Table of contents for June 2018 in MacFormat

What if you could carry just one cable? In an ideal world, you’d be able to use the same cable to charge and sync all your mobile devices. The Anchor Cable has a magnetic tip at one end, onto which you can attach one of three interchangeable tips: USB-C, Micro-USB and Lightning. At the other end is a USB-A connector. The cable is wrapped in a flexible metal sheath that stretches out a little, so it feels like it should hold up better against tension and flex than rubber-coated options. No case is provided for the tips so, unless you leave them installed in devices, you’ll want to get a box for safekeeping. From $49 (about £35) WEBSITE anchorcable.com INCLUDES 4ft Anchor Cable, USB-C, Micro-USB and Lightning tips…

Contact us Email your queries to letters@macformat.com Join the conversation at facebook.com/macformat or on Twitter @macformat Over the years, Apple has started introducing its own chips into its products. AirPods are equipped with the W1 wireless chip, for example, while the iPhone X runs on the A11 Bionic chip. Now it looks like Apple may start doing the same for its Mac computers. According to Bloomberg, Apple will switch Macs over to its own processors as early as 2020, replacing Intel as its chip supplier. That could be a blow to Intel, which has worked with Apple on its Mac chips since 2006, when it moved away from PowerPC processors. Apple currently provides Intel with about 5% of its revenues, claims Bloomberg. The initiative is reportedly code-named Kalamata at Apple,…

APPLE CLAMPS DOWN ON LEAKS FIRM SAYS IT FOUND 29 LEAKERS IN 2017 Apple has a reputation for secrecy, something it is keen to uphold according to an internal memo. The note said Apple found 29 leakers last year, 12 of whom were arrested. It added that leakers can lose their jobs and “face extreme difficulty finding employment elsewhere.” This stern approach is often mirrored by other Silicon Valley firms. THIRD-PARTY WATCH FACES WATCHOS CODE COULD ALLOW CUSTOM FACES Developers working on Apple Watch have long been restricted from creating their own watch faces, but that might soon change. Code from watchOS 4.3.1 appears to contain references to some future capability to add third-party faces. The code, spotted by 9to5Mac, is not yet implemented but could come into action as…

LETTER OF THE MONTH! What’s up with Apple? Matt Bolton’s commentary on Apple’s admission that it got it wrong when designing the Mac Pro set me thinking about the increasing number of design errors from the company. The idiotic placement of the Lightning charging socket on the underside of the Magic Mouse has been well publicised. What about the thin white rubber feet on the Magic Keyboard, which is so flimsy that mine sagged in the middle and scraped on my desk – which I’ve solved with four slightly deeper self-adhesive feet, plus an extra in the middle. Then there’s the Apple Pencil’s Lightning connector, which precariously plugs in to the iPad. Yes, you get an adapter so you can charge from a Lightning cable, but that’s so tiny that…

GREG JOSWIAK apple.com “Before the industry knew it, we were blowing people away [with the tech].” Apple exec says the gaming capability of iOS has surprised people PHIL SCHILLER apple.com “We want them to understand the importance they have for us… [and] that we’re investing in new Macs.” Marketing chief says Apple is working hard to satisfy its pro users EDDY CUE apple.com “The people that make technology have to make it for good.” Apple software exec says technology “in and of itself is not for good” TIM COOK apple.com “The only way to protect your data is to encrypt it. There is no other way known today.” Apple CEO is forceful on the benefits of encryption to privacy…

Your network can be neatly divided into two zones: inside and outside. The outside refers to the wider internet, delivered to your home through your phone or cable connection, while the inside is where all your networked devices reside – whether they’re connected using Wi-Fi or Ethernet cabling. Bridging the two is your modem-router, which does the hard work of managing the connections between devices, both inside the local network as well as with the outside world. When it comes to troubleshooting your network connection, therefore, you have three major points where problems tend to occur: your Mac or some other device, your router, or your internet connection. The simple stuff Begin by restarting your router or powering it off for a minute or so – this often clears up…

Wi-Fi frequency Fix congestion issues These days, many wireless networks overlap due to their number and extended range, which can cause interference that manifests with poor performance and connection issues at shorter than expected ranges. Add in an ever-growing number of devices trying to share a single channel and you can see how problems can occur. If you have an 802.11ac router that can broadcast on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, which are divided into several narrower channels, try moving some devices onto the less crowded and congested 5GHz band, particularly those close to the router. 2.4GHz networks also transmit over several overlapping channels – 1 through to 11 in the UK – and moving your network to a less crowded one can also have a marked impact on performance.…

1 HomePod control Open the Music app and tap the words at the top left until you reach the top level of the app, then tap ‘On iPhone’. Pick something to play, tap the AirPlay icon and choose your HomePod. You can skip tracks and volume by using the app’s on-screen controls, or turn the crown while on the Now Playing screen to alter HomePod’s volume. 2 Bedsid mode This mode, also called Nightstand mode, is now available when Watch is connected to power and in portrait orientation, not just landscape. The feature can be turned on in the Watch app on iPhone, in My Watch > General. 3 The Siri watch face This face now shows your progress towards closing Activity rings, and when Apple Music mixes you’ve synced…

IT WILL TAKE 10 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to customise stationery in Pages YOU’LL NEED Pages for iOS or macOS Pages is a great document creation and editing tool, but chances are you’re probably working a little harder than you need to be. If you find yourself putting the same things into document after document, it’s time to create a template. You can’t save a document created on iOS into the same device’s template library, as you can on a Mac, but you’ll see it’s possible to create complex ones on the Mac and then copy them over to your iPad. We’ll use iCloud for this, but Mail works too. However, there’s a workaround when there’s no Mac to hand. You can create a standard layout on iOS, save…

EXPERT ADVICE Our resident genius solves your Mac and iOS problems Are unsigned apps safe to use? Q Why are some major apps, such as HandBrake and the GIMP image editor not signed? Are they safe? by JACK FOLEY A Code signatures are used by macOS to tell whether apps have been altered since they were signed, either by accident or interference from malware. They don’t fit well with open-source software. To sign an app, developers must register with Apple and pay an annual subscription to have it issue code signatures for their software. Each signature applies to the entire contents of its corresponding .app bundle – the icon that appears in Finder. Once signed, the slightest change to the bundle’s contents will cause macOS’s Gatekeeper feature to refuse to…

Mac software quick-fire questions How do I download 4K films in iTunes? Although you can buy 4K films on your Mac or iOS devices, Apple TV 4K is the only Apple device that’s currently allowed to download or stream at that quality – not even Retina 4K or 5K iMacs allow it. HDR content is supported on secondgen iPad Pro models and iPhone X, 8 and 8 Plus, but at 1080p quality. How can I reduce the amount of space used by Messages? In Messages, ≈-click a conversation in the left pane that you know contains media or other files. Choose Details from the contextual menu; the popover that appears displays all media and files exchanged in that conversation. You can hold command and click multiple items to select them,…

While your Mac can be a great tool for getting work done, it can also be a huge hindrance. All those distractions right at your fingertips can make it hard to concentrate on the task at hand. But it doesn’t have to be that way. With a few good extensions, you can keep distractions at bay and work much more effectively than before. These are our top four picks. They’ll help you get more done and keep your mind focused on your browser, all with minimum effort. WasteNoTime bit.ly/wstntmtrckr WasteNoTime is perfect if you often get distracted. It tracks which websites you spend the most time on, can lock down your web access and block sites when you’ve been on them for too long. TinEye bit.ly/tnymgsrch Seen an image and…

If there’s one thing you really need to guarantee when using Safari, it’s your security. It’s easy to get complacent when using a Mac, but they are still vulnerable to attacks if you don’t take good enough care. A strong option is TrafficLight by BitDefender (bit.ly/traflght). It gives you real-time protection that actively blocks suspicious websites and those known for peddling malware and phishing attempts. It also shows you if a website is trying to track you. If you’re not so keen on tracking in general, DuckDuckGo (bit.ly/safddgo) will be right up your street. Its search engine doesn’t track your browsing habits, and it also comes with built-in privacy features like encryption and a privacy grading system for websites. Finally, we all know how tricky it can be to remember…

T he starting point in my Classic clear-out is a Macintosh 512K that mostly works. It doesn’t actually start, its screen remaining stubbornly black, but there’s an intriguing clicking sound when you switch it on. This might be a fan blade hitting a loose wire, or it could be the floppy disk drive trying to dislodge decades of rust. This Mac might appeal to someone who wants to scavenge it for spare parts, or perhaps just wants a cheap one to use for a case mod. Plausible deniability To prep it for sale, I gave the outside a thorough scrub to get the worst of the dirt off it (see this issue’s How To) and replaced one of the case screws that had gone missing years ago. I deliberately didn’t…

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 truly exceptional in its category. Given solely at the discretion of…

£299.99 FROM ION360, uk.ion360.com FEATURES 360° photos and video, live streaming, charging case The popularity of 360° photos and videos is growing, and so is the associated list of gear. The ION360 U aims to stand out by being a 360° camera, a case, and a top-up battery, all in one. Its twin lenses capture half of the 360° scene each, and the ION360 app does a reasonable job of stitching it together. The app offers 360° photo (3840x1920 pixels), video (at 4K), and streaming modes; with a few taps you can be streaming 360° media live to Facebook or YouTube. It’s easy to use, but there are flaws. First, there’s nothing included to protect the twin bulbous lenses or to mount the case on anything, so it’s at risk…

1 Home size Do you really need a mesh network? If you’re living in reasonably close quarters, the answer is probably no. Mesh networks are best suited to larger homes, or those built of particularly dense materials that cause Wi-Fi dead spots. 2 How many nodes? If your Wi-Fi does need the range extension that mesh offers, how many nodes will you require? Check the specs of the mesh network you’re looking at – there’ll generally be a suggested range per node – and compare it to your home’s dimensions. 3 Current kit If your router is currently working fine, don’t jump on the mesh bandwagon if you’re looking for speed; while mesh networks are efficient, you won’t find a big speed boost unless you’re currently struggling along on an…

Everyone does mesh a little differently. BT’s solution, for example, is a bridge. This means it doesn’t actually do any of the heavy lifting – you need to hook it up to your existing router to manage DHCP and the like, then each of its nodes works as an access point. Netgear’s Orbi system has a specific node that manages routing, and satellite nodes that communicate with that. The rest can attach any node to your modem – but you’ll lose access to Ethernet connections you might already have hooked up to your current router, which might necessitate a little reorganisation of your network, particularly if you’re currently running a smart hub or a network printer. Realistically, though, no mesh network is particularly complex. It’s a much smoother ride than…

MONITOR Philips 328P6AU BREB £396 philips.co.uk Getting a colour-accurate display used to cost a pretty penny, but this monitor is both impressive and affordable. It hits 99% of the Adobe RGB gamut – great for colour-critical work – and supports 10-bit colour. Throw in a host of ports (including USB-C), an IPS display and a great price, and you have a seriously good screen. NETWORK STORAGE Drobo 5D3 £601 drobo.co.uk With two blazing fast Thunderbolt 3 ports and a 5Gbps USB-C port to boot, the Drobo 5D3 can provide you with rapid file transfers to and from your Mac. You can load it up with up to five HDDs or SSDs of differing capacities, giving you plenty of flexibility for storage options. It’s pricey, but a worthy investment. PRINTER Epson…

When it revealed it was working on a new Mac Pro, Apple said the computer would not arrive in 2017. Now we have a more firm date: Apple says it will launch in 2019. In an interview with Matthew Panzarino of TechCrunch, Tom Boger, Apple’s Senior Director of Mac Hardware Marketing, said “We want to be transparent… with our pro community so we want them to know that the Mac Pro is a 2019 product.” Apple has set up a Pro Workflow Team, which works with professionals in various industries in order to understand what they need from the Mac Pro. These users go about their work using a Mac Pro, then tell Apple where they hit bottlenecks. Boger confirmed that the next Mac Pro is still set to be…

[MOVIE] Three Billboards… £9.99 A Missourian mother seeks justice for her murdered daughter. Frances McDormand won an Oscar for this darkly comedic drama. [PODCAST] Plumbing the Death Star FREE Do Transformers tire? Why does Donkey Kong wear a tie? Laugh along with this overanalysis of popular culture. [TV SHOW] Gotham (Season 4) £19.99 While DC films fail to satisfy, this reimagining of the origins of Batman and his foes is enjoyably trashy. It largely works due to great casting.…

When Tim Cook, and others at Apple, say they care about social issues, I believe them. I don’t think it’s just typical Silicon Valley PR, but I can understand why other people would. For a start, we’ve all had a good laugh (cry) at the hollowness of something like Google’s ‘Don’t be evil’ mantra. Second, we know that manufacturing electronics has a shadow cast over it by the use of conflict minerals, regardless of how well intentioned companies are. And third – the thing that vexes me most – surely a company that reportedly has over a quarter of a trillion dollars in cash should really be making more of an impact on these issues. I found myself thinking about these doubts after Apple’s recent education event. The company’s announcements…

PRIZES WORTH OVER £800 Boost your Mac use with a colour-accurate Philips display! If you want a brilliant high-quality display with some well thought-out extras, you’re in luck. That’s because in this issue you can win one of two superb displays from Philips. The 32-inch Philips 328P6AUBREB received five stars and an Editor’s Choice award when we reviewed it last issue, making it one of the best displays we’ve reviewed in recent years. For one thing, we loved its amazing 10-bit display. It covers 99% of the Adobe RGB gamut, so it’s ideal if you need a screen for colour-accurate work. It’s a big display, sitting pretty at 32 inches diagonally, and it has a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels. That gives you plenty of space to have multiple windows side…

Worried your internet connection isn’t delivering the performance you expect? First, install SpeedTest from the App Store (it’s available for Mac, iOS and tvOS) to run a pair of tests that will give your connection’s upload and download speeds. It’s worth trying this at different times of day to see if performance changes – for example, when more households are connected in the evening. You can check your current local network speed by opening Network Utility (type its name in Spotlight) and switching to its Info tab. Select ‘Ethernet (en0)’ for your wired connection – the link speed should be 1Gbit/s; if not, check the cables and verify your router supports a fast Gigabit Ethernet connection. Select ‘Wi-Fi (en1)’ to check your wireless connection. Here, a strong signal should deliver…

Save energy by turning off your router A modem-router is designed to be left on 24/7. Switching yours off may save a small amount of power, but when you switch it back on it will take time to renegotiate your download and upload speeds. Leave it on for fast, stable performance. Hide your network’s SSID It’s said disabling the broadcast of the SSID (the network’s name) can help to secure your network, but network traffic can still be revealed with software that detects it. Enable MAC address filtering on your network It also seems a good idea to restrict access to your network to known devices, identified by their MAC addresses. But hackers can easily scan for and ‘spoof’ them. All free Wi-Fi hotspots are dangerous Not true. The key…

NEW IDEAS Your in-depth guide to getting more from your Apple kit USE ICLOUD TO SHARE FILES P48 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…

IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to build up washes of colour and detail by applying brush tips to layer masks YOU’LL NEED Adobe Photoshop CC and a colourful photo Photoshop’s Filter Gallery is packed full of filters designed to mimic artistic paint effects, such as the Watercolor filter. You can modify filter properties, but your digital art will still look like it has been created by a filter, rather than by an artist’s manually placed brush strokes. Here, we’ll show you how to create a unique hand-painted effect. By placing semi-transparent brush strokes on a layer mask you can gently reveal a photograph’s colours and tones as washes of colour. When brush strokes overlap they create stronger colours and reveal more detail from the original photo.…

IT WILL TAKE 5 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to use WhatTheFont to figure out the fonts used in any artwork YOU’LL NEED iOS 10 or later, WhatTheFont Whether you’re a jobbing designer, someone who enjoys working on flyers for a local club, or just a typography aficionado, you may at times spot a font you desperately want to identify. If you’re armed with an iOS device, WhatTheFont (free, App Store) can help. As shown in the walkthrough, this app can figure out where text is within an image, and will analyse the typeface of a word to provide you with a list of possible font matches. But it also has features we didn’t have room for in the steps below. First, you don’t have to shoot a photo –…

iOS software quick-fire questions What’s best to free up storage on my iPhone? In Settings > General > iPhone/iPad Storage there’s a detailed breakdown of how space is being used, listed by purpose. Below that, iOS may list recommended actions you can take, each with an estimate of the amount of space it could save. Offloading unused apps – a new capability in iOS 11 that enables you to remove an app but keep its docs and data on your device – and making use of iCloud Photo Library are usually the best options. How can I customise my iPhone’s keyboard? Two popular apps are SwiftKey, which offers in-app purchases, and Google’s Gboard, which is free but encourages you to use Google Search and to provide usage data. Both have…

Browsing the web may seem simple, but you can do so much more with the help of a few handy extensions and web apps. With a couple of clicks, you can soup up Safari and do things that weren’t possible before. You can install extensions that cover all manner of tasks, from improving your reading experience and saving interesting web content to improving your productivity and keeping you safe and secure. Even better, you don’t have to pay a penny for the privilege, as Safari extensions are free to install from Apple’s website. And that’s not to mention web apps, which are a great way to work with your colleagues or family right from your browser. You can even use them to play games and revisit old versions of the…

Shoptagr bit.ly/shptgr If you want to make a shortlist of ideas before you buy, try Shoptagr. It lets you tag products, tells you when prices fall, and you can access it across devices. Parcel bit.ly/prcltbs Instead of having a million shopping sites open, Parcel can consolidate them into one tab. You can then sort them into categories and track budgets, too. Honey bit.ly/hnycpns Honey automatically applies coupons when you go to buy something, shows you the cheapest seller on Amazon, and gives you cashback on things you buy. Genius tip! After using a site’s own search bar, you can search that site more quickly. Type its name and keywords, then use the shortcut in Safari’s suggestions.…

LIVE SMARTER The smart home is here – live the Apple dream today! They say the British are a nation of gardeners, and there’s plenty of smart tech that can help you care for your garden now that spring is upon us We’ve just been through a pretty long, cold winter with, bizarrely, snow falling as late as Easter in some parts of the country. But now that the sun is finally starting to shine again, it’s time for green-fingered gardeners to roll up their sleeves and tackle a few outdoor chores once more. There’s an increasing range of devices that can help out in the garden these days, such as soil sensors that enable you to monitor the health of your plants and make sure they get plenty of…

From £319 FROM Apple, apple.com/uk FEATURES 9.7-inch, 2048x1536-pixel Retina display, A10 Fusion chip with M10 coprocessor, 32GB or 128GB storage, Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi + mobile connectivity Apple Pencil support works well; for taking notes, it feels responsive and accurate Last year, Apple introduced its most affordable 9.7-inch iPad to date – the £339 fifth generation. It had no bells and absolutely no whistles – its case even copied 2013’s iPad Air, rather than the thinner look of the 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro. But that didn’t matter, because it had a great price, was reliable, had a nice Retina display, and was as fast as you needed. For a family tablet, full of games and apps that make good use of a large screen, it was ideal. A year…

£349 FROM CalDigit, caldigit.com FEATURES 14 expansion ports, up to 85W power to charge MacBook Pro For generosity of ports, CalDigit’s new dock wins by a whisker over the previous best from OWC (MF #321). Here you get 14 ports for connecting peripherals and accessories to your Mac, plus a Thunderbolt 3 port that supplies up to 85W to a MacBook Pro, so it can even charge a 15-inch model. The dock’s front side has the same USB-A and discrete 3.5mm headphone and mic jacks as the non-Plus model, and adds a 5Gbps (USB 3.1 Gen 1) USB-C port and an SDXC card reader. On the back, CalDigit has removed the niche eSATA ports of the previous model and doubled the USB-A ports to four. There are still Gigabit Ethernet,…

The set-up process is something mesh, in general, does well. None of the products tested here are particularly difficult to connect. Some are more involved than others, but the contrast isn’t huge. Linksys’ Velop, for example, is one of the slickest we’ve seen – plug it in, open the app, and it’s all hooked up in a couple of minutes. On the other hand, Google’s initial process can take a while, but adding additional nodes is fuss-free. The Deco, Orbi and Multy X use Bluetooth to create that initial connection, which simplifies things, and BT’s on-disc connection details and coloured LEDs make for a slick setup, though not every initial connection was as trouble-free as it could have been in our testing. The Multy X, in particular, put up a…

Mesh is generally app-controlled, and that gives you access to more than just a few stats. TP-Link’s Deco app gives you an extra layer of network-wide antivirus protection, which may provide some peace of mind, and parental controls are a common feature on everything but the Orbi Pro – though bear in mind that it’s slightly more business-minded than the standard Orbi, which features ‘Circle with Disney’ parental controls, so you can at least get a little deeper with your network traffic control. BT’s Whole Home Wi-Fi app isn’t brilliant, and TP-Link’s effort is a little more confusing than the others, whereas Zyxel’s well-designed app gives good access to its security features. Google and Linksys shine in this department with a pair of excellent apps. Neither provides a huge amount…

£2.99 FROM Nice Boy, jaredsinclair.com/sodes NEEDS iOS 11 or later Simplicity is a laudable goal for an app. And ’sodes is minimalist in its pursuit of podcast purity. The app works well in foregrounding the important things – the podcasts. The app only subscribes to and streams podcasts; there’s no downloading capability, so you need to be happy about it potentially burning through your data allowance or always aware of your nearest Wi-Fi hotspot. Search for a podcast by name or address, then add it to your favourites and stream individual episodes. It’s kept simple, as are the controls, with just play, pause and skip back or forward (by 15 seconds by default, which can be changed in Settings). You can reset your progress in an episode, or mark it…

DESKTOP SPEAKER Kef Egg £350 kef.com With rich, warm sound that works with pretty much any genre, the KEF Egg speakers are ideal partners for your Mac. They support high-quality aptX Bluetooth too, making them perfect for wireless playback. Quirky design, solid build quality and support for external subwoofers makes them a great choice. IN-EAR HEADPHONES Pioneer Rayz Plus £149 pioneerrayz.com If you own an iPhone 7, you’ll know the struggle of trying to listen to music and charge your phone at the same time. These in-ear Lightning headphones solve that, thanks to their built-in charging port. They’ve also got great audio quality, excellent noise cancellation and will pause your tunes when removed from your ears. DASH CAM Transcend DrivePro 230 £150 transcend-info.com Dash cams help record what happens when…

Jo Membery Operations Editor Jo is looking forward to sorting out her home network. Her aim is to eliminate the phrase ‘Mum, the Wi-Fi is so laggy!’ from her life. Alex Blake Commissioning Editor Alex has been on an extended Safari this issue, researching our guide to the many useful (and some outright fun) things you can do in a browser. Paul Blachford Art Editor Paul was intrigued by the new 9.7-inch iPad, due to its Apple Pencil support, until he found out about weaknesses for pro users. Check out our review on page 82 to learn more.…

Log on and see next issue’s big question! twitter.com/macformat facebook.com/macformat Apple hires former Google AI executive In the nascent battle for the smart home, Siri has come under some heavy scrutiny. That could be why Apple has recently hired Google’s former artificial intelligence (AI) chief John Giannandrea. Giannandrea joined Google in 2010 when it purchased Metaweb, where he was Chief Technology Officer. The firm wanted to build a “database of the world’s knowledge”, which has been developed as part of Google’s ability to answer questions posed by its users. He joins Apple to run its ‘machine learning and AI strategy’, including Siri. In an email to Apple employees, Cook said “John shares our commitment to privacy and our thoughtful approach as we make computers even smarter and more personal.”…

With almost every smartphone now looking like an iPhone, Apple needs to differentiate its hardware. According to Bloomberg, the company plans to do that with a curved, gesture-controlled iPhone in the future. The report states that the gesture controls would allow you to move a finger close to the screen (without actually touching it) and still be able to perform some tasks. However, it says that the technology will not be ready for at least two more years. As for the curved screen, it would gradually curve inwards from top to bottom. Samsung has released its own curved phones, although they curve down at the edges. In order to implement this, Apple would use OLED-based displays, which can be curved in ways which LCD tech can’t. The iPhone X is…

For our latest subscription offer see page 36! When the latest round of iPhones debuted with wireless charging, it felt somewhat overdue. After all, wireless charging has exploded in recent years, and is almost old news now. The global wireless charging market has expanded from $1.87 billion in 2014 and is expected to reach $22.25 billion by 2022. Apple’s rivals have seen its potential and have been equipping their phones with wireless charging capabilities for a couple of years. In contrast, Apple feels late to the party. Still, you can see why Apple waited – wireless charging has its drawbacks. It’s fiddly as you need to line your iPhone up correctly on the charging mat. It’s expensive, requiring a compatible iPhone and a charging mat, which will set you back…

SUBSCRIBE TODAY SAVE UP TO 57% TURN TO PAGE 36 “WHAT D’YOU THINK ABOUT EXTERNAL ALEX SAYS…GRAPHICS CARDS ON THE MAC?” ALAN SAYS… Have you seen that Apple at last introduced external graphics card (eGPU) support with the macOS 10.13.4 update?. Yes, it opens up some intriguing possibilities for upgrading your Mac – as long as you have one with Thunderbolt 3. That bodes well. In the past, if you’re serious about games you’ve really had to go down the PC route to keep up with demands. That might not be the case going forward. Speaking of cases, they work out pretty expensive on top of whatever card you pick – about £320 – but the total might be less than buying a brand-new Mac. True – the cost means…

The first place to check your Mac’s connection is System Preferences’ Network pane. Select Ethernet or Wi-Fi, depending on which one you use. If the circle next to it is red (no connection) or yellow (not configured), the pane should provide info on the problem, such as a missing IP address (the set of four numbers that uniquely identify a device) or lack of an internet connection. If that’s not enough to identify the issue, read on. 1 Check for Wi-Fi problems Hold option, click the Wi-Fi menu bar icon and choose Open Wireless Diagnostics. Click Continue to let this tool run a series of tests, then click each result for a detailed description of what it has found. 2 Run connectivity tests Use Spotlight (command+[spacebar]) to open Network Utility.…

802.11 The protocol for transmitting data wirelessly over different frequency bands, including 2.4GHz and 5GHz. The letter(s) after the number indicates a specific standard that determines the frequency, speed and range. The current standard is 802.11ac. DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) A network management tool used by routers to automatically assign unique IP addresses to each device that’s connected to a network. DNS (Domain Name System) This is a naming system that translates user-friendly domain names – such as apple.com – into their actual public IP address (17.178.96.59 in apple.com’s case), making it easier for humans to browse the web. A DNS server supplies this information, acting as a kind of ‘telephone book’ for the internet. IPv4 and IPv6 These are different versions of the Internet Protocol (IP) standard for…

Just how secure is your network? At the very least you should be protecting the Wi-Fi side of things with WPA2-PSK encryption. This is the latest Wi-Fi security measure, scrambling your data and protecting it using a pre-shared key (PSK), which is network speak for a password. But that only scratches the surface of what you need to do. Read on for other tips you should employ to close the door on hackers and other unwanted intruders. Update your router The recent discovery of the KRACK vulnerability has shaken Wi-Fi networking to its core. Familiarise yourself with what it is at krackattacks.com. Step one is to visit your router’s homepage and see if a firmware update has been released that specifically addresses this problem – if you have an AirPort…

With the latest minor updates to its Mac, iPhone, iPad and Watch operating systems, Apple has added brand-new features, and tweaked how some existing ones work. Arguably the most important are changes to the behaviour of AutoFill in Safari, which might at first seem to make the feature less convenient. However, this alteration is all about balancing convenience and data privacy, and has come about as a consequence of some websites and online advertisers abusing features like AutoFill to acquire data through forms before you explicitly submit them. Remember the recent controversy over Apple imposing performance limitations on certain iPhone models when their battery reached a certain condition? (See MF #323.) With the iOS 11.3 update, you gain control over that inhibitor, though by turning it off you run the…

IT WILL TAKE 5 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to override the default apps used for the web, email and files YOU’LL NEED Alternative apps you want to use It’s heresy, we know, but sometimes Apple’s way isn’t the best way for everybody all the time. Your favourite sites may shun Safari, or you might want to sync with web browsers on PCs. You might want features Mail can’t provide, or to match the apps you use on iPhone. Or you might need more PDF power than Preview can provide. The good news is that you can change the default handlers for websites, email and files of all kinds. The bad news is that it isn’t always that obvious how you go about it. We’re here to help. In this…

IT WILL TAKE 10 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to tweak your Move goal, use the Workouts app, and analyse your data YOU’LL NEED An Apple Watch, an iPhone Apple Watch has always been a health and fitness device as much as anything else, but Apple has been careful to make sure that those features were accessible to everyone, not just gym rats or runners. Its status as your healthy conscience starts with the Activity rings – three measurements to keep an eye on, no matter how much you’re into fitness. The Stand goal (blue) is designed to push you into standing up and moving around for at least one minute per hour, and to reach that target 12 times per day. The Exercise goal (green) pushes you to do…

macOS quick-fire questions Why won’t iCloud Drive keep large files on my Mac? It’s due to Optimise Mac Storage in iCloud Drive’s preferences. When turned on, it allows macOS to remove local copies of files stored in iCloud Drive and not used recently, if it needs extra space. Their icons remain in place, and copies of the files are kept on Apple’s server. They will redownload if you try to open them. How can I preview a folder of files? The preview in Finder’s Column view is often too small. Instead, you can select the files to inspect and press the spacebar to open Quick Look; use its buttons or the arrow keys to step through the files. Many common types can be viewed this way due to plugins provided…

Customise Safari’s toolbar You may find that an extension you’ve installed adds a button to Safari’s toolbar. The more buttons are added, the more congested the toolbar can become. There’s a simple fix for that. Choose View > Customise Toolbar to remove or rearrange any button. Also, an extension may provide a toolbar button but not make it visible for you. Use this feature to check what’s available – the toolbar is helpful to ensure you don’t forget about extensions you’ve installed. You can also add buttons for Safari features that aren’t shown by default, such as one for selecting part of a page to keep it visible in Dashboard. The iCloud Tabs button lists tabs left open on your other devices, without having to scroll down to them in…

REUSE OLD KIT Inspiring ideas for revamping old Apple kit Contact us Email your queries and your questions to lovemac@macformat.com Keep up to date by following us on Twitter @macformat Join the conversation at facebook.com/macformat Get the latest subscription offers at macformat.com Sell your vintage Mac My collection of vintage Macs is a source of constant joy to me. The nicest ones are displayed in the sitting room, discretely plugged in so that I can fire them up whenever we have visitors. “Oh, this?” I say insouciantly, “Yeah, that’s a working PowerBook 520. Everything on that shelf above it is older than the web.” But don’t confuse my pride with avarice; I am not a hoarder. To prove this (to my wife, mainly), I am pruning my stock of classic…

ISSUE 325 MAY 2018 Genius Guide: Fix High Sierra Tested: Apple Watch vs fitness rivals Save money on your next Mac Reviewed: iMac Pro ISSUE 324 APRIL 2018 Detox and back up special Boost mobile devices’ battery life Reviewed: Apple’s HomePod speaker Rated: pro-quality camera apps ISSUE 323 MARCH 2018 Insider interview: Apple’s Phil Schiller 67 tips to make great iWork docs Discover the benefits of adding an SSD Rated: the best painting apps for iPad To order back issues of the print magazine, go to bit.ly/macformat_back or phone +44 (0)844 848 2852 and we’ll post them out to you Download back issues onto your iOS device at any time and keep them forever in your personal library. bit.ly/macformatipad NEVER MISS AN ISSUE! SUBSC RIBE TODAY IN PRINT & ON…

£179.99 FROM Asus, asus.com/uk NEEDS 802.11ac Wi-Fi (up to 1,734Mbps), Gigabit Ethernet, Asus AiProtection device security, parental controls, file and print server Well, we have to wonder: did the name come first, or did the design follow? Did one of the hardware engineers at Asus wake up from a surreal dream? One thing’s for sure, Blue Cave, with its toroidal cavern gouged through the middle, is pretty unique-looking for a router. As far as we can tell, there’s no practical reason for this design, but it certainly gives Blue Cave a visual edge over its competitors. Around the back, the design isn’t as radical. There’s a Gigabit Ethernet port to hook up to your modem, four Gigabit ports for other connected devices, and a USB 3.0 (Type A) port for…

£229.99 FROM Panasonic, panasonic.com FEATURES Bluetooth, Google Assistant, multiroom support Panasonic’s SC-GA10 could be a game-changer: this Google Assistant-based wireless speaker can not only hold a tune like more traditional Bluetooth speakers, it sounds better than some of them. With Chromecast built in, the speaker can receive audio directly from apps like Deezer, TuneIn, Google Play and Spotify. The GA10 can also merge into a wider Chromecast multiroom speaker network. The speaker’s finish, from metallic base to fabric cover, is reassuringly premium. It’s also surprisingly big for a desktop speaker. It stands at 284mm tall and weighs 1.7kg. And that’s without the external power brick. This is essentially a wireless speaker, but you also get a 3.5mm stereo input jack, and there’s Bluetooth, which may occasionally be more convenient than…

MESH NETWORKS ON TEST… BT Whole Home Wi-Fi £189 Google Wifi £329 Linksys Velop £399.95 Netgear Orbi Pro £479.99 TP-Link Deco M5 £229.99 Zyxel Multy X £249 There’s no question about it: mesh networks are hot right now. It’s not just marketing hype – though their manufacturers no doubt love the fact that they can charge a little more for home networking hardware. It’s a real change in the way networking operates that makes a massive difference to coverage and speed. Mesh networking is a fairly simple concept. Rather than relying on a central router, which can be difficult to extend, mesh uses individual nodes, each of which shares a signal with the others through what’s called a backhaul channel. Add a new node to your mesh network, and it…

Power, in mesh, is a little relative – when you’re distributing the load, you don’t really need a lot of individual muscle. So while Google’s AC1200 radios might look ‘weak’ when compared to the AC3000 combos of the Multy and Orbi nodes, there’s not a huge speed difference, even when loading up the network with a couple of 4K streams. Google’s programming and load balancing are top-notch, but the power dip translates into a slight lack of reach. BT’s many communications channels – the setup uses a 4x4 MIMO radio combo – means it blazes along even without its own dedicated backhaul; Zyxel’s nine-antenna, dedicated backhaul setup gives the Multy X impeccable performance and reach; and Velop flies when talking to the wireless card of a modern Mac. Even the…

Linksys’ Velop is, as far as we’re concerned, the top home mesh network on the market today – it’s no wonder Apple has started selling it through its own storefront. The individual nodes are elegant and don’t take too much surface space, the setup process is flawless, and the app, despite offering relatively few controls, is perfect for what Velop aims to achieve: utter simplicity. It also manages to top the rest of the networks on offer, bar the business-class Orbi Pro, in terms of range and power, coping with whatever we could throw at it. That’s not to say Velop is without its flaws. Its relative lack of Ethernet ports could be a curse if you’d rather keep your smart home bridges in one place, although a cheap Ethernet…

Apple Pencil The 9.7-inch iPad now supports Apple Pencil. Setting up a Pencil is as simple as connecting it to an iPad or iPad Pro’s Lightning port and tapping Pair on the screen. There are many built-in apps that make use of Apple Pencil, including Pages, Numbers and Keynote, as well as the Notes app, where you can annotate, mark up and create handwritten notes. Apple Pencil is an extra cost on top of an iPad, but its functionality is a bonus if you prefer using a traditional pen-and-paper approach to jotting down notes, or if you’re an aspiring digital artist and want to create natural and expressive artwork without having to make the jump to the more costly iPad Pro. You can even operate the iPad using Apple Pencil,…

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! WRITING APP (MAC) Scrivener About £34 literatureandlatte.com It’s not often that a sequel is even better than its predecessor, but Scrivener 3 is a great example. Version 2 was already good, winning MF319’s group test, but version 3 adds so much. Its revamped interface is hugely customisable, its templates are fantastic, managing footnotes is a…

GET ON INSTAGRAM Share your images with us by using the hashtag #MacFormat and we’ll print the best here in the magazine. While you’re there, follow @MacFormat (Twitter) and @MacFormatUK (Instagram). Goodbye winter, Hello, summer We’re all in the midst of dreaming of summer holidays, or at least planning a break from the office. But we won’t be able to officially move on into summer until we can bid a proper farewell to the most crazy winter/spring we’ve seen in a long time. We had a few snow days here in Bath – team member Jo even got snowed up in Teignmouth! So thanks to trothwyr from Wales for capturing the cold snap with this lovely ‘white blanket’ scene! Share your pics with us using the hashtag #MacFormat on Instagram.…

Apple has made some great apps over the years, but not all of them have survived into the modern era. Some apps were great ideas at the time, but soon became outdated, while others got superceded by even more impressive replacements. Here’s a rundown of the most notable apps from Apple that are no longer with us. SuperDrives into the sunset You could argue that Apple ditched optical media too soon, given that many people still watch movies on Blu-ray and now Ultra HD (4K) Blu-ray discs. It bit the bullet a long time ago when it came to its tools for creating video discs, releasing the final versions of DVD Studio Pro and iDVD in 2009 and 2011, respectively. Neither app gained Blu-ray support, and the Mac soon ditched…