Indice dei contenuti per August 2021 in Macworld UK

Following a court decision that could see the company pay as much as $7 billion (around £5bn) to use a patent covering technology in the iPhone, Apple has threatened to leave the UK market, according to the financial site This Is Money. Should this happen, sales of the iPhone in the UK would cease and there would be wider restrictions on Apple’s services and products. Optis Cellular Technology is suing Apple for infringing its patents after Apple refused to pay licence fees for using what it regarded as ‘standardized’ technology in its products. In June, a High Court judge ruled that Apple had infringed two Optis patents, covering technology which helps iPhones connect to 3G and 4G networks. The fees Apple would have to pay for the patents has not…

As you are no doubt aware, there are a bunch of new betas available for your Apple devices. At any given time, Apple has betas of iOS, iPadOS and macOS, along with tvOS and watchOS – and you don’t need to be a developer to try them out. So you probably have questions such as why you would want them, how to get them on your devices, and, above all, should you download them at all. In this article we’ll tell you everything you need to know. AVAILABLE BETAS At the moment, Apple is offering two versions of each OS, the latest version of the current OS and a preview of the next one: iOS 14.7 and iOS 15. iPadOS 14.7 and iPadOS 15. macOS 11.4 Big Sur and macOS…

The 24in iMac was released not too long ago, but we’re still waiting for its bigger, faster sibling to replace the current Intel-based 27in iMac. Bloomberg reported in May that Apple had put the larger iMac aside to focus on the 24in iMac’s launch, but since that Mac is now available, the rumour mill for the larger iMac should start. SIZES, DESIGN AND COLOURS In January, Bloomberg reported that Apple planned on replacing both the Intel-based 21.5in and 27in iMacs with new machines that feature a new design and Apple’s M1 system on a chip (SoC). Apple introduced the first Apple silicon-based redesigned allin-one with the 24in iMac with a new design that shortens the chin, trims the bezels, and shrinks the enclosure down to an impressive 11.5mm. As for…

It’s hard not to look at the new 24in iMac, which I’ve been using for the past week, and not feel at least a little pang of nostalgia for the original iMac. Introduced in 1998, not only did the iMac G3 save Apple, it injected a blast of colour into the beige world of personal computers. That sense of nostalgia lessened when I picked up the new 24in iMac and carried it around my house. (The original iMac weighed about four times the new model.) And yet, for all that has changed over the past 23 years, you’d be surprised about some of the similarities between the original iMac and these new models. It’s not all about the colour. But let me be clear: a lot of it is about…

You already know your Apple Watch has awesome health and fitness features, but you might not know that it can also help you use and control your Mac. From unlocking to controlling apps and music, you can enlist the aid of your watch when your mouse isn’t within reach. 1. UNLOCK YOUR MAC To unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch, your devices must meet certain hardware and software requirements. To check whether your system is compatible, hold down the Option key, click the Apple menu icon in the top left corner, and select System Information. Select the Wi-Fi tab under Network, then find Interfaces, and make sure is says Auto Unlock is supported. Next, make sure that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are enabled on your Mac, that your Mac and…

As you may or may not know, you can customize the background of a Terminal window in macOS. You can use either a colour or an image, and you can also set a transparency level for the selected colour or image. You access these settings in the Terminal > Preferences screen; click the Profiles tab. On the left, you’ll find a column of shell profiles, each using different colour combinations. You can select one of those, or you can customize a profile. Click on a profile, and then in the main section of the window, you find the profile’s settings. To change the background colour, click the Colour & Effects button in the Background section. A colour picker window will pop up, and you can select the colour of your…

While we’re waiting for the iPhone 13 to make an appearance in September, plans for the iPhone 14 are already well underway. And if you’ve been wanting a cheaper iPhone 12 Pro Max, the phone of your dreams might be on the way. By now you’ve already heard that Apple will almost certainly offer its first iPhones with 120Hz ProMotion displays this year. All reports indicate that the faster displays will be exclusive to the iPhone 13 Pro models, however. That’s likely due to a variety of reasons – marketing, cost, and battery life – but also because the only supplier for the LTPO TFT OLED displays Apple needs to deliver ProMotion displays is Samsung and yields are reportedly low enough where it wouldn’t be able to supply enough orders…

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 quicker and more easily. With a handy icon in the dock, it…

While macOS is currently on version 11 (otherwise known as Big Sur) and macOS 12 Monterey is coming later this year, there are plenty of people who use old versions of the Mac operating system. Some are still using OS X 10.7 Lion and OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, and until recently, you had to pay Apple £20 to get download codes for those OSes. But there’s good news: Apple is now offering Lion and Mountain Lion for free for anyone who wants them. To get Lion and Mountain Lion for free, you can visit the support documents for those operating systems on Apple’s website: Mac OS X Lion installer free download (4.72GB): fave.co/3i3ogPP Mac OS X Mountain Lion installer free download (4.45GB): fave.co/3yTXlwS COMPATIBILITY Lion runs on Macs that…

With the continuation of the Apple silicon roll-out, the MacBook Pro is in line for some major changes. The company will likely take the opportunity of the new models based on Apple silicon to introduce new designs, features and refinements. SIZES, DESIGN AND COLOURS Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple will release a “redesigned” MacBook Pro this summer. It will be available in 14- and 16in models; Gurman did not state if the current 13in M1 MacBook Pro will undergo any design changes, though iOS developer Dylandkt tweeted in January that the “upcoming MacBook Pro models may not feature a logo on the bottom bezel”. Analyst Ming Chi-Kuo said in a research note (via Macrumors) that the laptop will see a redesign in 2021. In an earlier note from May…

When Apple released the M1 chip at the end of last year, two things were clear: Macs were a whole lot faster and the future was incredibly bright. What we didn’t know was how Apple would handle updates now that the entry-level models were as fast as some of the Pro machines. At the time, Apple said it was developing “a family of chips” that would be unveiled as the transition continued over the next couple of years, and now that it seems the M1 Macs have all been released, we’re anxiously awaiting the next step. The first update to the M1 chip is likely to arrive within the next couple of months. Apple has already updated its entire line-up of consumer-level Macs with the M1 chip in the MacBook…

As much fun as it is to see Apple roll out updates to its major platforms every summer, it’s always a slightly bittersweet experience. Even though there are new features and shiny things galore to pore over, there seems to be some software that is left shivering in the cold rain, their faces plastered against the window while newer features are showered with love and adulation. Of course, Apple’s platforms are so expansive these days that the company can’t possibly update each and every app on a yearly basis. But even so, there are a few that seem to perpetually languish, year over year, to the point that one wonders if Apple forgot about them, while others get updates of dubious necessity. More frustratingly, some of those very apps are…

When Apple released the first Macs with the M1 processor (the first generation of Apple silicon), it also introduced a whole new architecture to run apps on the Mac. So to take full advantage of the new chip’s speeds, Intel software needs to be re-written specifically for the M1 processor. Developers need time to write apps with that ‘native’ code, however, so Apple created a translation tool called Rosetta 2 that allows for existing Intel-based software made for Intel Macs to run on Apple silicon. If you have an M1 Mac, you’re probably already using Rosetta without realizing it. The first time you launched an app that requires it, an alert appeared to tell you the Rosetta is needed and ask for your permission to install it. After the installation,…

One of the only things we don’t know about the next iPhone is what it will be called. Recent reports have suggested that Apple will go with ‘12s’ due to the relative lack of monumental new features, but now it looks like Apple has decided against that route. According to the Economic Daily News, Apple will be naming the new handset the iPhone 13, based on the publications supply chain sources. Previous reports have basically confirmed that there will be four models of iPhone again, so the new line-up should look very similar to the iPhone 12, with an iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max. Apple hasn’t followed a predictable cadence for its iPhone names since the iPhone 6s, so it’s not surprising that it’s jumping…

It’s been over two years since the iPad mini had its last update, so the rumours of a new version are heating up. We look at the most credible reports of the upcoming model. DESIGN AND DISPLAY Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reported in June that the next iPad mini will have thinner bezels. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also talked about the thinner bezels, which allows the iPad mini to increase its screen size from 7.9 inches to 8.4 inches. However, recent rumours suggest that Apple will completely redesign the iPad mini with a look that’s closer to the iPad Air. Apple has been transitioning the iPad line to reflect the design of the iPhone 12, with its flat edges. The mini is next to undergo the ‘flat’ change according to several…

Noise-cancelling headphones are one of the most popular types of cans, and for good reason. They block out ambient noise that can distract from you enjoying your favourite tunes. While they’re particularly useful for air travel and daily commutes – especially via public transport – they’re also great at isolating you from at-home noise pollution, whether that be your dog barking, the whir of your Mac’s cooling fans, or your neighbour’s lawn mower. Noise cancellation can be accomplished in two ways: through active or passive measures. Our focus here is on the former. The latter isn’t a technology per se; rather, it refers to how much ambient noise a headphone will physically block. Closed-back over-ear headphones and in-ear headphones with memory-foam tips offer the best passive noise cancellation. Headphones with…

When Apple launched the MacBook in 2015, it was supposed to be a new era for Apple’s ultraportable laptops. Thinner and lighter than the Air with a 12in Retina display and a sole USB-C port, it seemed to usher in a new era for Apple’s laptops. But the price tag and processor held it back, and the keyboard ended up being one of the most reviled in Apple’s history. Less than four years later, Apple discontinued the MacBook line after just two revisions. Now it has officially designated the 2015 MacBook as ‘vintage’, meaning that ‘Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than five and less than seven years ago’. It’s the first Mac from 2015 that has been declared vintage. This doesn’t usually mean much, but in light of…

Apple made some drastic changes when it launched the new MacBook Air in 2018, but other than the processor and the keyboard, there haven’t been any major improvements since. But if we can believe the latest rumours, that could be changing this year, as Apple prepared to launch a drastic overhaul to its cheapest notebook. Here’s everything we’ve heard about the new MacBook Air: NAME AND PRICE We’re assuming for the sake of this article that Apple will stick with the MacBook Air name for the next revision, but this hasn’t been confirmed yet. So it’s possible that Apple reintroduces the MacBook, which was discontinued in 2019 and recently vintaged by Apple (see page 8 for details). Apple sold the Air alongside the MacBook Air for a short time, so…

It’s been six years since Microsoft unveiled a new version of Windows, but this December Windows 10 users with eligible PCs will be able to upgrade to a brand new version of Microsoft’s OS called Windows 11. And whether they want to admit it or not, it’s going to look a lot like macOS. Microsoft has changed a lot about the way Windows looks and works, but it’s hard to deny its ‘modern, fresh, clean and beautiful’ interface borrows heavily from Apple’s style with rounded corners, subtle transparency, and an overall fluidity that would feel right at home on a MacBook. Despite its familiar interface elements, Windows 11 brings plenty of features that Mac users don’t have. It leverages the touch-friendly nature of many PCs, introduces new ways to type…

We write lots of complicated how-tos and in-depth buying guides here at Macworld, but sometimes we just want to quickly tell you about our favourite tricks and tips that take mere seconds to use but will save you lots of time and frustration. 1. SHAKE TO FIND YOUR CURSOR If you’ve ever lost your mouse in a sea of windows and spent tens of seconds trying to find it, you’ll wonder where this trick has been your whole life. Go to the Accessibility pane in System Preferences, then Display, and finally Cursor. Make sure the ‘Shake mouse pointer to locate’ checkbox is selected. Now, you’ll be able to quickly move your mouse or your finger over the trackpad for a second or two to briefly enlarge your cursor so you…

Despite our best efforts, sometimes a macOS update goes wrong, such as the power going out in the middle of the process. Other glitches can occur, including ones that are undiagnosable. If your Intel Mac with a T2 security chip or any M1 Apple silicon Mac won’t start up normally or through recoveryOS, you can try to revive it by fixing the firmware inside these chips that handles aspects of security and start-up management while preserving all your files. If that fails, you can opt to restore it, which wipes the machine clean, but will get it working again. Both processes are made for system administrators but can be used by anyone. (You launch recoveryOS by starting up or restarting an Intel Mac with Command-R held down, or shutting down…

In 2020, after a four-year wait, Apple finally updated the iPhone SE to… the iPhone SE. Hanging on to the same name is a little confusing – Apple differentiates the new model when necessary by calling it the 2nd-generation iPhone SE, but most people either call it the iPhone SE (2020) or iPhone SE 2. Whatever you call it, it’s not very likely to be updated in 2021. It’s also not very likely that Apple will wait another four years to update its most affordable iPhone. We currently expect the new iPhone SE (which may be called the iPhone SE (2022), iPhone SE (3rd-generation), or iPhone SE 3) to be released in the first half of 2022. Here’s a summary of all the latest rumours, leaks, and other information we’ve…

The 12.9in iPad Pro may be Apple’s first device with a mini-LED display, but it won’t be the last. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will update several of its products with the nextgen screen tech as it moves away from LCD for all but a few entrylevel products. First and foremost, Kuo says Apple will update the 11in iPad Pro next year, seemingly as part of a larger upgrade with an M1X or M2 processor. Previous reports indicate that Apple’s flagship iPad is in line for something of a redesign, with a glass back and wireless charging. Kuo doesn’t mention whether the 11in iPad Pro would receive a £100 price hike like the 12.9in one, but it’s possible Apple bumps the price to £849 to create some more separation between…

CHANGE YOUR NAME ON YOUR MAC’S USER ACCOUNT People wind up with a new name, often one that better reflects who they are or have become, for all sorts of reasons. macOS can keep up with the name you use, so you aren’t staring at your past identity indefinitely. It’s not obvious, but you don’t have to dig into the guts of macOS, either. Just take care to follow steps carefully. There are a couple of requirements: • You can’t change the name of an account while logged into the account you’re changing, so you have to have least two accounts on the Mac. • You must have administrative access from the account you log into to change the other account’s full name. Warning: As with anything involving system-level changes,…