imac could become all-in-one champ

The iMac might be the most visible all-in-one computer in the world, but it is not the best-selling one. That accolade goes to HP and its range of all-in-one desktops, but that might soon change according to DigiTimes. The outlet believes that, in the fourth quarter of 2020, HP sold 925,000 all-in-one computers, while Apple sold 860,000 iMacs. It predicts Apple will pull ahead in the next quarter, although this might be a temporary victory. Interestingly, DigiTimes predicts this actually has much more to do with global chip shortages than anything Apple introduced with its iMac redesign. That is because the dearth of chips will likely see manufacturers focus limited stocks on their higher-end offerings. For Apple, that includes the iMac. For HP, it means pro and gaming systems rather than…

the poll

WE ASKED… What’s your favourite new iMac feature? Log on and see next issue’s big question! twitter.com/macformat facebook.com/macformat Smaller notch in 13 Pro Max? The iPhone 13 Pro Max could feature a smaller notch. That’s according to an alleged dummy unit seen by YouTube channel Unbox Therapy (dummy units are often based on leaked device schematics). Apple will apparently accomplish the smaller notch by moving the iPhone’s speaker to the top bezel. That’s not the only change supposedly for the notch. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed the 13in Pro Max will feature an improved ultra-wide camera, going from f/2.4 and fixed focus to f/1.8 and autofocus. This is shown in Unbox Therapy’s dummy unit, which displays a larger camera lens inside the notch.…

apple news roundup

APPLE TV APPLECARE EXTENDED EXTRA YEAR OF COVERAGE Apple has extended its standard AppleCare coverage for the Apple TV from two years to three, at no additional cost. The change applies retroactively, so if you've already purchased AppleCare for your Apple TV, you will still get the new, longer coverage period (the three years are based on the original purchase date). AppleCare+, which includes accidental damage, is not affected. ADDING MORE SENSORS TO APPLE WATCH EXTRA BIOMETRICS FOR SERIES 7? The Apple Watch Series 7 might contain sensors for measuring levels of blood alcohol, blood glucose, blood pressure, and more. That’s because biometric company Rockley Photonics, which aims to bring “laboratory diagnostics to the wrist”, has named Apple as one of its largest customers, fuelling speculation Apple will include this tech in a future version…

app tracking transparency

Apple’s much-discussed App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature has finally arrived with the launch of iOS 14.5. The feature, which aims to provide more clarity about companies that track you across different apps and share your data with third parties, has caused an uproar among advertising firms but won plaudits from privacy groups. Once you have updated to iOS 14.5, you will see a notification every time an app wants to track you across other apps. You can then choose to permit this or decline it. Additionally, you can disable this tracking altogether in the Settings app under Privacy > Tracking. Here, you need to disable the toggle next to 'Allow Apps to Request to Track'. When the news first emerged that Apple was working on ATT, Facebook – which makes billions from…