Table of contents for November 2019 in MacFormat

Reputed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims Apple will adopt Mini-LED displays by 2021. He reckons that Apple could adopt the tech, comparable to OLED displays, for its Pro range in late 2020 or early 2021. Kuo believes the screens would cram in an incredible 10,000 LEDs (measuring 200 microns across), compared to the 576 found in the forthcoming Pro Display XDR. Mini-LEDs are said to produce light and colour as accurately as OLED displays, while reducing production issues and chances of screen burn-in. The move will also help Apple reduce its reliance on Samsung, which currently manufactures OLED displays for Apple. Kuo believes the tech will debut in new 10- to 12-inch iPad Pros, and 15- to 17-inch MacBook Pros. The displays are expected to be manufactured by LG Display, along…

Apple Card’s global rollout is in the works, Tim Cook claimed during a media trip to Germany. He confirmed that the company would like to see the credit card used in as many countries as iPhone, but stopped short of providing a timeframe. Cook told German newspaper Bild “We want to come to Germany.” He went on to add, however, that Apple faces several hurdles in launching a credit card internationally, with rules and regulations different in each country. Apple has partnered with investment bank Goldman Sachs in the US – the only country where Apple Card is currently available – but would most likely have to work with other financial institutions to launch the card elsewere, something that will take time. The success of the US rollout will determine…

Perhaps I’m just getting old, but the launch of iOS 13 has been one of Apple’s most confusing updates for me. Various things have changed function, and position, and style, and for the first time in a while, it’s left me scratching my head. Just a few years ago, things were simpler. On the Mac, OS X didn’t change much in terms of interaction between versions beyond adding new features, and even if it did, you had to specifically choose to upgrade, and pay money for the privilege. Updates are free now, but the changes are so small and iterative that they don’t affect you much – I can’t think of the last time one would have truly confused people. Maybe accidentally triggering Notification Centre when you didn’t expect to…

Previously just an option within iTunes, the Podcasts content category now has its own app on the Mac, just as it has for years on iOS. Podcasts are similar to radio shows, consisting of an audio file that might be up to an hour or more long. Because they typically come in series, they’re organised a bit differently from music or videos. Hover over any podcast and a Play button appears, which you can click to stream the latest episode: that is, listen to it online without storing it. Clicking the three dots gives you the option to subscribe, which we’ll come to in a moment. Or click the thumbnail or title for a detail view with a description and a list of episodes. Here you can add episodes to…

Four years after iPhoto became Photos, the iBooks app is now Books, although Apple refers to it as Apple Books. The iBooks Store is now the Book Store (not the Books Store, nor the Apple Book Store). Names aren’t the only confusing thing about this app: it also hides its iCloud sync settings in a rather discreet place, which we’ll remind you about on the opposite page. Once that’s sorted, the app itself is straightforward, with tabs across the top to show your library of ebooks and access the Book Store and also the Audiobook Store. Covers without a cloud icon are already on your Mac; others can be downloaded to read (you can’t stream books). 1 Collected works Previously accessed from the top tabs, Collections are like photo albums:…

The big screen on your desk may be no less distracting than the small one in your pocket, so you can now keep tabs on how much you’re on your Mac, and what for, using the same tools that were introduced in iOS 12. Found in System Preferences, Screen Time lets you set daily limits for selected apps and schedule ‘Downtime’ when only a limited range of activities are allowed. Of course, you can override the limits if you need to work or just lose the will to chill. The App Usage, Notifications and Pickups tabs gather data to show you how you’ve been spending your time. You can also set content and privacy restrictions, which are more like parental controls and are intended for setting up a non-administrator user…

IT WILL TAKE 10 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to discover new movies/TV shows and continue watching content YOU’LL NEED An Apple ID Rather than going through several apps, the Apple TV app on iOS, iPadOS, macOS and tvOS gives you a single place to discover and watch films and TV shows. The Apple TV app syncs across your devices, so you can start watching on one device and pick up where you left off on another. Rather than open multiple apps, Apple TV lets you access content from a range of content providers, including from catch-up TV services such as All 4 and BBC iPlayer. The Apple TV app also enables you to preview shows before deciding whether you want to pay for a particular subscription channel, such as…

Before upgrading to Catalina, I’d like to merge a couple of photo libraries from Aperture. Can you tell me what’s the best way to do this? by DOMINIC ORO SUN Apple’s Aperture isn’t fully 64-bit compatible and won’t run in Catalina. Before upgrading to the new macOS, you’ll need to convert its libraries to Photos or another more modern app. If you also need to merge them, you can either do that first within Aperture in Mojave then migrate the merged library, or migrate the individual libraries first then merge them. Before you attempt either, ensure you have full backups of both libraries. You should try this first following the instructions in Aperture’s Help book to merge the libraries and make any tweaks and corrections to them. This is likely…

My Photo Stream has stopped working on my Mac, although it still works fine between my iPhone and iPad. How can I get it to start syncing properly again? by JOHN FRASER Before going any further, check that you haven’t enabled iCloud Photos on your Mac, in the Photos item in the iCloud pane. If you have, then images from devices using My Photo Stream won’t appear in the usual My Photo Stream album, but in All Photos instead. If that doesn’t solve the problem, next ensure that all your Photos libraries are properly backed up, so that you can retrieve any important images stored in them which might go missing. Then check your iOS devices are well charged and the Camera app is closed on each of them, as…

Night Sky Free (IAPs) FROM icandiapps.com REQUIRES iOS 11 or later Beyond the usual swipe-based exploration of the stars, this astronomy app enables you to pluck constellations and celestial bodies from the main view, to peruse in glorious AR. With an in-app purchase, you also get a Grand Orrery to check out. Big Bang AR Free FROM cern.ch/go/BigBangAR REQUIRES iOS 11 or later With this app, you can kick off creation in the palm of your hand, and then watch as the room before you zips through 13.8 billion years of history – before finishing with a selfie. A brief experience, but one filled with wonder – and rather fab Tilda Swinton narration. Moon Walk Free FROM vitotechnology.com REQUIRES iOS 11 or later Released for the 50th anniversary of the…

Avo! Free (IAPs) FROM playdeo.co.uk REQUIRES iOS 11 or later Most of Avo! is a breezy children’s TV show welded to a basic game. But there’s also a bespoke AR bit, where you can plonk the titular goggle-eyed sentient avocado on your desk, and then have it dance around. Welcome to the future – of vegetables. David Bowie is £9.99 FROM davidbowieisreal.com REQUIRES iOS 11 or later The famous touring exhibition is squeezed into your phone. Within, you work through Bowie’s life story, exploring videos, costumes, and more. Additionally, you won’t have to peer over other people’s shoulders to get a peek at those handwritten lyrics. Shepard Fairey AR - Damaged £4.99 FROM vrtventures.art REQUIRES iOS 9 or later In Damaged, the artist who created the iconic HOPE poster tackles…

Test 1 Page layout Doc setup, master pages and tools All the apps have adequate tools for arranging text and pictures, although iStudio Publisher lacks layers. Like InDesign, Affinity Publisher lets you set up nested master pages, sections, and varying page sizes. Most publications will be designed as spreads (‘facing pages’), and iStudio and Swift Publisher now get this, but neither caters well for long or complex documents, and iStudio’s fixed master page structure is too rigid. Pages’ Page Layout mode is DTP-like but limited: facing pages are shown side by side, but you can’t span items across, and there’s no concept of bleed. iStudio Publisher supports bleed (though its own templates ignore it) and has good alignment aids and a snap grid, but is the only app without guides…

From £399 (Series 5) The world’s number one smartwatch now comes with an always-on Retina display. Along with the two size options (40 and 44mm), the Watch is available in aluminium, stainless steel, titanium and ceramic options. The Nike and Hermès editions have also been updated for Series 5. Series 5 comes with a built-in digital compass along with new health features available on watchOS 6 including a headphone audio-level check and menstrual cycle tracking. The 64-bit S5 processor promises a faster experience, while retaining the same 18-hour battery life.…

Sirivats Lakshman Staff Writer Newcomer Srivats is a long-time Apple fan and has been busy writing how-tos, reviews and news for us this issue. It’s great to have him onboard. Jo Membery Operations Editor Jo and her kids love playing Frogger In Toy Town on Apple Arcade – she can’t wait to see which other titles Apple’s games service has in store. Paul Blachford Art Editor Paul’s been hard at work capturing the sleek lines of the new Apple iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 and Watch Series 5 for this month’s Choice section.…

LETTER OF THE MONTH! PRO BATTERY RECALL I’ve received a recall notice to have the battery in my MacBook Pro replaced (MF #342). At first I was very impressed that Apple were offering to replace the battery free of charge. I thought all I would have to do was arrange to take it into one of their stores or my local dealer and wait an hour or so to have everything done. On reading Apple’s instructions and talking to my local dealer, I realised the process was not as straightforward as I had hoped. No, I had to take my MacBook to an Apple store or dealership for initial tests, then they would send it to the Czech Republic for the battery to be replaced. My local dealer thought the…

Mini Player lets you control playback without the main Music app window in view. As before, it’s activated from the Window menu or by pressing option+Command+M. In macOS Catalina, Mini Player now displays album artwork; in fact, initially that’s all you’ll see. When you move the mouse cursor over the floating window, the play bar and transport controls appear. Drag the bottom edge to enlarge the window and you’ll get both artwork and a play bar, with the track name displayed below until you roll over to show the controls; or drag it upwards to kill the artwork. Drag the window even taller, or click the menu icon at the right, and your Up Next list appears below, with tabs to switch to History or Lyrics. You’ll probably want to…

If you currently use the Mail app with its default settings, you may not notice much difference, but there are a few new features of interest. If you’ve stuck with the old list view rather than adopting Mail’s recent three-pane structure, this can no longer be activated by ticking ‘Use classic layout’ in Mail > Preferences > Viewing. Don’t panic: on the View menu, tick ‘Use column layout’ and untick ‘Show Side Preview’ to get the same arrangement. You’ll find other options divided between these two locations. 1 Familiar places Your mailboxes and message list look much like they did before, except that in Dark Mode, as here, they’re inverted to white text on a dark grey background. 2 Quick moves The new Move To item lets you quickly transfer…

When the iPod was invented, the only way to get content onto it was from your Mac, using a handy music manager app called iTunes. That ability to sync from macOS to a connected iOS device has persisted, with a Summary screen appearing when you select the device’s icon in iTunes, offering to sync various types of media or back up your device to the Mac’s storage. In macOS Catalina, it’s moved to the Finder – a more logical place. Unfortunately, this hasn’t tempted Apple to add full file browsing. 1 Joined-up thinking Any iOS device connected to your Mac will appear in the Locations section of the sidebar of any Finder window, along with devices on your network. Click it to bring up this display, similar to iTunes’ Summary…

Sidecar is a remarkable new feature that lets you use any iPad with iOS 13 as a second screen, connected wirelessly with very little lag. It works over Wi-Fi, so your Mac and iPad will need to be on the same Wi-Fi network. Another requirement is that you must be using two-factor authentication on your Apple ID. If you’ve been ignoring the nag messages encouraging you to set this up, now’s the time to take the plunge: see bit.ly/mf2fa for full details. Window teaming To cut a long story short, it’s less hassle than it might sound: it means any device will need to be authorised by receiving a code on one you already own when you set it up or trust it in a new way, but that’s only…

NEW IDEAS Your in-depth guide to getting more from your Apple kit Understand iOS gestures A tap is a brief contact of (usually) one finger on your device’s screen. To drag is to move a finger across the screen to scroll or pan around content. Swipe means move one or more fingers across an item or the screen, then let go. A flick is like swiping, but it’s quicker, and is often used to scroll content more quickly. Pinch means move two fingers together or apart, usually to zoom in or out. Touch and hold means lightly rest your finger on an item and wait for a reaction. Master Mac keyboard shortcuts When you see a shortcut like Command+Option+C, hold all but the last key, then press that one. Command…

How can I recover my iPhone 8 Plus? My iPhone 8 Plus is stuck in Recovery mode, and now won’t update or restore. When connected to iTunes in El Capitan, it just returns Error 4005 and quits. How can I recover it? by CHR I S KNIGHT Unfortunately, when an iOS device goes into Recovery mode, something serious has gone wrong, either with iOS or the hardware itself. If you then try an update or restore from iTunes and get an error 9, 4005, 4013, or 4014, successful recovery is less likely. First of all, you need to ensure that you’re using the latest version of iTunes from bit.ly/mf345itns, which should be at least 12.8. Try a different USB-to-Lightning cable which you know is reliable, and clean any dirt or…

JigSpace Free FROM jig.space REQUIRES iOS 11 or later This app reasons that you learn better in 3D, because that’s how you experience reality. Hence it explodes objects all over a desk, ready for you to explore and fiddle with. JigSpace feels like a window into the future of textbook and repair manual alike. Human Anatomy Atlas £23.99 FROM visiblebody.com REQUIRES iOS 12 or later Several apps give you floating eyeballs or brains. But this atlas goes the whole hog, with an entire virtual body to poke around in. At this price, it’s clearly aimed at medical students, but regular discounts on provide an entry point for the merely curious. Civilisations AR Free FROM bbc.co.uk/civilisations REQUIRES iOS 11 or later Over 30 historical artefacts at your fingertips here, from ancient…

Live Home 3D Free (IAPs) FROM livehome3d. com REQUIRES iOS 11 or later IKEA Place and Amazon’s app let you plonk virtual goods in your home, but Live Home 3D lets you create an entire virtual dwelling to explore in AR. You can mix in people and virtual objects, and even share AR experiences by way of collaborative sessions. ViewRanger Free (IAPs) FROM viewranger.com REQUIRES iOS 11 or later In its standard free mode, ViewRanger is a map to stop you getting lost on a hike. Go premium and your job’s made that much easier – Skyline AR identifies distant peaks, places, and other points, and handy directional arrows are added to your viewport. Piano 3D Free (IAPs) FROM thepianoapp. com REQUIRES iOS 10 or later Want to learn how…

Libratone Zipp Mini 2 £229 FROM libratone.com SPECS Alexa enabled, 12-hour battery Next to its bigger sister, the Zipp 2 (a device we’ve seen and loved before) the Mini 2 seems like a straightforward sibling clone: smaller, but very similar in appearance. There’s the zippable cover perfect for a new look, the internal battery which is great for taking the party outdoors, the touch-activated control panel on top, and the sound: a brash, loud, meaty mix that suits a fun time. Whatever it may lack compared to the larger alternative, it makes up for in pep. This is excellent, far more than you could realistically expect in such a small package – but if you’re in the market for a noisy cylinder and AirPlay 2 isn’t top of your list,…

BUYING ADVICE Our authoritative reviews help you make more informed choices Manifesto – our ratings explained Our reviews are totally independent; we’re not affiliated with Apple or anyone else, nor are we influenced by advertisers. You can trust us to give an honest assessment of a product’s worth. The prices quoted for products are correct at the time of writing and are the best we can find from a reputable online dealer, excluding delivery. A brilliant thing in all regards, and worth every penny Strongly recommended; any flaws are only minor concerns Worth considering, though there may be better options Notable flaws; look at alternatives as a priority A waste of your money and everyone’s time; do not buy! The MACFORMAT Awards Awarded to a five-star product we believe is…

From £399 FROM Apple, apple.com/uk FEATURES Always-on screen, S5 chip, 32GB on-board storage, compass, altimeter All models come with 32GB of storage – great for keeping music or offline maps The Apple Watch Series 5 takes everything that made the Apple Watch Series 4 so good, and then sprinkles on a few extra features. The basic price of £399 gets you an aluminium body with a 40mm screen. You can step up to a 44mm screen from £429. There are also pricier stainless steel and titanium finishes, as well as a ceramic Watch Edition, and Nike and Hermès models. All models come with 32GB of on-board storage, which is great for keeping more music or offline maps for a planned hike. The stand-out new feature is an always-on screen, which…

Page layout is a task we all attempt from time to time, yet desktop publishing software is a relatively neglected category. If you’ve never delved into Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress, you should see what you’re missing. And if you have used the high-end heavyweights but baulk at their prices – over £200 per year for InDesign, over £800 to buy QuarkXPress – we’ve got some much cheaper contenders. The gold standard in this field is, of course, InDesign. QuarkXPress remains an equally strong choice, but it’s favoured more by large publishers and corporates than individual designers and studios. That’s at least partly because InDesign is part of Adobe’s broader Creative Cloud suite, which is unbeatable value if you need several of its apps. Affinity Publisher, launched by Serif in the…

From £TBC Aimed at creative pros, Apple’s high-end desktop has always been designed to deliver as much power and flexibility as possible. Ironically, the previous ‘trash can’ Mac Pro proved to be a design dead-end, and so Apple came up with this – a stainless steel and aluminium tower that’s almost infinitely configurable – you can even add wheels if you want to. While Apple’s yet to confirm UK prices, we do know it’s not going to be cheap, thanks to an extensive configuration list that ranges from a choice of 8-core to 28-core Intel Xeon W processors, offers up to 1.5TB of RAM and up to 4TB of SSD storage. You can also fit up to four AMD Radeon Vega II Duo graphics cards and/or an AfterBurner ProRes and…

Apple’s productivity suite has been given a welcome update, helping you to make the most of the new productivity features in iOS 13 and iPadOS. The most significant change to the 5.2 update to Keynote, Numbers and Pages is that all three apps now enable you to edit two documents side by side in Split View, and to have the application open in different spaces, in iPadOS. To use it in Pages, for example, first open the app, then slide your finger up from the bottom of the screen to bring up the Dock. Next, tap and drag the Pages icon in the Dock to the extreme left or right of the screen to invoke Split View. Easy! Keynote, Numbers and Pages also now support the new text editing and…

Rumours that Apple is to launch a Tile-like tracking device have apparently been confirmed by a recent discovery in an internal build of the FInd My app. New to the app, according to MacRumors, is an Items tab, which will replace the Me tab in the current iOS 13 release. The Items tab opens to a screen with a heading that reads ‘Keep track of your everyday items’. Below is the text ‘Tag your everyday items with B389 and never lose them again’. B389 is Apple’s internal codename for the Tag that MacRumors said was in the works back in April. The company was expected to reveal the device at its ‘By Innovation Only’ event in September, but it may now make an appearance at an October launch instead. The…

[ALBUM] Hypersonic Missiles by Sam Fender £9.99 The Newcastle lad’s debut album is a chronicle of everyday frustrations as a result of his personal struggles. [BOOK] Outer Order Inner Calm £4.99 Gretchen Rubin explores the key to control of our lives, by focusing on external factors through a series of easy steps. [PODCAST] Can We Just Ask Annie and Will host a series of panel discussions and interviews to identify how we can build a better tomorrow.…

Pundits like to say Apple no longer innovates, but Face ID has been a genuine success that the company’s rivals have singularly failed to match. Why, then, has Apple not brought it to the Mac? Think about how great this would be – just sit down at your desk and your Mac instantly unlocks, just as it does now if you own an Apple Watch. It’s not like it would be insecure. Any Mac released in the last few years has the T2 Security Chip; on the new MacBook Air this keeps your Touch ID data safe, so it should be able to perform a similar function for Face ID. And there’d be no need for a ‘notch’, as the Face ID hardware could sit comfortably inside your Mac’s screen…

The new Music app has the same icon as the iTunes app it replaces, and works similarly except for the eviction of Films, TV Programmes, Podcasts and Audiobooks. Links to your Library and Playlists appear down the left, populated with all the tracks already on your Mac or synced via iCloud Music Library if you have an iTunes Match or Apple Music subscription. Any connected iOS device will also appear in the sidebar, but almost all of iTunes’ local sync and backup functions have moved to the Finder, as we’ll see on page 31. 1 New arrangements Content tabs (previously found across the top of the window in the iTunes app) have moved to the left sidebar, where it’s clearer which ones refer to Apple’s optional Music service as opposed…

Apple refers to it as ‘the Apple TV app’, but it’s actually just called ‘TV’. Serving the same purpose as its established counterpart in iOS, this new macOS app replaces the Films and TV Programmes tabs in iTunes. Since there’s no need for a track display at the top, Apple has left intact the horizontal tab bar that it removed in Music, which is slightly confusing. The Films and TV Shows tabs here access the relevant sections of the iTunes Store, while selecting Library switches the display to show your existing video collection in the left sidebar – which in turn has sections for Films and TV Shows. The Kids and Watch Now tabs each offer iTunes Store recommendations across both film and TV; Watch Now also highlights items from…

A striking new feature in Photos is the new tiled grid layout, which crops and arranges pics at varying sizes. This isn’t as prominent as you might expect, featuring mainly in the Days view, but there are various other ways to display your collection. Sorting your photos by day doesn’t show you all the pics for each day, but a selection. We weren’t particularly convinced by the artificially intelligent choice of our best shots, but pics were at least cropped sensitively. You can flip to All Photos to see more, although it would have been nice to have a more obvious shortcut for this than the c+4/c+3 key combos. 1 Magic lantern New to the left sidebar is Media Types, which picks out now common not-exactly-photo formats including videos, screenshots,…

There are lots of other new and improved features in macOS Catalina, of which we highlight some here. Take a look back at our ‘Get Ready For Catalina’ feature in MF #343 for tips on more additions, a few subtractions, and changes to security. It’s worth familiarising yourself with the updated System Preferences app, which has been rearranged with fewer sections and a header bar for your Apple ID and iCloud settings, as in iOS. Most of the old iCloud settings are now found in the Apple ID pane, while Family Sharing gets its own pane. Use the enhanced Find My to track down your devices Find My Mac and Find My Friends are now one app, Find My, with tabs for People and Devices. Behind the scenes, finding devices…

Shown on video during Apple’s WWDC 2019 keynote, the demo of macOS’ new Voice Control system by quadriplegic user Ian Mackay looked highly convincing. It’s one of many new options found in the Accessibility pane of System Preferences. Scroll down to find it in the left pane, then click Commands, and you’ll see the extensive library of instructions that can be interpreted by the new Siri-powered Voice Control engine. Enormous practical power is contained in commands like Show Numbers, which, rather than leaving you to tab laboriously through on-screen features until you hit the one you want, instantly attaches numbered labels to them all, so you can just call out a number. You can follow up with Show Grid, which divides the screen into numbered squares; you can then pick…

IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to fix common colour-related problems YOU’LL NEED Adobe Photoshop Elements 2019, macOS 10.12 or later Elements can warm up or cool down a sampled area To the human eye, colours look natural when viewed in different lighting conditions. However, digital cameras are prone to capturing colour casts due to variations in the colour temperature of light. For example, noon daylight produces a colour temperature of around 5,200 Kelvin (K). This can lead to a cold-looking shot that suffers from a blue colour cast. Artificial lights, such as street lamps, produce a warmer colour temperature of 3,000K. This can make some skin tones look unnaturally orange. You may also notice green or magenta tints blighting your photos. Fortunately, Photoshop Elements has a…

IT WILL TAKE 30 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to use the new Reminders app YOU’LL NEED iOS 13 or iPadOS 1 Four sections Smart Lists group reminders into four main sections. 2 My Lists Grouped lists are indented under the main group heading. 3 Find my list Lists can be given icons to make them easy to identify. 4 Add List Just tap Add List whenever you need to add more lists of reminders. The Quick Toolbar allows you to quickly add additional resources The new Reminders app in iOS 13, mirrors those in iPadOS and macOS Catalina. It has been redesigned from the ground up and, for that reason, using it with iCloud means you’ll need to upgrade all your devices to the latest version of their respective…

iPhone With iPhone, ARKit support depends on what’s inside a device. The original ARKit requires iOS 11 and will even run on an iPod touch 7th-gen. ARKit 2 requires iOS 12, meaning you need an iPhone SE/6s or newer. ARKit 3 needs an ‘X’ or ’11’ series iPhone. iPad Support for ARKit on iPad is in a similar space. ARKit 2 will work on any iPad Pro, and the 5th-gen iPad or newer. Original ARKit support extends to the iPad mini 5. ARKit 3 needs the A12 Bionic – meaning you require a 2018 iPad Pro or newer.…

Smash Tanks! £1.99 FROM dumplingdesign.com REQUIRES iOS 11 or later Ping chunky cartoon tanks across a battlefield that can be projected on anything from a coffee table to a field. Use cunning tactics to make use of sporadic weapons drops – and also skyscrapers that you can unsportingly collapse on to an unwitting opponent. Lego Hidden Side Free FROM lego.com REQUIRES Lego set, iOS 11 or later Lego’s ventured into AR before, but this app fully integrates kits of plastic bricks and what’s on your phone. Capture your set, and then go ghost hunting, blasting spectres into oblivion. Just try not to tread on an actual brick while distracted by your screen. Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs Free FROM rovio.com REQUIRES iOS 11 or later No longer do you…

Rarely has a selection of hardware impressed us like this one. In fact, this is a first: we’ve not awarded a full five stars to every entry in this section of the magazine before. That should be evidence enough that if you’re looking for an AirPlay 2 speaker, any one of these will serve you wonderfully. In the end we’ve put the Libratone Zipp Mini 2 in the top spot, mainly because we have to pick a winner, and because of its convenience; AirPlay 2 is really all about its multiroom experience, and scattering a few of these compact, flexible devices around the home (or, indeed, taking one around with you) makes it the clear winner on that count. But here’s the caveat: if money was no object, we’d absolutely…

From £1,049 FROM Apple, apple.com/uk FEATURES 12MP wide, ultra-wide and telephoto camera, A13 Bionic chip, Super Retina XDR 5.8in display, WiFi 6; 64, 256 and 512GB storage options The ultra-wide lens brings a 120° field of view, which is ideal for landscapes Apple made a big deal about the new triple camera system during the iPhone 11 Pro’s announcement, and it is a standout development. But there’s lot more to consider when it comes to the questions of updating from an older model. The iPhone 11 Pro starts from £1,049, for the 5.8-inch model with 64GB of storage. There’s also the iPhone 11 Pro Max, which has a 6.5-inch screen and longer battery life, but is otherwise identical when it comes to specs. That starts from £1,149 for 64GB. You…

£112.99 FROM D-Link, eu.dlink.com/uk/en FEATURES 720p HD, motorised pan and tilt, night vision, motion and sound detection With 340° of rotation and 105° of tilt, the cam can cover a lot of room With its dinky, robot-style looks and rotating camera, the idea behind this cam is that it can peer around your room. The cam is simple to set up (no smart home hub is needed), you just install the relevant app on your phone, and then it guides you through the process. Connect the camera to your Wi-Fi, install any pending firmware upgrades, and you’re just about done. One task you’ll need to complete during setup is giving the camera a a ‘home’ position – the spot it focuses back on when it’s done all its tilting and…

We installed the latest versions of all the apps on the same 15in MacBook Pro with Retina display running macOS Mojave (Catalina was still in beta) and then tried a range of page layout tasks, assessing ease of use, breadth of features and the ability to create professional results. Higher… QuarkXPress 2019 From £835 quark.co.uk InDesign’s newly upgraded top-end rival remains a superbly capable package with a huge ecosystem of support and integration. …or lower? Publisher Lite Free, with in-app purchases Mac App Store This simple app is free from the Mac App Store, with template packs for 99p. Publisher Plus adds features and includes all templates for £19.99, but it’s a year since the apps were updated.…

£4.99 FROM NoMad Sky, memos.org NEEDS Needs iOS 12 or later As more and more data is stored on our iPhones and iPads, finding things can become problematic. Especially when it’s so easy to take a photo of a receipt or a page from a book for quick reference. The content of images, at least when it comes to text information, is not searchable by iOS. But it is by Memos: Private Search. After granting photo library access, the app scans your library, downloading images from the cloud if necessary but not storing them locally. It’s best to be on Wi-Fi and connected to power the first time you do this. To analyse 2,100 images, many stored in iCloud, took around 25 minutes on an iPhone 8 Plus using fast…

iMac From £1,049 Ever since the famous Bondi Blue iMac debuted in August 1998, Apple’s all-in-one desktop computer has been setting standards in gorgeous design and powerful performance. Apple’s innovation was as clear back then as it is today – the iMac was the first Macintosh to drop the floppy disk in favour of USB, and its colourful aesthetic set it apart as a playful option in a world of beige boxes. The current entry-level 21.5in iMac is unchanged from 2017. Intel processors in the other models range from a quad-core, eighth-gen Core i3 up to a six-core, eighth-gen i5 as standard. A six-core, ninth-gen Core i5 comes as standard on the top-end 27in iMac, and is available as an option on the mid-range 27in – it’s pricy, though. All…

PHOTO EDITOR (MAC) Affinity Photo £48.99 serif.com It’s hard not to love Affinity Photo. Whether you fancy yourself as a seasoned pro or a photo novice, you’ll find this image editor powerful and easy to use. Its interface offers the perfect blend of ease of use and quick access to powerful features, and its useful batch processing is a great addition. An app that packs both power and practicality for less than £50? We’re in! REMINDERS APP (MAC/iOS) GoodTask £19.99 (Mac), £9.99 (iOS) bit.ly/mfgtapp Apple’s Reminders app has always been a tad lacklustre, but GoodTask is the polar opposite. It blends simplicity with sophistication, giving you a huge amount of control over your reminders without swamping you with options. Firing off reminders is quick and easy, and its smart snippets…