Table of contents for December 2021 in Macworld UK

After debuting in the 12.9in iPad Pro this spring, Apple has expanded its Liquid Retina XDR offerings to include the new 14- and 16in MacBook Pro, which delivers brightness, colour and contrast never before seen on a MacBook. Now a new rumour says Apple will be bringing its eye-popping screen tech to more products in 2022, including a standalone monitor CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants Ross Young, who accurately predicted the ProMotion XDR display in the MacBook Pro, says Apple is working on a 27in version of its XDR display. After initially claiming it would arrive in a standalone display in the first quarter of 2022, he now claims it’s due for the iMac first, followed by an external monitor “later”. OK, tweeted too early. The 27” MiniLED screen…

We all know the frustration: you can sign up for a service or new app account or something with a few quick taps in an app or clicks on a web page, but when you try to delete your account you have to call a customer service number during inconvenient business hours and sit on hold for a while. Apple can’t do anything about that over the entire Internet, but it has full control over the rules of the App Store. In June, Apple updated the App Store Review Guidelines section 5.1.1. Section (v) now clearly states: “If your app doesn’t include significant account-based features, let people use it without a login. If your app supports account creation, you must also offer account deletion within the app. Apps may not…

After more than a year of constant rumours, it has finally happened: Apple has unveiled the third-generation AirPods. While the second-gen AirPods (released in 2019) was identical to the first-gen (released in 2016), this new model takes on a whole new look. Here’s everything you need to know about the new AirPods. THEY LOOK A LOT LIKE THE AIRPODS PRO The third-gen AirPods mark the first change to the shape and size of Apple’s standard wireless earbuds since their introduction five years ago. Like the AirPods Pro, the AirPods 3 (as some have called them) have shorter stems and a rounder, more bulbous earpiece. The case is very similar to the AirPods Pro, too: shorter and wider, and with wireless charging capability standard, though you can of course also use…

While the MacBook Air is tremendously popular, some users need a little bit more. More performance, a bigger battery, more ports, a larger screen…if you need more, you need a MacBook Pro. If you want a Mac laptop with a display larger than 13- to 14 inches, the 16in MacBook Pro is your only option. Before you spend all that money (often upwards of £3,000) on something you hope to keep and use for years, it’s worth asking if this is a good time to buy. In the world of computers, there’s always something better on the way, but if it’s a lot better and it’s coming soon, you might want to wait. Here’s our buying advice for the 16in MacBook Pro. PRICING AND SPECS The 16in MacBook Pro received…

The unveiling of the new 14- and 16in MacBook Pro was an occasion I’ve been anxiously waiting for, and it did not disappoint. The processors, specs and features for the new laptops are overwhelming – so much so that it was hard to keep up with all the details flying by during the event video. Even as I studied the specs online, I had to stop, pause, and mull over what I just read since there was so much to absorb. But now that I’ve pored over all of the details, I’m left with a few nagging complaints, particularly with the 14in MacBook Pro, which seems like the perfect machine for £1,899, with an M1 Pro a mini-LED display, and an array of new ports. But if you look closer,…

Along with expanded Find My support for tracking down lost earbuds, the latest AirPods firmware has also unlocks Conversation Boost that amplifies the sound of the person talking in front of you. Conversation Boost uses your AirPods Pro microphones and computational audio to zero in on the sound of the person you’re speaking with. It works in tandem with Transparency Mode but instead of amplifying all sounds like Live Listen, Conversation Boost pinpoints human voices directed at you. You’re also able to adjust the level of ambient sound to help you focus. Here’s how it works, First make sure your AirPods Pro are on the latest firmware, version 4A400. You can check by connecting your AirPods to your phone, then going to Settings, About, tapping on the name of your…

The beginning of Apple’s turnaround has been pegged to a lot of dates: when Steve Jobs returned to the company as part of its acquisition of NeXT in 1997, the debut of the original iMac in 1998, even the release of Mac OS X in 2001. But if you’re looking for the date that Apple truly charted its course for the market-dominating position it finds itself in today, you’ll have to go to 23 October 2001, on the calendar – or exactly 20 years ago. That was the day that Apple took the wraps off a most unexpected product, but one that would go on to change everything for the company: the original iPod. IT’S ABOUT THE MUSIC I remember vividly where I was at the time of the original…

Price as reviewed: £2,799 from fave.co/30WBU2h Let’s go back to the autumn of 2020. Remember that thundering ‘boom’ that shook up the tech industry? That was Apple’s M1 making its debut. It exploded on the scene and amazed the Mac and PC world with its astounding performance. After the M1’s debut, the question was, how can Apple follow up such a successful launch? Well, it’s now a year later, and Apple has delivered another thundering ‘boom’ that is shaking up the tech industry, this one possibly even bigger. This time it’s two System-on-Chips, the M1 Pro and M1 Max, and they blow away the M1. After spending some time with the 14in MacBook Pro with an M1 Pro, it’s clear that Apple is on a roll with its silicon. The…

If there’s one Apple product over the past few years that’s been something of a disappointment, it’s the HomePod. Apple’s smart speaker had a ton of potential when it was unveiled at WWDC 2017, but by the time it arrived in February 2018, it was overpriced and underwhelming. Now Apple is taking steps to right the HomePod ship. Apple has reportedly rehired HomePod engineer Afrooz Family, who left the company in 2016 to co-found Syng, a high-end audio company that sells a $1,799 Triphonic speaker. According to a Bloomberg report, Family was tapped to lead Apple’s HomePod software efforts as the company looks to get its smart speaker ambitions back on track. There have been persistent rumours that Apple is working on a new HomePod with a display, so Family’s…

At long last, Apple finally revealed the new 14- and 16in MacBook Pro laptops At its ‘Unleashed’ event. You can order the new MacBook Pro laptops starting today but you probably won’t be able to get one for a while. The new laptop features a new redesign with smaller bezels, a new display, new ports, new Apple silicon, and more. Here are the key details on the MacBook Pro. PROCESSOR, RAM, GRAPHICS The M1 Pro and M1 Max are the newest Apple System on a Chip (SoC), following the M1 that was released last year. Here are what’s available for each model: 14in MacBook Pro M1 Pro: 8-core CPU with six performance cores and two efficiency cores or 10-core CPU with eight performance cores and two efficiency cores; 14- or…

In a recent Axios interview, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said he wants to win back Apple’s business by making better products. “Apple decided they could do a better chip themselves than we could,” he said, following it with the understatement of the year: “And, you know, they did a pretty good job.” Apple’s M1 processor delivered performance that was on par with the most powerful Intel laptop chips while using a tiny fraction of the power. When I reviewed the M1 MacBook Air I came to the same conclusion that most other reviewers did: Apple silicon is legit. It’s just shocking how much better it is than a comparable Intel chip. “And this is just the low-end chip,” I said at the time. “Wait until the big chips arrive!” And…

There are a lot of things to like about the new MacBook Pro, but if you’re on the fence about spending more for the M1 Max model, a new macOS setting might convince you. Along with the battery-saving Low Power Mode introduced in macOS Monterey, Apple is also offering a High Power Mode that will eke every bit of performance out of the new chips. The new setting, which was spotted in the latest macOS beta and confirmed to Macrumours by Apple, was originally reported by 9to5Mac weeks before the new MacBook Pros arrived. According to the text in the macOS Monterey beta, the high-performance mode will be used for processor-intensive tasks such as video rendering and 3D modelling. The text of the option in System Preferences reads: “Your Mac…

Over the past two years, Apple has gone from selling one AirPods model to four. You can currently buy three earbuds – the 2nd-gen AirPods, 3rd-gen AirPods, and AirPods Pro – or the AirPods Max over-the-ear headphones. Let’s set that last aside for a moment. If you’re willing to spend £500 or more on a pair of cans, you’re making a whole different buying decision than if you want true wireless earbuds. But that still leaves three relatively similar-seeming earbuds to choose from. So which is right for you? FEATURES AT A GLANCE Maybe the best way to make a buying decision is to see how the three current AirPods stack up side-by-side. AirPods (2nd gen) Price: £119 Weight (earbuds): 4g Weight (case): 38g Battery life: 5 hours + 24…

Time rolls forward, the past recedes, and it all starts to fade, doesn’t it? Ten years ago, Steve Jobs died, and at the time I pondered how he’d be remembered. In the intervening years, his most notable product – Apple itself – has risen to unimaginable levels of power and influence. The fact that so much of Apple’s growth has happened since Jobs’s departure hasn’t reduced him at all. It would be relatively easy to argue that the success of Tim Cook’s Apple suggests that, despite everyone’s concern in the late days of 2011, the company actually could go on without Jobs at the helm. But that’s not what anyone thinks. Instead, Jobs is credited for putting Apple on the path that led to it becoming what it is today.…

On 23 October 2001, Steve Jobs announced that Apple was venturing into the field of music and unveiled the very first iPod in a small room. Although the reaction from the crowd was positive, there was a whole lot less fanfare than today’s release events have. “Why music?” Jobs asked in his introduction. “Well, we love music, and it’s always good to do something you love. More importantly, music is a part of everyone’s life. Everyone! Music’s been around forever; it will always be around. This is not a speculative market.” Twenty years on, Apple’s pocket digital music and media player has evolved through multiple generations, designs, functions, and styles, such as the mini, nano, shuffle and touch models, and inspired some of Apple’s greatest products, including the iPhone and…

Price as reviewed: £779 from fave.co/2XIWHVX If not for the arrangement of the cameras, the iPhone 13 would be nearly impossible to distinguish from the iPhone 12. There are other subtle differences – it’s a hair thicker, the volume and side buttons are lower, the notch is smaller, and the colours are a bit more subdued – but the main differentiator is the diagonal placement of the rear camera lenses. Like everything about the iPhone 13, that subtle change is more meaningful than it seems. You get the same wide and ultra-wide camera system as on the iPhone 12, but the diagonal placement is necessary to accommodate an advanced camera system. It’s a classic Apple upgrade – seemingly superfluous on the outside but hiding bigger things on the inside. The…

Apple may have initially praised the ruling in the Epic case as “a resounding victory” and “huge win”, but it has changed its tune, opting to appeal the decision. With Epic appealing as well, the whole process will start again, and it’s looking like it could be years before anything is actually settled. The main reason for the appeal is Apple’s violation of California’s anti-steering rules. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found that Apple was in violation of the statute and ordered Apple to stop “prohibiting developers from including in their apps and their metadata buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms”. In short, Apple would have had to allow developers to offer their own payment service (or at the very least a prominent…

Apple has announced three new colours for its HomePod mini smart speaker: blue, yellow, and orange. The new colours are available immediately, and join the existing white and space grey for a total of five colour options. But new HomePod mini colours isn’t the only audio announcement Apple made in its ‘Unleashed’ event on October 18. There’s also a brand new Apple Music tier that’s half the price of the individual plan. THE £4.99 APPLE MUSIC VOICE PLAN Apple Music has always distinguished itself from other music services, particularly its rival Spotify, by not offering a free ad-supported tier. You have to pay at least £9.99 a month for an individual plan, £14.99 per month for a Family plan, or subscribe through the Apple One services bundle. Now, Apple is…

With the introduction of all-new 14in and 16in MacBook Pro models, Apple has officially moved every laptop it sells away from Intel processors. The two-year transition to Apple Silicon is moving along well. Apple now sells three MacBook Pro models: A 13in model with the M1 processor, a 14in model with either the M1 Pro or M1 Max, and a 16in model with either the M1 Pro or M1 Max. Even though the new M1 Pro and M1 Max processors seem incredible, these new laptops are about more than just a killer new processor. They’re full of great new features like a ProMotion HDR display and the return of beloved features like HDMI output and MagSafe that make the 13in model seem downright antiquated. So if you’re having trouble deciding…

One of the underrated features of the new MacBook Pro is its charging capabilities. In addition to bringing back the magnetic MagSafe charger, Apple also introduced fast charging for the first time on a Mac. According to Apple, you’ll be able to fill up 50 per cent of the battery in 30 minutes, which would theoretically deliver more than 10 hours of use on the 16in version. But to get that ultra-fast charging on the 16in MacBook Pro, you’ll need to use MagSafe. Apple confirmed to the Verge that while fast charging is available over Thunderbolt on the 14in MacBook Pro, you’ll need to use both the MagSafe-to-USB-C cable and the bundled 140-watt power adapter for the 16in model. While you can charge the laptop using any of the ports,…

We love our AirPods Pro earbuds, but we don’t love the fear of losing them. A new feature in iOS 15 that arrived a little late just made them a lot easier to find. Apple has released a firmware update for the AirPods Pro that enables enhanced Find My support so you’ll be able to track down your lost earbuds like an AirTag or any other Find My device. Previously, the app would only show the last known location of the earbuds. If you lose one or both AirPods, you can now activate Lost Mode, which lets you tap into the power of the Find My network. When someone with an Apple device comes within range, you’ll be alerted to its location. Perhaps most importantly, you can also set up…

Steve Jobs’ impact was so significant that it’s difficult to find the words to describe his influence on business, technology, and society, even 10 years after his death. It’s hard to even narrow down the products released under his watch to a list of just five. But we tried anyway. Here’s our list of the most memorable products released during Steve Jobs’ tenure with Apple. Apple has posted a film titled Celebrating Steve to commemorate the anniversary of Jobs’ death – see fave.co/2XIohCJ. 1. APPLE II Everyone remembers the Mac (see item two on this list), but the Apple II is the first product that really got Apple going as a business. The first mass-produced computer by the company in 1977, the Apple II succeeded the Apple I, which was…

When I first heard the details about the iPod, Apple’s “breakthrough digital device,” I thought it sounded okay, but wasn’t a “must-have” item for me. However, now that I’ve used one for almost a week, I’ve changed my mind. I received an evaluation unit of the iPod the day before I drove from Nashville to Indianapolis to cover the EDUCAUSE conference – a five hour haul. I downloaded half a dozen albums (Sara Evans, Elton John and Ryan Gold) to listen to on the road. No, I’m not a dangerous driver. I didn’t plug in the ‘ear bud’ headphones that come with the iPod. Instead, I used a cassette plug-in adapter, which I’ve used previously for my portable CD player, to play the songs on the iPod through my car’s…