MacworldOctober 2021的目錄

The iPad Pro has frequently been an incubator for technology that Apple ultimately plans on rolling out to the rest of its product line. Last year, the iPad Pro got a lidar scanner months before it appeared in the iPhone 12. This year’s 12.9-inch model introduced the mini-LED screen technology that will probably be showing up very soon in a new line of MacBook Pro laptops. And this fall’s iPhone Pro models are rumored to come with high-refresh-rate displays, pioneered years ago on the iPad as ProMotion. But there’s another core Apple technology of the future that’s currently available only on the newest iPad Pro. And I’m confident that in the next couple of years, you’ll see it spread across most (but not all) of Apple’s products: Center Stage. Center…

BOWERS & WILKINS 800 SERIES DIAMOND The B&W 800 Series Diamond speakers have a cabinet design that includes a cast-aluminum top section to provide stiffness and cabinet quietness. A down-facing bass port fires onto an aluminum plinth with a constrained-layer steel damping sheet that better controls unwanted resonances. The tweeter-on-top features an elongated, tube-loaded enclosure milled from a single block of solid aluminum that is decoupled from the rest of the speaker in two locations rather than one. The midrange driver uses the Biomimetic Suspension system, which has a fabric spider with a minimalist skeleton that virtually eliminates the unwanted sound waves a conventional spider can generate, removing its unpredictable, nonlinear effects.—SCOTT WILKINSON RISE GARDENS FAMILY GARDEN If you want to grow larger quantities of herbs, fresh leafy greens,…

At WWDC20, when Apple showed off widgets and the App Library in iOS 14, my first reaction was, “This would be better on the iPad.” At WWDC21, when Apple showed off widgets and the App Library in iPadOS 15, my first reaction was, “This should be better on the iPad.” The concept is good. In iPadOS 15, Apple is giving iPad users the ability to remove Home Screen pages and organize their apps into “helpful categories” that are only visible when you need them to be. It makes the iPad Home Screen feel a bit more like a desktop—especially when you hide the other Home Screens—and lets you find apps and locate icons much more quickly and easily. With a handy icon in the dock, it feels a lot like…

When Purina offered to send me and my cat BB an iPad loaded with Cat Fishing 2 to promote its recent App Store update, I figured she’d be utterly disinterested. Even though the free app is designed for felines and features a whole host of cat-centric customization options—including type, number, and color of fish that swim around on the screen—I know BB and none of my many gadgets have ever captured her attention. But to my surprise, Cat Fishing 2 was different. The box I received was filled with goodies for BB, including a couple of pouches of Friskies Warm’d & Serv’d cat food (she loved), a cat-size Friskies hoodie (she hated), and a hand-stitched felt toy in the shape of a console controller, which was clearly filled with some magic…

At its WWDC21 keynote, Apple unveiled the next generation of watchOS, which will come to our wrists in the fall. Here are the new features we’re most excited to try: KEYS IN WALLET The Wallet app on the Apple Watch is incredibly useful for making payments on the go, but in watchOS 8, it’ll be even more versatile. Apple is adding support for home, office, and hotel keys to Wallet on the Apple Watch, and users in participating U.S. states will also be able to upload their driver’s license or state ID—making one less thing they have to carry. HEALTH AND FITNESS Health and fitness are some of the key components of the Apple Watch, and Apple is continuing to push them in watchOS 8. The Breathe app will now…

The new, beefy Outdoor Wi-Fi Smart Plug from D-Link (model DSP-W320) has a killer feature that seems to be unique in the smart home space: In addition to its pair of three-prong outlets, it features a 2.1-amp USB-A port, so you can charge your phone without needing to carry an adapter around. But before you decide to buy the product based on that checkbox in its feature set list, let’s look in a bit more detail at this smart plug and how well it actually works. First, you’ll notice that I mentioned this smart plug is beefy. At a weight of nearly 0.75 pounds, this is a monster of a switch. To be sure, that kind of heft connotes seriousness and ruggedness, and the unit feels like a veritable brick…

When I reviewed Roon at its launch, back in 2015, I called it “must-have software for hardcore music fans.” I stand by that characterization, although in retrospect I shouldn’t have restricted its appeal to the hardcore. Anyone who derives deep enjoyment from listening to music will reap tremendous benefits from this one-of-a-kind—albeit incredibly complex—software. That said, if you don’t consider music essential to life, you’ll probably have difficulty justifying the cost of a Roon license and the relatively steep hardware requirements you’ll need to run it. In addition to the client software, which you’ll run on a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer, you’ll need to run server software (the Roon Core) on some other computer on your home network. Developer Roon Labs recommends that the server have a least an…

The ancient Greek amphitheater at Epidaurus is universally considered the acoustic marvel of the ancient world. I would argue that the noble (though oftentimes Sisyphean) quest for acoustic perfection is a fundamental part of the human spirit. Sadly, even with all the advancements of modern technology, audio quality on our most commonly used devices—our smartphones and tablets—somehow takes a back seat. Processing chips inside these devices that convert the digital signal to analog for headphones are either subpar or downright terrible. Moreover, they typically aren’t capable of delivering the power that high-performance headphones need. Adding an outboard DAC or headphone amplifier to get that performance traditionally meant sacrificing portability. Thanks to Helm Audio, that tradeoff is a thing of the past. Helm Audio’s Bolt DAC/AMP is a superb-sounding, ultraportable DAC…

Five years ago this fall, Apple introduced a new MacBook Pro. But this wasn’t your ordinary spec bump, this MacBook Pro featured a love-it-or-hate-it feature: the Touch Bar, Apple’s answer to the touchscreen interfaces that became popular in Windows laptops. The OLED strip replaced the top row of keys on the MacBook Pro keyboard, and the controls it displays change based on the software you are using. Some thought the Touch Bar was a brilliant innovation, including a few here at Macworld. When the Touch Bar was unveiled, Macworld posted articles proclaiming “The MacBook Pro’s innovative Touch Bar will grab you” and the “Touch Bar is the touchscreen done right”. But those were the opinions of individuals I worked with, and my experience with the Touch Bar was different. I didn’t…

Eventually, USB 4 should render the distinction between Thunderbolt and USB largely moot. That’s the hope at any rate. For now, if you want the scintillating performance of Thunderbolt 3 when it’s available, and the compatibility of USB when it’s not, you need a drive such as OWC’s Envoy Pro FX. DESIGN AND SPECS The all-metal Envoy Pro FX is a handsome, all-metal, slate-gray enclosure that quite nicely matches late-gen Macs stylewise. At approximately 4.5 inches long, 2.75 inches wide, 0.6 inches thick, and 8.6 ounces, it’s a bit on the large and heavy side, with more the appearance of an external 2.5-inch hard drive than of an SSD. I consider the hefty smooth metal surface tactilely pleasing. Nonskid runners on the bottom keep it stable on the table, and…

As we enter another surge of COVID-19 infections here in the U.S., it’s becoming increasingly likely that you may need to show proof of vaccination. Restaurants, large event venues, some airlines, and even some workplaces are requiring proof of vaccination in order to use their services. Unfortunately, your vaccine card probably came in the form of a small piece of unlaminated paper that is just slightly too big to fit in a standard wallet. Your iPhone comes to the rescue! There are several potential ways to use your iPhone as a way to store and validate your vaccination status. The simplest is to simply take a photo of your vaccination card or scan it into a secure note in Notes. There are digital vaccine record apps, too, which might be…

T-Mobile recently announced a special deal for its customers who have yet to jump on the Apple TV+ bandwagon. The company is offering a free year of Apple TV+ for new and existing customers of T-Mobile’s Magenta and Magenta Max plans which also includes participants in the Magenta 55+, Magenta Military, Magenta First Responders, Sprint Unlimited Plus, Sprint Premium and small T-Mobile for Business plans. To sign up for the plan, T-Mobile customers can log into their accounts on the T-Mobile website and redeem the offer. Sprint customers can visit promotions.t-mobile.com and then enter the promo code 2021APPLETVP1. The offer is worth $59.88 before the addition of any applicable taxes. According to T-Mobile, this offer stacks with the three-month free trial that Apple gives to people who buy a new iPhone or…

If you happen to be the type of iPhone owner who just wants to power it on and start downloading apps or (gasp!) actually make calls, we totally get it. However, you may be shortchanging yourself when it comes to harnessing the power that’s right in your pocket. Here are some helpful tricks that will turn you into a power user overnight. 1. ASSIGN A FREQUENT TASK TO BACK TAP iOS 14’s Back Tap enables you to assign an action that takes place when you either double- or triple-tap the back of your phone. For instance, you can double-back tap your phone to quickly access the Control Center, show the App Switcher, or mute the sound. To find the setting and make your custom action assignment, go to Settings, tap on…

The Mac can support a number of different keyboard layouts, and you can switch between them quite easily. It’s one way that you can get more use out of your keyboard, especially if you work in multiple languages. However, it’s not slap-your-face obvious how to change the keyboard layout in macOS Big Sur. First, you’ll need to go to System Preferences and open the Keyboard pane. The keyboard layouts appear in the Input Sources tab, and the ones you currently have active will be in the left column. Apple offers several keyboard layouts based on different languages, and you can add more by clicking the plus (+) button on the lower left (clicking the minus button [–] removes a layout). A pop-up window will appear with the layouts that are…

The eight-outlet CyberPower SL700U has a problem: It’s neither fish nor fowl. This well-made, relatively compact unit can provide backup power of up to 370 watts/700 volt-amperes (VA), enough to provide standby power for about nine minutes for a modest computer, like an iMac or a midrange Dell Inspiron tower with an external monitor. This UPS, however, offers power output from its battery that only simulates the smooth sine wave produced by alternating-current power coming from an electric utility. This simulation lurches through steps instead of sliding smoothly between negative and positive voltage, which is a problem for modern computer power supplies. This isn’t an issue with solid-state devices such as Wi-Fi routers or broadband modems—those are the devices best suited to use with it. Most modern computers feature active…

I liked their look right off the bat, but Phiaton’s 900 Legacy active noise-canceling headphones gave me a bit of a scare when I heard the somewhat muffled voice feedback telling me the headset was turned on. If that was to be the fidelity of a pair of $250 headphones, Phiaton wasn’t going to be happy with this review. Fortunately for all involved, when I actually started listening to movies and music, sonic goodness was upon me and I ended up quite enjoying my 900 Legacy experience—especially the excellent noise cancellation features. DESIGN AND FEATURES The 900 Legacy headset has a comfortable fit: The cup pads are tall enough to keep your ears off the speaker grills, and the headband pad is thick enough to do the same for your…

HOW TO OVERRIDE THE FONT SETTINGS IN SAFARI FOR ALL PAGES Sometimes web page designers make interesting choices. Why not use tiny, fancy type on a shaded background to make reading a page more…legible? Apple’s built-in Reader View in Safari across all its platforms lets you make short work of hard-to-read type. But you lose most of the formatting, some of the images, and other elements of the page. Safari for macOS has another trick up its sleeve: custom CSS. Where HTML defines the structure and content of a web page, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is the coding that underlies the appearance and formatting, from type sizes to columns and floating boxes. In Safari → Preferences → Advanced, you can select a custom style sheet from the Style Sheet pop-up…

The lithium-ion battery in your Mac laptop will lose its ability to charge to its maximum factory-made capacity over time—but you don’t have to take that change lying down. Depending on the level remaining, you might be able to get a free replacement from Apple. Lithium-ion batteries transformed laptops and mobile devices. They allowed for a greater density of stored energy compared to earlier generations of nickel-metal-hydride batteries. This newer material loses charge much more gradually when not plugged in and not in use. And they shed the “memory effect,” which required careful charging to avoid permanently reducing the capacity of your battery. Modern Li-ion batteries can be shaped to fit into any space, further increasing device run time. But, like all components that carry electricity, they do age. A…

Thunderbolt 3 was an amazing improvement in simplicity, despite the confusion that came with it and the transition from USB 3.0 over USB Type A, Thunderbolt 2, Mini DisplayPort and the like. Thunderbolt 3 uses the orientation-reversible USB-C connector, and can deliver up to 40Gbps in each data direction in an ideal world, while also supporting power (up to 100 watts, depending on controller and cable) and super high-res displays. OWC’s Thunderbolt Hub with four Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 ports and one USB 3 Type-A port fills a piece of the puzzle that’s been missing since Apple introduced the new technology in 2016: a multiport external hub. Only certain Mac models have had more than two Thunderbolt 3 ports. (The short-lived 12-inch MacBook had just one, but it only handled USB…

Apple’s been crowing about the pace at which its users install software updates for ages. Rapid uptake of updates is a sign of a healthy ecosystem—and yet, as announced last week, Apple has made a change that threatens to derail the iOS update train. Just as it unveiled all the features that threaten to make iOS 15 a must-have update this fall, Apple also announced that iOS 14 users who aren’t ready to board will have the opportunity to step off and wait it out. “iOS now offers a choice between two software update versions in the Settings app,” reads a page on the iOS 15 website. “You can update to the latest version of iOS 15 as soon as it’s released for the latest features and most complete set…

Apple loves a good second-gen product, frequently snaring early adopters with a promising but flawed or incomplete original product before hitting the mainstream with a sequel that fixes the biggest issues with the first model. This list goes on—Apple Watch, Apple Pencil, even the original iPhone. And now we can add the AirTag to that list. While there’s a lot to like about Apple’s tracker, there are several ways Apple can improve it with the inevitable AirTag 2. 1. THE HOLE TRUTH Some object trackers have holes and some do not, but the ones against which the AirTag is most obviously competing—the Tile Pro and Mate, Samsung SmartTag, even the Chipolo One Spot, hosted on Apple’s own Find My network—tend to fall into the Swiss cheese category. They have a hole,…

Apple introduced new iCloud features during its WWDC21 keynote as part of its new iCloud+ service. These features focus on preserving your privacy, and the company is making these features available to paid iCloud subscribers at no additional cost. 1. ACCOUNT RECOVERY Apple adds another option to getting a security code that you need to access your account. The new option allows you to add a trusted contact to receive the code info. For example, if you select your mother as an Account Recovery contact, she will get the forgotten password code you need. She can then relay that code for your use. 2. LEGACY CONTACT Sooner or later, it happens to all of us: We die. And if you rely heavily on the cloud to store your pictures, videos,…

ProtonVPN from Proton Technologies (the maker of ProtonMail is an impressive VPN. It makes itself accountable to its users by not establishing its business in some exotic location, and it has management that is easily discoverable. The app is also easy to understand and has a number of interesting features, and the speeds it offers are awesome. If you need a new VPN service, I heartily recommend ProtonVPN for Mac users. It’s not a perfect VPN, but it does an excellent job. For this review we tested using the ProtonVPN Plus plan. SOFTWARE, SERVERS, SPEED ProtonVPN runs on OpenVPN with data encryption handled by AES-256, authentication users HMAC with SHA-256, and the handshake based on 2048-bit RSA. There are no options for other protocols, including WireGuard; however, the company may introduce…

Compact in dimensions but not in features and performance, the Technics Ottava f SC-C70MK2 is a next-generation all-in-one sound system infused with a most congenial and accommodating spirit. A personality kid with lots of pizzazz, almost jukebox-like in its bubbly effervescence, the Ottava f is tuned to bring out the entertaining best in almost anything you throw at it via hard goods (CDs), streaming services, broadcast radio, and outboard devices, too. A musical term, the Italian “ottava” means “at an octave higher or lower than written,” and the f is for “forte”—fitting descriptions for this overachieving music system that likewise scribbles outside the lines, confounding expectations for what an all-in-one music box can deliver. Even before you turn it on, the stylish looks and solid build make a strong first…

Full disclosure: I’m most decidedly not the target audience for pink headphones with kitty ears and flashing lights. That said, there are some relatively new-to-the-world humans whose orbits cross mine now and again. Hence, I accepted the iClever MTH13 review assignment, regardless of their being sized for ears far smaller than mine. I gave these surprisingly sonorous $40 headphones the usual tire-kicking with one additional criteria in mind: that the maximum volume would not exceed what’s appropriate for fresh, undamaged young ears. DESIGN AND FEATURES I gave away the most salient design points in my opening paragraph, but the BTH13 are pink and blue, sport flashing lights on both ear cups, and feature little kitty ears at the top of the headband. iClever offers a very similar, but obviously not…