MacLife

WE’RE NOW FIVE years into the era of folding phones, and Apple clearly hasn’t felt much pressure to follow Samsung’s lead down this particular path. Even by Apple standards, five years is quite a while for some new, next–step technology to be adopted

To the editor. Now that we have gone full digital with Mac|Life, why not fully embrace the possibilities by installing a “search“ field (possibly powered by AI!) that will do a search of all issues that a subscriber owns/has been subscribed to. (This

IN THIS ISSUE we’ve got the latest Macs on test: the MacBook Pro (in the fetching new Space Black colorway, of course) and the iMac 24–inch. Given that many moons have passed since Apple did anything with the iMac, it might disappoint some that the o

APPLE’S LATEST MACOS is packed with all kinds of features great and small, but many of them aren’t documented, are hard to remember, or are so new you might not have come across them just yet. From things that save you time, effort and maybe even mon

DO YOU EVER wish your favorite website was available as a self–contained app instead, for super quick and easy access? On mobile devices, this is no problem at all. Just open a website, tap the Share button and select Add to Home Screen. The site app

IN THESE POST–PANDEMIC days, video conferencing is increasingly used in place of face–to–face meetings. Video calls with friends and family are growing ever more popular too. Sonoma brings us a fun feature that works in almost every video chat applic

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PRIVACY IS IMPORTANT to Apple. In fact, the company considers it a human right. The macOS Sonoma operating system brings several privacy and security features to the Mac, all of which are designed to keep your data, browsing and personal information

SAFARI HAS LONG been the browser of choice for Apple users, and Sonoma gives it some great new features. You might be using some of them already, but if you want to delve deeper, take a look at some of these amazing capabilities. With Profiles, you c

MACOS SONOMA TAKES a new look at screen savers. The old ones are still there, but they’re joined by some awesome slow–motion video screen savers featuring areas of great beauty from all over the world. Each of these screen savers has a companion wall

REQUIRES macOS 10.15 or later YOU WILL LEARN How to identify and manage duplicates in your Music library IT WILL TAKE 20 minutes NO MATTER HOW carefully you curate your music collection, you’re bound to end up with all kinds of duplicates — and it’s

EVERY MAC MODEL (except the mini and the Mac Pro) has a built–in webcam, and even screenless Macs benefit from a 12MP Ultra Wide camera if you pair them with an Apple Studio Display. In macOS Sonoma, Apple has paid attention to the camera with a rang

REQUIRES Arc, macOS 12.1 or later YOU WILL LEARN How to use all of the best features in the Arc web browser IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes MOST OF US probably stick to the tried–and–tested web browsers, be that Safari, Chrome or Firefox. But venture outside

REQUIRES Dropbox, macOS 10.13 or later YOU WILL LEARN How to sync and back up your files using Dropbox IT WILL TAKE 5 minutes IN THE PAST, sharing files with yourself and others over email was the norm. But it’s hardly an ideal method, as it’s an ine

REQUIRES iOS 17 or later YOU WILL LEARN How to make your iPhone display at–a–glance info when it’s charging IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes ONE OF THE most eye–catching features of iOS 17 is the new StandBy display. When your iPhone screen is locked, turned

REQUIRES iOS/iPadOS 17 YOU WILL LEARN How to create and use Safari Profiles IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes ONE OF OUR favorite iOS/iPadOS 17 features is Safari Profiles, which enables you to have separate and different personalities when you browse the web.

REQUIRES iOS 17 or later YOU WILL LEARN How to share files, media and your contact details with ease IT WILL TAKE 10 minutes INTRODUCED IN 2011, AirDrop has become one of Apple’s most useful features. And as of iOS 17, it has now become even easier b

YOU WILL LEARN How Apple’s MagSafe merged with Qi to create Qi2 wireless charging APPLE WAS A bit slow in adopting the Qi wireless charging technology, but it now looks like one of the first to get in on the act with the new Qi2 (pronounced “chee–two

REQUIRES RootsMagic Essentials, macOS 10.12 or later YOU WILL LEARN How to create and add detail to your family tree IT WILL TAKE 30 minutes LOOKING FOR AN easy way to record your family history without paying up–front? RootsMagic Essentials is the f

Can I increase the size of the disk in the macOS Monterey virtual machine on my M2 MacBook Pro? As of macOS Sonoma, there’s no known way to change the size of the disk image in a virtual machine (VM) running macOS on Apple silicon Macs, although that

> $2,399.99 > www.dell.com It may be a pricey gesture, but Dell’s 32–inch IPS display is stuffed with goodies, including a 6K (6,144 x 3,456) resolution, a USB–C hub and an integrated 4K webcam for FaceTime calls. It has a superb, flexible stand, and

> $599 > www.cambridgeaudio.com Ideal for vinyl lovers young and old, this turntable has everything you need to set those discs spinning — from rock–solid build quality to an easy–to–fit moving magnet cartridge. We love that it has both a built–in ph

IF YOU HADN’T noticed already, Christmas is almost upon us. If you’re in need of a last–minute gift idea for someone, you’re planning ahead for a special occasion, or you’re just thinking about getting something for yourself because… well, whoever ne

> $4,899 > www.unistellar.com By combining conventional optics with deep–space tech, this smart telescope enables you to watch over 5,000 objects — and maybe even spot Santa as he crosses the night sky. A tripod, charger with adapter, and a set of ad

> $1,499.99 > www.netgear.com If there are a lot of people using their devices at once, your home network could feel the strain — unless you upgrade it with this. Comprising a router and two satellites, this mesh system offers up to 9,000sq ft of Wi–

THE APPLE TV app is one of iTunes’ three children. iTunes was Apple’s long–standing, do–everything entertainment app, but what started off as an iPod companion app turned into something much bigger — and in the end, much more bloated. So Apple took i

THE APPLE TV app focuses heavily on Apple TV+, Apple’s streaming TV service, but you can also add channels from third–party services for access to a huge selection of entertainment. These include the MLS Season Pass, Paramount+, Lionsgate and special

THE iOS AND iPadOS versions of the app work almost identically to the one on Mac. However, there are some differences, especially under the hood. In Settings > TV you’ll find a range of options that include a choice of high–quality or data–saving str

From $1,299 From www.apple.com Features M3 chip (model tested: M3 with 8–core CPU, 10–core GPU), 256GB or 512GB storage (1TB tested), 8GB unified memory (24GB tested), 23.5–inch 4.5K Retina display (4,480 x 2,520), 2x Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, Wi–Fi 6

$349.99 From https://epson.com Features Auto two–sided printing, wireless and voice–activated print, cartridge–free printhead, pigment black ink, built–in scanner and copier THE EPSON ECOTANK ET–2850 is a modestly priced ink tank printer offering a s

$159 From www.insta360.com Features Three–axis stabilization, AI–powered subject tracking, tripod and selfie stick modes, 12–hour battery, charge your phone on the go, built–in microphone cold shoe mount Needs iPhone 8 or later BEST KNOWN FOR high–qu

$79.99 From https://zagg.com Features QI charging, dual tips, tilt recognition, palm rejection For All iPads 2018 and newer USING A STYLUS with your iPad can be a revelatory experience even if you’re not an artist or designer; they are more precise a

$349 From www.denon.com Features 10mm drivers, supports AAC, aptX Lossless, 8 hours battery, wireless charging case DENON MOSTLY TENDS to operate in the higher regions of the hi–fi market, but it recently released two sets of relatively affordable ea

Fully assembled with knob $214 Barebones with knob $194 From www.keychron.com Features Swappable keycaps, up to 300 hrs battery, macro keys and aluminum knob, connects via Bluetooth 5.1 or USB–C (USB–A adapter included), polling rate 90Hz (wireless),

$14.99 From https://annapurnainteractive.com Needs OS X 10.10 or later SOME STORIES CRAFT masterful epics through enchanting dialogue, but not so Storyteller. This short but sweet game contains a little text but no audible speech, instead relying on

Whether it’s a Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, we’ve got your back with the ultimate apps to upgrade your devices without paying a penny + ALSO INSIDE… Take better portraits Create amazing people pictures on iPhone — we show you how How to master