Inhaltsverzeichnis für October 2016 in Macworld UK

Almost two years after the Apple Watch was first unveiled in 2014, Apple has finally pulled the curtain back on its second-generation smartwatch. The Apple Watch Series 2 with dual-core, a brighter display, swim-proof capabilities and built-in GPS was unveiled during Apple’s event. This new model has a redesigned speaker to make it water-resistant down to 50m. Other than that, this updated smartwatch looks near-identical to the first Apple Watch, now known as Apple Watch Series 1, which was only splash-proof. Even though the Apple Watch Series 2 boasts a built-in GPS, it lacks cellular connectivity. This means that you will still need an iPhone nearby for your Series 2 to perform data-heavy operations. The Apple Watch Series 2 comes in conjunction with watchOS 3, which Apple first unveiled this…

Apple’s tax benefits in Ireland are illegal, and the company will have to pay up to €13 billion (£11 billion) in back taxes, plus interest. That’s the verdict European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager delivered recently, wrapping up a two-year investigation of the company’s tax affairs stretching back to 2003. The investigation found that Apple’s effective tax rate on profit reported in Ireland was just €500 per million euros in profit, falling to €50 per million in 2014. “I would have a feeling if my effective tax rate were 0.05 percent, falling to 0.005 percent. I would feel that maybe I should have another look at my tax bill,” said. The Commission looked into tax rulings granted by the Irish government to two Apple subsidiaries, Apple Operations Europe, which makes some Apple…

When it comes to technology, the word ‘server’ might bring to mind, for some, a warehouse-sized room not unlike the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark, but with fewer crates and more racks of computers. For others it might be the cause of sweaty palms and glazed-over eyes. But servers don’t need to be mysterious or scary – after all, a server is just a computer that serves up information (and/or services) that can be accessed by other computers. Sure, it can get more complex than that, but it can also be a fairly simple and invaluable tool. I run a Mac mini server on my home network for a handful of reasons that are mundane, but all of which help at least provide some peace of mind, especially…

Use iCloud Photo Library selectively Q: How do I take pictures off iCloud, but not have them deleted from my iMac, iPhone, and iPad? My iCloud is full, and I want to clear it up by taking the photos off. Brenda Best A: In the past, I’ve said, “Sorry, it’s all or nothing.” Once you opt in to iCloud Photo Library, all of your images are synced across all devices that use the same iCloud login and have iCloud Photo Library enabled, and the full-resolution versions of images and videos have to be stored in your iCloud account. But I was being a little too restrictive in my thinking. There are ways around this situation, neither of which is ideal, but neither is completely a pain, either. Use a separate…

Plenty has been said about how the Apple Watch changes the way we do everything from working out to making purchases. What’s been glossed over is that it’s also ideal for interacting with our homes. Tapping, pressing, swiping and glancing make for a fluid way to access and control smart-home products. And it’s always on your wrist, so you don’t have to dig for it in your pockets when you need to dim the lights or take a peek at the security cameras. Apps abound for connecting with and controlling smart-home appliances. Here are our favourites. Huemote Price: Free A must for Philips Hue users, this third-party app gives you complete remote control of the energy-efficient lighting system. Huemote goes beyond the basic functions of Philips’ official Hue app, enabling…

A reader recently wrote in suspecting that malware had infiltrated his iPhone: “While running a battery app on my iPhone 6, it showed an invisible Chinese program running.” After some back and forth and a bit of research, I found that the free app he’s using, Battery Doctor, doesn’t have a useful purpose and doesn’t offer accurate information. The app claims that it can help with battery management and usage, including providing per-app details about power consumption, and helping prevent an overcharge of an iOS device’s lithium-ion battery. All nonsense. As one of the many techniques it employs to reduce spying and malware, Apple doesn’t expose much information to third-party apps about what’s going on in iOS. I’m unclear why Battery Doctor’s makers released this app and apparently continue to…

The most innovative product Apple released this week isn’t the one people are going to rush out to buy. Sure, the iPhone 7 has snazzy new cameras and Apple Watch has learned a whole new fitness regimen, but the biggest new product unveiled this week is actually the one small enough to get lost in your pocket. Despite the quirky design that makes it look like your ears are smoking mini e-cigs, AirPods are unmistakably an Apple product. It may look like Jony Ive merely severed the cord on a pair of EarPods, but the tiny buds are packed with cutting-edge features. From how they pair to the smart way they handle your tunes, Apple’s first crack at wireless headphones are as much about showcasing new tech as it is…

Anew version of Pokémon GO is coming to the Apple Watch, together with a new feature that better tracks how far you need to walk before your Pokémon ‘eggs’ hatch within the game. It will ship before the end of the year, John Hanke, the chief executive of Pokémon GO developer Niantic Labs, said at Apple’s iPhone 7 launch event in San Francisco. The mobile game for iOS and Android, has been downloaded over 500 million times worldwide, Hanke said. The game uses augmented reality to help players discover Pokémon in the wild, allowing users to ‘see’ Pokémon superimposed over real-world objects. According to the chief executive of Niantic Labs, Pokémon GO is coming to the Apple’s smartwatch, along with a new feature: better egg tracking. One of the features…

From £369 inc VAT • apple.com/uk It’s really hard to tell the difference between the new Apple Watch Series 2 models and the originals – the aluminium and steel versions anyway – until you place them side by side. The Series 2 models are ever so slightly thicker than their predecessors. Just a hair, not enough to even complain about, really, and it’s certainly not a deal-breaker. But from Apple, a company with a track record of sacrificing ports and redesigning keyboards in order to make its products thinner and thinner and thinner, the Apple Watch’s extra bulk is a sign that the company is still adding hardware features to find the best mix. In this case, GPS. What remains to be seen – and isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer anyhow…

Learning to code isn’t supposed to be this fun. Apple’s new Swift Playgrounds app for iPads running iOS 10 is aimed at teaching the Swift programming language to children from the age of 10 and adults, no coding experience necessary. But it feels like a puzzle game – one that just happens to be solved with commands and functions and For loops, instead of with a catapult full of birds. And I’m totally hooked. In fact, Swift Playgrounds is my favourite thing to come out of this year’s WWDC by far, and I think it’s going to be one of the highlights of iOS 10 when it’s released. You can try out the free Swift Playgrounds app today by putting the iOS 10 public beta on a compatible iPad (fourth-generation…

Autumn is here, which could mean less fun in the sun, and more fun in front of your Mac. Luckily, there’s always something new to play in the world of Mac gaming, and we’ve got a fresh batch of recent releases worth checking out. Thrilling action-adventure game Shadow Complex Remastered and space strategy affair Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars are perhaps the biggest Mac releases, but don’t overlook indie gems like Reigns and Pan-Pan in the bunch. 1. Shadow Complex Remastered We’re accustomed to waiting for some games to hit the Mac, but really, seven years is a long time. Still, Shadow Complex Remastered (£10.99 from the Mac App Store) was thankfully worth the wait, as it delivers the best modern take on Nintendo’s classic Super Metroid-style 2D adventure…

Two months ago, I promised myself that I would learn another language. So, I spent hours researching different iOS apps, both free and paid, before deciding on three to take for a spin: Duolingo, which is free to use, plus Babbel and Rosetta Stone, both of which come with a brief trial period, but require a monthly subscription thereafter. I dedicated myself to using each app for 20 minutes a day, on my iPhone or iPad, for two months, with the intention of uncovering which one I liked the most… or at the very least, which one ticked me off the least. Honourable Mention: Babbel Price: £7.99 for one-month subscription Initially, Babbel (babbel.com/mobile) sounded great: a language-learning app that teaches you between 2,000 to 3,000 words for each language it…

The equally vaunted and ridiculed blue checkmarks on Twitter are no longer exclusive to elites or those with connections who have an ‘in’ at Twitter. The company has opened the verified account designation up to all users and put some rules in place for consideration. Many of Twitter’s 310 million monthly active users don’t qualify for verification, but the firm is opening the secretive and invite-only process up to anyone. Accounts of public interest, particularly those maintained by individuals and organisations in “music, acting, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, business, and other key interest areas” are all up for consideration, according to Twitter. “We hope opening up this application process results in more people finding great, high-quality accounts to follow, and for these creators and influencers to connect…

Apple will try to ease the pain of killing the headphone jack in the iPhone 7, shipping the new smartphone with Lightning-enabled EarPods and an analogue adaptor. “The reason to move on... it really comes down to one word: Courage,” Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller said during the company’s September news event. Schiller explained that abandoning the analogue headphone jack allows Apple to make room for various other technological improvements, such as brighter displays, faster processors, and the iPhone 7’s stereo speakers. The Lightning connection also allows for new headphone features, he said, including adaptive noise cancellation and higher-quality audio without an external power source. Actually Bluetooth Buds While Apple made no explicit mention of Bluetooth when announcing its new AirPods, or any sort of compatibility…

A popular BitTorrent client called Transmission has again been found distributing Mac-based malware, months after it was used to spread a strand of ransomware. Researchers at security firm ESET have been following a malware called OSX/Keydnap, which can steal passwords, and noticed that it was spreading through Transmission’s official site. Somehow, a version of the BitTorrent client containing the malware had been recently made available on the site, ESET said in a recent blog post. Transmission has already removed the download, but users who downloaded the client at the end of August should check for signs that their Mac has been comprised. In addition to stealing credentials, the malware functions as a backdoor program that can allow the hacker to execute remote commands on the Mac, including file downloads. ESET…

If you use a Mac or an iOS device, you may know about AirPlay, Apple’s streaming protocol that can send audio and/or video to a variety of devices. Initially launched in 2004 as AirTunes, for audio only from iTunes to Apple devices, AirPlay is now supported by speakers, amplifiers, receivers, and more, from dozens of brands. While you don’t have many options with AirPlay Mirroring (streaming both audio and video; you can do this from a Mac or iOS device to an Apple TV), using AirPlay with music is incredibly flexible. There are ways to use AirPlay you may never have thought of. Here’s an overview of some of the ways you can send music throughout your house using AirPlay. Pick a speaker When you’re playing music from iTunes, you…

£22.99 from the Mac App Store • pixelmator.com As you start moving beyond the basics of editing images – past general exposure and colour adjustments – you’ll discover a semisecret truth: a lot of your time is spent selecting specific areas for editing. Making a foreground object brighter, for instance, can reveal a halo if the selection doesn’t match well with the object. Selections have traditionally been a strength of Adobe Photoshop, but the granddaddy editor is overkill for many people who don’t need its extensive feature set, or don’t want to pay a Creative Cloud subscription fee (which starts at £6.98 a month with an annual plan, and can cost up to £69.72 per month for the full CC suite). Instead, Pixelmator 3.5 Canyon (pixelmator.com/mac) has been a popular…

There’s nothing like a late-night chapter of a Kindle book to put me right to sleep, but the glow of my iPhone’s screen tends to keep my wife awake – and if a jarring iOS notification sounds or buzzes, well, that doesn’t help her sleep. While the new Night Shift mode (which finally works even when iOS’s low-power mode is enabled) will supposedly help you sleep by filtering out the brightest colours from your iPhone or iPad’s display, it won’t do much good for a bedfellow who sleeps best in total darkness and silence. I’ve collected a quartet of tips that’ll take Night Shift one step further by dimming your iPhone or iPad screen as much as possible while you read, as well as silencing any intrusive alerts or buzzes.…

The other day a coworker needed to borrow a Mac, so I grabbed an older MacBook Air from storage. I decided to wipe out the laptop’s flash storage and install a fresh version of OS X. I created a bootable USB flash drive installer, plugged it into the laptop, pressed the Option key as the machine booted, and then selected the USB drive as the boot disk. I then ran Disk Utility to reformat the drive and ran the OS X installer. It looked like things were moving along, until an error message appeared. I therefore created another boot disk using a different storage drive, in case it was a hardware problem, though I got the same error. I figured that the laptop being in storage for a while could…