MacLife

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What’s the most useful feature or tip in the latest version of macOS or iOS/iPadOS that you’ve come across? It’s a small thing really, but for me being able to place Widgets onto the iOS Home Screen was a real gamechanger when it came out in iOS 14 (

THERE IS A long history of mid–range Macs being a slightly awkward thing to buy. Back in the day, plenty of people bought the lowest–end Power Mac not because of all the creative juice behind it, but simply because it gave them the best balance of pr

I was really surprised by your group test of “Noise Canceling Over–Ear Headphones” in the May 2022 issue. You did not include the Bose Quiet Comfort 45 noise–canceling headphones in the review. I was interested to see how they compared to the other p

APPLE HAS OFFICIALLY discontinued the iPod, and the last of the line, the iPod touch, is now reported to be sold out in the US. However, we can take our music and other media with us on more devices than ever before, and Apple is bringing new feature

$TBC From dyson.com Air pollution is a real problem, with harmful gases and particulate matter clogging up lungs in cities the world over. Dyson thinks it knows how to fix it, though, and its answer is the Zone. This quirky–looking device combines a

SINCE WE CLAPPED eyes on and fell in love with our very first Macs, we’ve been blown away not just by their performance or their power, as impressive as they are, but by the possibilities they offer. Where else can a single device be an artist’s sket

literatureandlatte.com, ulysses.app Whether it’s your debut novel or 1 a dissertation, if you’re planning a huge writing project then apps such as Scrivener ($19.99) or Ulysses (Free, offers IAPs) can help. They’re both described as writing environme

fender.com, gibson.com Fancy being a guitar hero? Guitar makers Fender and Gibson both offer apps that’ll teach you to play like legends, and both have free trials — 7 days in the case of Fender and 14 for Gibson. They’re both brilliant apps for teac

Apple’s augmented reality (AR) tech is really amazing, especially on more recent iPhones. By overlaying graphics over real–time images from your phone’s camera you can do everything from virtually trying out furniture to playing video games, and the

Safari Extensions and content blockers can completely transform your online experience. Vinegar ($1.99) strips the ads from YouTube and gives you more control over how videos play. Adblock Plus (Free) gets rid of pop–ups and other irritations, Social

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THERE ARE NOW four different iPad models available, ranging from the 8.3–inch iPad mini to the 12.9–inch iPad Pro. So the first thing to do when buying a new iPad is simply to decide on the screen size that you need. The iPad mini’s compact design is

When the iPad first launched in 2011, it was very much intended as a device for entertainment, rather than work, with a focus on web browsing, music, video and FaceTime. More recently, Apple has attempted to position the iPad — especially the iPad Pr

THE CPU — CENTRAL processing unit — is the heart of any computing device, providing the speed and power that it needs to perform a variety of tasks. For many years, the iPad was limited in power compared to the various desktop and laptop Macs, as the

The LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor used by the rear cameras of the iPad Pro and recent iPhones is a key part of Apple’s grand plans for the future of AR and VR technology. The LiDAR sensor helps to improve camera performance in low–light

As well as updating the iPad’s front camera to significantly improve the quality of video calls, the current iPad range can all use Apple’s brilliant Center Stage feature too. Center Stage uses machine learning technology to automatically pan the cam

AS WE’VE MENTIONED, the iPad is a tremendously versatile device, but most iPad owners still need to buy an assortment of cables and adaptors in order to connect the iPad to other non–Apple devices. Apple makes its own range of cables and adaptors, wi

Folio Cases are one of the most popular purchases for any owner of a new iPad, providing wrap–around protection for both the back panel and the front screen. Apple has two options; the basic Smart Cover ($39), or the Smart Keyboard Folio with built–i

APPLE CAN BE really annoying at times. The iPad, iPad mini, and iPad Air all start with just 64GB of built–in storage — which really isn’t enough. This means you’re pretty much forced to pay around $150 to upgrade to 256GB. However, that’s the maximu

MOST iPAD MODELS now support the latest Wi–Fi 6 standard, with only the entry–level iPad still using the older Wi-Fi 5 (formerly known as 802.11ac). However, cellular broadband is an optional extra that costs $150-$200, depending on which model you’r

Sony remains a respected force in photography and videography, with its latest full–frame mirrorless in the Alpha A7 IV building on its Mark III predecessor from three years ago and reaffirming the seriousness of its maker’s intent. At the heart of t

JBL’s Flip 6 is designed to be taken anywhere including to the beach or the pool, with an IP67 water and dust–proof rating that means it can be immersed in water up to 3 feet with no ill effects. It charges over USB–C and a cable is provided in the b

$99.99 From hyperxgaming.com Features Tap–to–Mute sensor, boom arm and mic stand threading The HyperX SoloCast is an inexpensive way to upgrade the way you sound in meetings or on your Discord channel. It’s compact enough to place anywhere, and it ca

$159.97 From treblab.com Features ANC, touch control, ear detection These active noise–canceling (ANC) headphones offer the latest in over–ear headphone technology — responsive touch controls, auto–pause through on–ear detection, awareness mode, and

There’s no shortage of docks available these days, although choosing the right one can be difficult as they all tend to offer different combinations of ports and connectors. That’s not a problem with Belkin’s new Connect Pro Thunderbolt 4 Dock, which

There are currently three models in the Garmin Dash range that look almost identical, yet span a price range of $170 to $260. With 180-degree FOV and Vault storage, Garmin’s new cloud storage solution, this is the latest flagship 67W. Compact, matchb

Lots of things end up on your doorstep these days: friends, neighbors, strangers, packages and the porch pirates who like to steal them. So, it makes sense to keep a close eye on what goes on out there. That’s the point of the new Eufy Video Doorbell

The iMac — new or old — can only be adjusted for tilt, but what if you want to raise the height of your screen to suit your head height? By adjusting the height of your screen’s display, you’ll hugely improve your ergonomics, so it’s clearly somethin

Anker has used Lithium batteries in its 521 power station to create the most portable model in its series. At just under 10lb in weight, it nonetheless has a cell capacity of 256Wh and is convenient enough to take on a trip without it feeling like to

Satechi’s latest slim Bluetooth keyboard with numerical keypad costs quite a bit less than Apple’s Magic Keyboard while on paper at least, having more features. Weighing just 0.97lb, it’s well–built from aluminium and feels sturdy, shipping with a US

PICKING A MONITOR to compliment your Mac or MacBook is incredibly important. You may be spending hours in front of it, so you want something that offers bright colors without causing eyestrain, while high resolutions and larger screen sizes can give

THE DELL C1422H is our pick for the best monitor under $350, as it’s ideal for quickly adding a second screen to your MacBook. The 14–inch screen size is certainly small, but it means this monitor can be carried around with you, and as it’s powered b

Free (IAPs), $11.99 for the full unlocked Pro Pack From creaceed.com Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 14.3 or later Your iPhone’s Camera app is designed to automatically capture true colors and tonal detail in a scene. However, you may wan

$42 From noodlesoft.com Needs macOS 10.13 or later If you’ve ever used macOS’ Folder Actions to run AppleScripts on files that are put in a folder, you’ll know how useful they can be. You’ll also know that the pre–created scripts are very limited and

$39.99/year or $59.99 lifetime From filmora.wondershare.com Needs macOS 10.14 or later Filmora from Wondershare positions itself as an “alternative to iMovie,” and it’s obviously designed with novices in mind. If you perform any action for the first

$14.99 From monolithofminds.com Needs OS X 10.10 or later Lila’s Sky Ark is a psychedelic pixel art adventure where your protagonist, Lila, has to… well, that’s not immediately clear at the start. You run around the brightly colored world, throwing o

Free (IAPs) From notsobig.company Made for iPhone, iPad Needs iOS 15 or later Email newsletters are back. One of the earliest forms of online marketing has been transformed into a publishing model in its own right. Big News seeks to capitalize on tha

$5.99 From glitch.games Made for Mac, iPhone, iPad Needs OS X 10.9 or later, iOS/iPadOS 8.0 or later Another Tomorrow is a point–and–click puzzler that sets you on the trail of a murderer who killed your pregnant wife in a drunken hit–and–run inciden

SHORTCUTS STARTED LIFE as a way to automate tasks on iOS. So, you could, for example, create a shortcut that played the latest episode of your favorite podcast in the Podcasts app and trigger it by activating Siri and saying the podcast name, or by t

ONCE YOU’VE MASTERED the basics of choosing shortcuts from the Gallery, running them, creating your own and sharing with others, you’re ready to dig deeper. The shortcuts we’ve discussed so far are simple, with only a few actions and limited inputs.

CREATING YOUR OWN Shortcuts if you’re starting from scratch can be quite daunting. So Apple has a Gallery of pre–cooked Shortcuts in the app. All you have to do is decide which ones you want to use and how you want to activate them. Once you’ve got u

Although Apple doesn’t provide any explanation, this figure seems to derive from what’s known as active residency, the percentage of processor cycles that each core in the CPU is processing instructions rather than being idle. The number shown is the

Apple silicon models come with special high-speed memory mounted in the M1 chip carrier which can’t be upgraded or replaced, and their internal storage is soldered in, again for performance and security. While you can always add external storage, it’

Is there a reliable way to check whether my Mac’s internal SSD is wearing out? Although macOS does monitor the condition of internal storage using SMART status indicators, the most information it gives about this is in Disk Utility, where it simply r

As your Mac is still supported by Apple, you should be able to obtain a replacement Fusion Drive, although that will need to be fitted by an Authorised Service Provider, and will possibly cost close to the resale value of the Mac. A better option, av

Normally, when an app opens a document, details of that are recorded by Launch Services, part of macOS which operates many of the features associated with the Finder and common human interface. Launch Services adds that to the list of documents opene

This is a feature in Skype sometimes referred to as Integrated Calling, in which the Skype app diverts calls which you had intended to go through FaceTime. It has long troubled iPhone users; it can now be disabled on iOS/iPadOS devices. On the Mac, i

WITH SO MANY apps loaded on to our devices, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the sheer number of notifications fighting for our attention. That’s particularly true on the Mac, a device where so many of us complete our daily work — and where we reall

THE HUMBLE LINK has lots of different uses, and they are employed to great effect in Apple’s Pages, Numbers, and Keynote applications. You can use them for tasks as simple as directing your reader to a web page or opening an email with the address fi

This is probably because you inadvertently installed Setapp, which is a subscription service to those apps. If you can find the Setapp app in your Applications folder, open it and use its Uninstall command in the Help menu to remove it and installed

PRIVACY HAS BEEN at the heart of many of Apple’s new features and improvements in macOS in recent years. And nowhere is this more evident than in Safari. Whether it’s preventing you from being tracked by cross–site cookies as you browse, or displayin

THE MAC’S PREVIEW APP has evolved into a very useful tool for viewing, editing, converting, and annotating images and PDF documents. In fact, if you need to quickly resize an image, change its format, or add a comment or visual note to it, there are

FIND OUT ABOUT THE LATEST FEATURES IN iOS AND iPADOS 15 iOS AND iPADOS 15.4 were significant updates that introduced a host of new features. Among them are Face ID while wearing a mask, Tap to Pay on iPhone, improved SharePlay integration, Shortcuts

MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY ENABLES you to capture a close encounter with a wide range of objects. With the release of the iPhone 13 Pro range (and iOS 15.2), you can snap details that aren’t easily visible to the naked eye — such as a pollinating bee’s probos

THE WORLD IS full of complex scientific problems, with even more thrown into the mix thanks to Covid. Even at the planet’s foremost research facilities, the process of solving these issues can be slow, and helping out can obviously seem like an impos

EVER SINCE iOS 14 brought widgets to the iPhone and iPad, people have been looking for ways to spruce up their Home Screens with fresh new looks. With the Themify app (free, with IAPs) close at hand, that’s easier and quicker than ever before. In thi

The Magic Trackpad doesn’t have any buttons or moving parts, but you can still feel — and hear — the trackpad ‘click’ when you press it. This technology is known as haptic feedback, and it enables devices such as trackpads to create the sensation of

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TAP TO PAY ARRIVES? We reported in Mac|Life #192 that Apple has announced Tap to Pay on iPhone, which makes it possible to accept Apple Pay and contactless card payments on an iPhone with no additional hardware required. A video shared on Twitter sho