Macworld Australia June 2020

Despite shifting product releases and delayed launches due to the coronavirus, Apple appears to still be on track to deliver its first ARM-based Mac in 2021, according to a new Bloomberg report (go.macworld.com/ar21). According to Mark Gurman, Apple is working on a trio of processors for the Mac, all based on the design of the upcoming A14 chip in the iPhone 12. The project, codenamed Kalamata, has been ongoing since 2012, when Apple developed its first Mac chip based on the iPad Pro’s A12X processor, according to the report. Previous rumors (go.macworld.com/20ar) suggested Apple might be launching its first ARM-based Mac later this year. Of note, the A14 chip is rumored to be designed using a 5nm process versus Intel’s current 14nm process. A smaller manufacturing process will enable Apple to offer chips…

In 2016, Apple started to excise the good, old USB-A port (the rectangular plug you always try to insert the wrong way) with USB-C ports (the little reversible oval) on all its laptops. It started with the MacBook Pro and the new 12-inch MacBook, which had only one USB-C port that had to be used for both power and peripherals. That was a frustration, but the reasoning for dumping USB-A seemed sound: USB-C was the obvious future. One port that is smaller, thinner, reversible and easier to plug in, that guaranteed high-speed USB 3.0 speeds, and maybe even other stuff like Thunderbolt connectivity. Just as Apple did when it dropped serial and parallel ports with the original iMac in favor of only USB, it was embracing the obvious future, and pressuring the…

This year has already been big on change, in and outside of Apple. But it seems as though the company may still have more big moves ahead of it. Rumors of a Mac processor transition to Apple-designed, ARM-based chips has already garnered a fair amount of momentum, but new reports (see page 7) have started to spell out details like a timeline, chip capabilities, and more. All of which only lends credence to the speculation. On the other end of the spectrum, the iPad has recently taken on more Mac-like features with the addition of cursor support (see page 55) and a brand-new keyboard (see page 33) accessory. Tied together with Apple’s continuing foray into unifying its software efforts, it points to these two Apple platforms getting closer than ever. But there…

Apple’s just-released developer preview of macOS Catalina 10.15.5 includes a new feature called Battery Health Management that the company says could extend the overall life of your MacBook’s battery. With lithium-based batteries like those found in MacBooks, iPhones, and other portable devices, it’s not a good idea to charge the battery to 100 percent. This, along with rising temperatures, can wear out a battery, shortening its overall charge capacity over time. According to Apple, with Battery Health Management turned on, the temperature and charging history of the laptop’s battery is analyzed, and then adjustments are made so that the battery isn’t charged all the way, thereby preserving more of your battery’s overall life. Battery Health Management is turned on by default, but you can turn it off in System Preferences. Though I haven’t…

There are a number of options for antivirus on the Mac, but few are exclusively focused on macOS. That’s what inspired AiroAV to release its first antivirus solution for the Mac desktop in early 2019. With offices in San Diego and Tel Aviv, Airo aims to be the primary choice for Mac users looking to deal with and prevent Mac-specific malware. So far Airo is doing very well, though the only testing house to look at Airo is AV-Test. In December 2019, AV-Test gave Airo (go.macworld.com/avar) a 100 percent rating based on its detection of widespread and prevalent malware test, which had 145 samples. That’s a great result considering Airo rolled out its first release less than a year ago. AV-Test also ran Airo up against more than 71,000 samples of legitimate…

It’s not unusual for a VPN service to initially start out with a basic feature set. The company shoots for solid speeds, a good country count, and a growing number of servers, adding extra features and services over time. VPNCity is one such service that fits this profile. Think Huge Ltd.—a technology company that specializes in online services for foreign exchange markets—began VPNCity around a year ago with enough of the basics to appeal to most users: It offers Netflix compatibility, a no-logs policy, and enough bandwidth and DDos protection for gamers. SECURITY, SOFTWARE, SERVERS, AND SPEED VPNCity uses the OpenVPN protocol, with data encryption handled by AES-256-CBC, data authentication is SHA512, and the handshake is over TLSv1.2. VPNCity is officially based in Hong Kong, as is Think Huge. At least that’s where the…