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G S IN ! K’ ELL AG E UTS M TH S LE BE PP A

Price £5.99 | Issue 295 | January 2016 MacFormat.com | @MacFormat

El Capitan Essential time-saving tricks for your Mac Maps & Calendar tips O Disk Utility explained O Mail app made easy! O

PLUS

for 22 years

Control your Mac with your iPhone

S 20 EPT 16 ’

NE 6 JU201

What’s next for Apple? REVEALED! 2016’s amazing new line-up

Expert advice for iCloud Find out how to share Pages docs online

Get fit with Apple kit The best fitness apps for any Apple device

KIT RATED Apple Smart Keyboard Epson EcoTank printer O Samsung 360° speaker O O

Essential tips and tricks for OS X, iTunes, Photos & much more! Bigger is even better!

Take control with 3D Touch

Why you’ll fall in love with Apple’s new iPad

Improve your iPhone 6s and 6s Plus with our cheat sheet

NEW!

MacFormat is changing! Find out how on p24

to MacFormat, the UK’s best-selling Apple magazine nother New Year is almost upon us, and with it the prospect of another 12 months of amazing new products and innovations from those enterprising folks in Cupertino. In our ‘What Next For Apple?’ feature, we gaze into our crystal ball and speculate on the year ahead: will we finally see an Apple Watch 2 and an iPhone 7? An iPad Air 3 and a new Mac Pro? And what do the next versions of OS X and iOS have in store? Turn to page 20 to find out. But even with the mouth-watering prospect of new gear on the horizon, there are plenty of ways you can get more from your current Mac, from tips and tricks you’ve forgotten to secret features of your favourite apps that you never knew existed. Your voyage of discovery starts on page 26. Keeping in step with the New Year theme, we also explore the surprising ways your Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch can help to kick-start your health and fitness regime and shed those excess pounds. You can find out more on page 76. Elsewhere in the issue you’ll find our verdicts on the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, plus in-depth tutorials to help you make the most of El Capitan. Enjoy!

Meet the team!

Alan Stonebridge Production Editor

Alex Blake Commissioning Editor

Paul Blachford Managing Art Editor

Christian Hall Editor editor@macformat.com Seth Singh Digital Art Editor

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ISSUE AT A GLANCE IMPROVE

Do more with your Apple gear Try out our fantastic tutorials covering OS X, iOS and a range of the latest and greatest Mac software p43

APPLE TALK

Have your say about Apple issues The section of the mag where you get the chance to speak your mind on everything Apple-related p64

RATED

Discover the best apps and kit

Essential tips and tricks for OS X, iTunes, Photos & much more!

p26

Read our verdicts on the latest hardware and software for Apple devices, including games and iOS apps p83

UPGRADE!

The best Macs and iOS devices If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for a Mac, iPhone, iPad or Watch, check out our Upgrade section before you buy p107

Take control with 3D Touch Expert advice for iCloud Improve your iPhone with our cheats p60

4 | MacFormat.com | January 2016

Collaborate on Pages documents p44

Contents

What’s next for Apple? REVEALED! 2016’s amazing new line-up! p20

Get fit with Apple kit How you can boost your fitness levels using your Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch p76

AppleWorld

AppleTalk

Hot news from the world of Apple p6

Your letters, pictures and more p64

Picks from the Store

Mac SOS Mac problems solved p69

The best apps, games, movies and music p10

Gadgets Amazing new gear p14

The best ﬁtness apps for your Apple devices p76

One more thing

Rated

Apple opinion p18

Deﬁnitive reviews of the latest kit and apps for Mac and iOS devices p83

What’s next for Apple? 2016 predictions p20

New Apple kit

63 great ways to improve your Mac

Our verdicts on the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard p84

Tips, tricks and secrets for OS X and much more p26

Improve Inspiring tutorials p43

iRig Pro Duo

Epson EcoTank printer

A portable studio for Mac and iOS p88

Cost-effective home printing p90

Dragon 5

Tweetbot 4

Fuss-free speech recognition p99

Take Twitter to the next level p102

Get yourself ﬁt with Apple kit

Group test Distraction-free writing apps to help boost your creativity p92

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MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 5

We round-up the Apple stories that matter to you

battle is taking place between governments and technology companies over encryption. Governments want technology firms to build backdoors into their software, arguing the strong encryption used in mobile devices makes it hard for security agencies to monitor against terrorist attack. Technology firms argue that encryption is essential to protect enterprise and consumer users against ID theft and other online threats. “I don’t know a way to protect people without encrypting”, Apple CEO, Tim Cook said. “You can’t have a backdoor that’s only for the good guys… Any backdoor is a backdoor for everyone”. Apple, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and others are at present opposing these attempts to enable mass surveillance on anti-terror grounds, raising arguments that seem to have won a reprieve in the US. Not so in the UK, where the current government is introducing the Investigatory Powers Bill. Dubbed a ‘Snooper’s Charter’ by critics and blocked by Liberal Democrats during the last parliament, this requires tech firms and service providers to supply unencrypted communications to police or spy agencies if required through a warrant. It also requires internet and communications companies to

6 | MacFormat.com | January 2016

keep customer usage records for up to a year and allows bulk surveillance of the population. The Information Technology Industry Council, which represents 62 of the world’s biggest tech companies, is against the proposals: “Encryption is a security tool we rely on everyday to stop criminals from draining our bank accounts, to shield our cars and airplanes from being taken over by malicious hacks, and to otherwise preserve our security and safety”, it said. Encryption isn’t the province of major technology firms – there are plenty of smaller alternatives, meaning any attempt to weaken it will have little effect. “If you halt or weaken encryption, the people that you hurt are not the folks that want to do bad things. It’s the good people. The other people know where to go”, says Tim Cook.

“If you halt or weaken encryption, the people you hurt are not the folks who want to do bad things”

Not everyone agrees. FBR analyst Daniel Ives told Investor’s Business Daily: “a lot of malicious actors over the last year have communicated through encryption and it’s really created a lot of challenges for law enforcement”.

In defence of encryption Others point out that data and identity theft are problems that have significant repercussions and encryption is a key defence for end users. “When you make a credit card payment or log into Facebook, you’re using the same fundamental encryption that, in another continent, an activist could be using to organize a protest against a failed regime”, wrote Beirut-born software developer, Nadim Kobeissi. “I cannot backdoor software to specifically spy on jihadists without this backdoor applying to every single member of society relying on my software”. Technologists and privacy advocates argue that if government gets its way predesigned weaknesses in the software we use will be exploited. Hackers will undermine any backdoors and use them to get whatever they want – your credit card details, for example, or even to take control of electricity substations. Apple’s CEO said: “You can’t weaken cryptography. You need

TheBIGstory

Apple in pictures See the colourful billboard ad for Apple TV p9

The team’s picks from the store

We’re most excited about

Media of the month p10

Gadgets to fawn over p14

One more thing

Apple in 2016

Gary Marshall sends his broken iPad for repair p18

We gaze into our Apple gadget crystal ball p20

Apple in QUOTES What are people saying about the world of Apple?

Tim Cook apple.com

to strengthen it. You need to stay ahead of the folks that want to break it”. Part of the problem encryption aims to solve – a solution undermined by including backdoors – is the increasingly sophisticated attacks used by cybercriminals. Companies already track vast amounts of personal information about us as we use applications and browse the web. “These invisible connections are increasingly used by cybercriminals to distribute malware, steal confidential personal and business information, damage property, and engage in identity theft”, warns Casey Oppenheim of Disconnect Me.

THE BIG STORY

Apple CEO predicts post-PC future

Jimmy Iovine apple.com

“I could have chosen my words better.” The head of Apple Music apologises following sexism accusations

Ed Catmull

iMessage ban? “We live in an unprecedented era of online personal data, and as a result law enforcement has access to an unprecedented amount of online personal data”, says DuckDuckGo CEO, Gabriel Weinberg. Security experts have accused David Cameron of “living in cloud cuckoo land” when he has suggested encrypted messaging apps like iMessage should be banned. They say the problem with the approach is that if tech firms are forced to create backdoors, advanced users (including criminals) will use alternative solutions, such as untraceable Virtual Private Network tools. Terrorists will become more sophisticated, but everyday users will be more exposed to threat.

“Yes, the iPad Pro is a replacement for a notebook or a desktop for many, many people. They will start using it and conclude they no longer need to use anything else, other than their phones.”

pixar.com

“I think he’d be appalled.” Pixar’s president on what Steve Jobs would have thought of Danny Boyle’s biopic, which focuses on key events in the Apple co-founder’s life

CCS Insight ccsinsight.com

Terrorists will get more sophisticated, but everyday users will be more exposed to threat.

“In 2016 Apple buys Box or Dropbox to extend iCloud into an enterprise service.” UK analysts attempt to predict Apple’s next big purchase

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 7

Rumour ROUNDUP Thetop top55Apple Applestories stories The

Our industry expert rounds-up the biggest Apple corporate stories circulating this month

we’re talking about

Better Bluetooth looms The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) will introduce an upgraded Bluetooth standard next year, introducing longer range and faster speeds. The standards body promises the range of Bluetooth smart devices will increase up to four times alongside a 100% increase in speed. Perhaps more interesting, the new standard will support mesh networking. This is useful for so-called Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as those supported by HomeKit. This would enable manufacturers to develop solutions that can be managed by a compatible device and will not require a dedicated hub. “Mesh networking will enable Bluetooth devices to connect together in networks that can cover an entire building or home, opening up home and industrial automation applications”, the SIG said in a press release. “Bluetooth has been adopted by countless developers and manufacturers as their connectivity solution of choice for the IoT”. said Mark Powell, Executive Director of the Bluetooth SIG.

Apple Watch calls time on Switzerland Swiss watch exports

Stock watch Clem Chambers, CEO of ADVFN, the leading stocks & shares website

8 | MacFormat.com | January 2016

suffered their biggest decline in six years last October when shipments fell 12%. Apple Watch and smartwatches from other manufacturers have impacted sales of lowend timepieces. “Traditional watch makers

If you had bought Apple shares on 5 December 2014, you would be right back where you started from as I write a year later. You would have also seen the price as high as $132 and as low as $92. A $40-a-share range is the sort of volatility that can be nerve-wracking for any investor but imagine

Apple Watch is proving a challenge to Swiss watch makers.

are coming under pressure,” said CCS Insights analyst, Ben Woods. “It would be naive to think that the Apple Watch has not impacted the traditional market in some form.”

Wi-Fi to Li-Fi? Li-Fi could replace Wi-Fi in the future, following a successful pilot test that proved the technology can achieve data send speeds of up to 1GB/sec, or 100 times faster than Wi-Fi. The technology, which uses light to beam information through the air, was developed in Scotland at the University of Edinburgh in 2011. The super-fast wireless transmission standard works in a similar way to optical cable, but resolves the data loss challenges you find when simply trying to beam light, rather than directing it through a cable. The technology has been trialled by airlines, which want to boost in-flight connectivity.

if you were one of those people that bought a few thousand dollars of stock in Apple at its pre-resurrection lows of around 20¢ and are still holding. That $5,000 position is now worth $2.9m. This year that position would have flown to $3.3m, then slumped to $2.3m and gone back to be worth $2.9m

again. You would have to be either extremely rich or cold-blooded for that to not give you stomach ulcers. This is the lot of anybody who puts all their money in a single company’s stock, which is why the golden rule of investing is to diversify. But, of course, most people do not do that.

Apple WORLD

Apple in PICTURES The hottest pictures from the world of Apple Apple has been posting colourful billboards for Apple TV all over buildings and poster sites across the USA. The design echoes the TV test pattern created by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Experts (SMTPE), but uses colours lifted from Apple’s ‘rainbow’ logo, which was used by the company until 1998. Clever.

MacFormat.com | September 2016 | 9

We select the best apps & games out there

On our APPLE TV What we’re watching on the iTunes movie store

FILM

Ant-Man £13.99 (HD)

Small-time crook Scott Lang becomes an even smaller superhero in this enjoyable Marvel movie caper, where Ant-Man has to protect the secrets of his super-suit against the forces of evil.

GRAPHIC £22.99 Developer Autodesk, autodesk.com Requires OS X 10.6 or higher, 64-bit processor

Graphic is the new name for iDraw, a vector drawing and illustration app originally created by US developer Indeeo, before it was taken over by Autodesk late last year. The good news is that the app has survived the transition (and the name change) and remains one of the best and most powerful programs of its kind around, being both easy to use and capable of creating professionallooking graphics and illustrations – perfect for use in logos, websites and even as Xcode-ready files for that iOS app you’ve been working on. One of the reasons Graphic is so good is that comes equipped with a huge range of tools that enable you to create layered, scalable vector graphics, so beloved by designers. Graphic also supports a huge range of import and export formats, including TIFF, JPEG and PSD files, ensuring the illustrations that you create can be used almost anywhere. The Mac version of Graphic can also be synced with the iOS version (£6.99, http://apple.co/1kRw1cE), enabling you to work on your designs using the new iPad Pro and the pressure-sensitive Apple Pencil when you’re away from your Mac.

TV SHOW

Peep Show Series 9 £11.99 (HD), £2.49 per episode

The very last series of this Channel 4 comedy reaches new levels of cringe-inducing hilarity as Mark (David Mitchell) and Jeremy (Robert Webb) prove growing older doesn’t make you wiser.

10 | MacFormat.com | January 2016

One of the reasons Graphic is so good is that it comes with a huge range of tools that enable you to create layered, vector graphics

From the Store

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 11

On our PLAYLIST What’s on the oﬃce speakers

MUSIC

Natalie Merchant, Paradise Is There: The New Tigerlily Recordings £9.99

It’s 20 years since former 10,000 Maniacs singer Natalie Merchant released her first solo album – and now she’s returned to it with a stripped back remake of the original songs. Merchant’s distinctive vocals remain intact, and songs such as River and Beloved Wife are just as powerful two decades on.

Toby: The Secret Mine £7.99 Developer MacPlay, macplay.com Requires OS X 10.6.6 or higher

Clearly inspired by games such as Limbo (something the developer acknowledges), Toby: The Secret Mine is a puzzle platformer that sees our hero set off on a quest to find the missing inhabitants of his village… a journey that takes him into a mysterious forest full of traps, baddies and beautifully realised environments. Great fun for gamers of all ages – and you can use your favourite gamepad to play it too.

The Room Three £3.99 Developer Fireproof Games, fireproofgames.com Works with iPhone, iPod touch, iPad

PODCAST

Stuff You Should Know Free

If you’ve ever wanted to know how a slinky works or why maggots are good for you, this funny yet informative podcast is worth your time. Hosts Charles “Chuck” Bryant and Josh Clark rattle through a huge variety of subjects, crossing genres and cultural boundaries with abandon.

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Winner of a bunch of awards, including a BAFTA, Fireproof Games’ The Room series presents a range of fiendishly tricky puzzles in series of graphically gorgeous rooms. The third game in the series sticks with the formula established by the first two, only this time you have to undergo a series of trials on a remote island. Cue more puzzling and an acute sense of satisfaction when you finally find the solution to each one. The Room Three is tremendous tactile fun.

GIF Keyboard Free Developer Riffsy, riffsy.com Works with iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Mac

As if inserting emojis into iMessages and emails wasn’t enough, this free app for iOS and OS X enables you to easily add animated GIFs too. Both versions give you easy access to a huge range of GIFs arranged by category on the developer’s website. You simply find the one you want to use and then insert it anywhere you like in your message.

Apple WORLD

Hot gear on the horizon... what’s got us excited?

WE’RE MOST EXCITED ABOUT...

SENNHEISER ORPHEUS From €50,000 (about £35,000) sennheiser.com

These high end headphones promise the very best sound quality, but at a very hefty price!

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What is it? “The best headphones in the world”, according to Sennheiser But they should be, as the updated Orpheus headphones cost a whopping €50,000 a pair – although that price does include a high end hi-fi pre-amp housed inside a slab of marble in order to reduce vibrations. When’s it due? Available 2016. Why are we excited? They really do sound wonderful – especially on classical music where you can close your eyes and imagine that you’re sitting in a concert hall with the orchestra right there in front of you.

Gadgets Pulse From about $99 (about £65) www.alpinelaboratories.com

What is it? There are some situations in photography when it’s not practical to be at your camera adjusting every setting – nature photography, for example, or when your camera is positioned in a hard-to-reach location. For times like these, Pulse – a remote camera controller – is an ideal companion. When’s it due? April 2016. Why are we excited? It gives you a huge amount of control, like setting shutter speed, aperture, the timer and more. And because it plugs into the camera’s USB port, it also lets you control video settings – all from your iPhone.

Hammerhead One $85 (about £55) hammerhead.io

Xpand Lacing System

What is it? Satnavs are great, but not exactly practical for use on a bike – the screens are too detailed to look at quickly, and you can’t hear the instructions over the sound of the lorry running over your legs. Hammerhead One, though, promises to be a much safer option. When’s it due? Buy it now. Why are we excited? Its simplicity makes it both safe and practical. Lights on either the left or right prong come on as you approach the appropriate turning, and the device flashes red when it spots obstacles in the road. It’ll help keep your eyes on the road and your bike on the right route.

$8 (about £5) kck.st/1L9aB31

What is it? Remember those cool self-tying shoes in Back to the Future 2? Xpand are a little bit like that. Just thread the elasticated laces through your shoes and into the little plastic clips, and you can turn your favourite kicks into slip-on shoes in no time – no more knots and bows. When’s it due? January 2016. Why are we excited? It’s so simple but such a good idea. We’ve honestly never really thought of tying laces as a cumbersome task, but now that we’ve seen Xpand, we’re not so sure. Call us lazy, but we love these laces.

MacFormat.com | January 2015 | 15

Apple WORLD Latitude $45 (about £30) bezalel.co

What is it? One of the frustrating things about owning an iPhone is being unable to wirelessly charge it (while our non-iPhone brethren smugly look on). Belazel saw this problem and found a solution with Latitude, a wireless charging iPhone case that works with both major wireless standards and allows easy access to all your ports. When’s it due? Go wireless in March 2016. Why are we excited? It makes charging a lot easier and means you don’t need to think about whether it’ll work with a certain wireless charging pad – it just will. Keeping the Lightning and headphone ports accessible is a nice touch.

Nora $299.99 (about £200) smartnora.com

What is it? Snoring can be hugely disruptive, both to the snorer and the snoree (that’s definitely a word). Nora is simple – just tap it when your partner starts snoring and it activates a device that raises their pillow, thereby changing their head’s position and clearing their airways, putting an end to noisy snoring. When’s it due? Available now. Why are we excited? Nora totally bypasses those uncomfortable mouthguards, nose strips and other more traditional snoring treatments, so snorers can sleep easy – and their partners even more so.

Ampy Move $99 (about £65) getampy.com

What is it? The dynamo has been around for decades, powering your bike light as you pedal. Now someone has taken that idea and applied it to smartphones, creating a device that charges up your iPhone as you exercise. When’s it due? Get charging now. Why are we excited? It’s such a simple idea you wonder why we haven’t seen more products like it before. You can strap it to your arm and go for a run, or clip it to your leg as you cycle. What better incentive to put down the Apple TV remote and get some exercise?

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Decidedly oﬀ-the-wall

Music for Cats From $15 (about £10) musicforcats.com

What is it? Scientifically proven to help cats relax, Music for Cats is an album composed entirely for our feline friends. No, they’re not songs about fish and balls of string. Instead, each track is written to appeal to cats on a biological level. When’s it due? February 2016. Why are we excited? The idea is that animals have “an intuitive biological response to sounds present in their early development”, so mirror those sounds and you have appealing music. After creating feline-centric tunes, the composer hopes to produce CDs for rescue dogs and other animals.

Apple OPINION

One more thing...

As Apple kit gets harder to repair, it’s important to find a fixer you can trust In nature, every animal has a predator. It’s the same with technology, whose predator is the human toddler. My son’s reign of technological terror has claimed an Xbox and a PlayStation, various remote controls and more iPad screens than I care to count. In most cases I can fix the problems myself. So, for example, a PlayStation 4 is pretty straightforward to mess around with. Apple stuff is more complicated, and with each new version it gets a little bit harder for mere mortals to fix. Recent iMacs and MacBook Pros are “nearly impossible” for ordinary people to repair, according to everybody’s favourite Mac dismantlers, iFixit. I wouldn’t know where to start with an iPad, so whenever my son finds the right amount of force to overpower supposedly bombproof protective cases I resign myself to paying the iPad Tax of £60 to £90 for a new display. But when my daughter’s iPad mini got mangled, I decided to try and save myself some money by going mail order. You know the famous advice about not putting your daughter on the stage? My advice is similar: don’t put your iPad in an envelope. My local iPad repairer replaces a screen in a couple of hours. At the time of writing, a mail order repairer has had my daughter’s iPad mini for over a month. It still isn’t fixed.

I asked to cancel the repair and have the iPad returned – that was a week ago

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The problem, I suspect, is that the firm had no intention of fixing the iPad for the price I paid, which is £34.99. Within 24 hours of receipt they were suggesting I paid an additional £44.99 to fix the Home button connector, which isn’t broken. When I said no, they went all quiet. Five days later, I contacted them and received an automated update: the iPad was going to be repaired within the next 7-10 days. Ten days later, I emailed; four days after that I got a reply saying they were busy and it would be another 7-10 days. I asked to cancel the repair and have the iPad returned; a week later I still haven’t heard anything from them. Here’s what I did wrong: I didn’t go on Twitter. The firm’s Trustpilot reviews are universally positive, but if you look more

closely you will see that lots and lots have been deleted at the company’s request. Its Twitter replies are almost entirely populated by frustrated and furious customers whose experiences have been amazingly similar to mine. Had I seen that, I wouldn’t have touched them with a bargepole. I’d have popped down to my usual repairer, and I’d have had the iPad mini back a month ago. Apple isn’t going to start making its products more modular: the thinner they get, the harder to fix they will become. So the moral of this story is simple: find a repairer that you can trust.

Freelance writer Gary Marshall is thinking of becoming a Fake Britain presenter.

What’s next for Apple? It’s going to be a big year for Apple. From radical new iPhones to multicore monster Macs, this year’s products will be the most amazing the company has ever made Words: Gary Marshall

20 | MacFormat.com | January 2016

iMacs, MacBooks and Mac Pros The current iMacs and MacBooks are great, but better things are coming

pple’s most recent Mac update was to the iMac, which now has Intel Skylake processors and 5K displays in the 27-inch models and Intel Broadwell processors in 21.5-inch models, one of which now has a 4K display. Those Broadwell processors are a compromise: Apple would much rather have the more powerful Skylake architecture in every iMac, but it’s waiting for Intel to add integrated graphics. Once it does, you can expect Skylake to appear across the Mac range – including the MacBook Pro sometime in 2016. There are several key benefits to Skylake processors beyond the usual speed bumps. It supports USB-C, which we’ve already seen in the MacBook; fast DDR4 RAM; WiGig for simple, fast wireless connections to accessories; wireless charging; and, most interestingly of all, Intel’s upgraded Thunderbolt 3 interface. Thunderbolt 3 uses the USB-C connector and USB-C cables to deliver up to 40Gbps data transfer speeds, and because it follows the USB-C standard that means it also supports 100W fast

Ap pple wou uld much h ra atherr hav ve Sk kyla akee prrocesssorss in everry Mac, but it’s waittin ng iM foor Inttel…

Both the MacBook and Mac Pro will get a huge boost from Intel’s next-generation Skylake and Xeon processors. charging for laptops. Clearly it’s a case of when Apple dumps USB-A for USB-C, not if. Non-Retina devices’ days are numbered, but we’re not sure that the 5K display will make its way from the iMac to Apple’s mobile devices: the Radeon M9-equipped MacBook Pro can already drive a 5K display, and while some 4K video professionals would love the extra room for toolbars and palettes, such a laptop wouldn’t be cheap. We’re not sure there are enough people who need 5K displays in their mobile Macs. Both Nvidia and AMD will be launching new generation GPUs in 2016 using the second generation of HBM (High Bandwidth Memory),

What’s next for OS X? We don’t know the name yet – Sequoia? Big Sur? Mojave? – but we know the number: OS X 10.12 is the next Mac OS, to be unveiled at WWDC and released in the autumn. Siri is likely to be the most visible, or rather audible, change, with Siri and Spotlight becoming one. The long-term

rumour of a new file system to replace the ageing HFS Plus might just happen too, although multiple reports suggest that licensing issues have made Apple abandon its plans to embrace ZFS and use BTRFS (http://bit.ly/mfbtrfs) instead. On a related note, expanding Time Machine to embrace

which offers much higher bandwidth than the GDDR5 memory that’s used in current graphics cards. Because HBM is stackable it can cram much more memory into a given space, and it’s significantly more power-efficient too. It’s the future, and as soon as Apple can get it into its Macs you can be sure it will. There’s a very good chance that HBM will make its debut in a refreshed Mac Pro, which is also due a processor refresh: the Pro’s Intel Xeon E5 v2 processor is getting on a bit, and moving to a fourth-generation E5 means more cores: where the Mac Pro currently maxes out at 12 of them, the Xeon E5 v4 can have up to 22.

iCloud – and reducing the cost of iCloud itself – would be widely welcomed, as would rebuilding iTunes from scratch. OS X 10.12 is likely to be focus on integration with other Apple devices: remotely unlocking your Mac when your Watch or iPhone is detected, for example, and the same kind of notifications we’ve seen with the Watch, where notifications only appear on the device you’re using.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 21

iPhone It’s the most successful Apple product ever made. What’s next?

pgrades to the iPhone follow a tick-tock model: the ticks are the radical redesigns, such as the iPhone 4, 5 and 6, and the tocks are the S-models: the 4s, 5s and 6s. 2016 is a tick year, so expectations are high. Apple’s patent portfolio is full of all kinds of goodies – haptic displays, solar charging, flexible screens and so on – but the iPhone 7’s tech will be less sensational: a thinner case with an edge-to-edge OLED and tougher glass is a safe bet, and we should see the higher density display of the Plus make its way into the 4.7-inch iPhone. Wireless charging is possible – it’s in the Apple Watch, after all – as is USB-C, but we suspect Apple will stick with its Lightning port. One interesting prediction comes from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who predicts not just the obvious step up to an A10 processor but the release of a small iPhone, too. The four-inch phone won’t repeat the mistakes of the iPhone 5C, which was visibly cheaper than its siblings; it’ll be an aluminium iPhone with Will 2016 finally be the year when the iPhone gets an A9 processor. If Apple fast wireless charging and an OLED display? sticks with its current naming scheme, as we expect, that means an iPhone 7 mini alongside the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. It’s possible that Apple might differentiate the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus not just in terms of their cameras and battery life (both of which are superior in the Plus), but in performance too: taking the Plus from 2GB of RAM to 3GB would make it even more attractive. It would be nice if Apple also admitted that 16GB of storage is no longer enough for anybody.

Apple TV, iPod and iTunes 4K streaming, virtual reality and the future of the iPod touch

he new Apple TV isn’t the finished article: app discoverability is hopeless, its TV streaming service hasn’t launched, and features such as iOS-style app folders are in the tvOS code, but not yet activated. The biggest omission is 4K video, which is likely to be the key selling point for the next generation of hardware, but we suspect that Apple’s TV focus this year will be on software and services. Part of that includes games: it’s not a competitor for high-end consoles, but it’s a great platform for casual gaming – as is the iPod touch. Sales may be slipping, but the iPod touch remains the gateway drug for iOS. As the sixth generation was launched in mid-2015, we don’t expect a major update in 2016. There’s something else the iPod touch can do: VR. As Google has demonstrated with Google Cardboard, you don’t need a dedicated VR headset to deliver good-enough VR, and Apple has filed multiple patents on VR technology. An Apple VR set may be years away, but an add-on to turn the iPod touch and iPhone into VR viewers would make a nifty ‘One More Thing’ – a fun thing for developers to play with and a way for Apple to gauge interest. The Apple TV might not do 4K, but as iPhones can record it Apple TV will have to display 4K eventually – and leaks show that Apple has also been working on 4K iTunes streaming with Sony since at least 2013. Maybe while Apple’s updating iTunes to handle that it can also answer Mac and PC owners’ prayers by giving iTunes a ground-up revamp. We live in hope.

What’s next for iOS? It’s not just the iPhone that’s on a tick-tock upgrade cycle: iOS is on one too, and with iOS 9’s emphasis on performance and stability – a definite ‘tock’ – iOS 10 should be the ‘tick’ that delivers some interesting new features. It’ll be launched at WWDC and released in the autumn, and might

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upset the jailbreakers: reports suggest a new security system, ‘rootless’, may make jailbreaking impossible. One thing we expected to see in iOS 9 was a Home app to accompany HomeKit. With HomeKit-enabled devices shipping, that’s a safe bet for iOS 10.

Fancy getting Siri to transcribe your voicemail? Apple’s working on it. According to Business Insider, people like to leave voicemail but hate receiving it, and young people hate it full stop. So, Siri will take a message, turn it into a text message and send it to you using iCloud. Siri will also be able to tell callers why you can’t take their calls – presumably without grassing you up to the boss.

iPad will rule the world, probably Apple made the iPad bigger, but how will it make the iPad better?

he rumours were right, and the big-screened iPad Pro made its debut in November alongside the iPad mini 4. So what’s next for Apple’s tablet? The next model due for an upgrade is the iPad Air, which we’re expecting to see updated in early 2016. According to Chinese tech site MyDrivers, the Air 3 will retain the familiar look of the iPad Air 2, but the screen’s resolution will be 2334x3112 pixels. The site also claims the Air 3 will have an A9 or A9X processor, a slimmer, water- and dust-resistant case, and suggests either 2GB or 4GB of RAM and an 8MP camera. There’s already an 8MP sensor in the iPad mini 4, and its 2GB of RAM makes us think the Air 3 will get 4GB to help differentiate it from its smaller sibling. We’re hopeful that the 16GB storage option will be replaced with a more sensible 32GB too. Don’t expect USB-C or a bigger battery: Apple’s likely to stick with Lightning for some time to come. As long as the iPad delivers the fabled all-day battery life, Apple doesn’t seem too keen on improving that. Recall that the iPad Air 2 had a smaller battery than its predecessor; its more efficient processor delivered the same battery life in a thinner device. Apple certainly likes making things thinner.

There’s one thing missing from the current and imminent iPad range, and that’s 3D Touch: the iPad Pro doesn’t have it, the iPad mini 4 doesn’t have it and the Air 3 is unlikely to get it. We think that’s coming in the generation after this one, possibly with Apple Pencil support too.

An updated iPad Air should arrive in early 2016 and it’s rumoured to include a higher res display.

Apple Car technology The Apple Car is the worst kept secret in tech, but don’t expect to see it in 2016: according to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is thinking 2019 instead. Apple has been hiring experts in connected vehicles and

autonomous driving tech, but while the Apple Car is expected to be a smart electric vehicle, it’s leaving self-driving cars to Google for now. Apple had talks with BMW about using its i3 as the base for its car, and while those talks stalled we can’t help wondering who else Apple has been talking to. If it hasn’t looked at McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray’s T27 electric car, we’ll eat a big, fat, juicy tyre.

Apple Watch The Apple Watch is rather like the original iPhone: a flawed, frustrating hint of what’s to come rather than a fully evolved product. The release of watchOS 2 made it better, but it’s a work in progress. The second generation is likely to be announced in late spring. It should address some, but not all, of the current Watch’s failings: we would expect a faster processor and more reliable apps, though not significantly improved battery life or a radically redesigned case. Apple is more likely to expand the range of cases and straps, possibly including cheaper options and a range of premium metals for more affluent customers, than to go back to the drawing board. That doesn’t mean it won’t change at all – a slightly thinner, more waterproof Watch with improved sensors is likely – but we think any changes will be evolutionary rather than revolutionary. A thinner screen to make room for more battery? Sure. A round Watch? Don’t hold your breath. The biggest problem with the original Watch is its dependence on the iPhone; even with native apps running on the Watch, which was enabled in watchOS 2, the Watch loses most of its powers when it can’t connect to your phone. A built-in LTE radio is unlikely, but the ability to connect to Wi-Fi networks without requiring an iPhone would be a valuable new feature. That would also enable Find My Watch, and if it’s teamed with a small front-facing camera it would enable FaceTime video calling from anywhere your Watch can find a Wi-Fi connection. The most tantalising rumour is support for Smart Straps, watch straps that add extra functionality. That’s something Pebble smartwatches offer, with straps adding extra battery power, notification LEDs or extra sensors. Imagine the ecosystem that could create.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 23

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We’ve been the UK’s biggest-selling Apple magazine for more than seven years, but we’ve not been resting on our laurels. From next month you’ll experience the all-new MacFormat, completely overhauled to give you the best help and advice in the world of Apple. Whether you’re a seasoned Mac user, a recent switcher or just getting started with Apple’s amazing line-up of products, we’ll be your guiding hand for all things OS X and iOS. We’re constantly in awe of the incredible products that Apple makes, from the world’s most powerful smartphones to the impossibly thin 12-inch MacBook, we love Apple and we know you do too. But, you’ve invested a lot of time, money and effort into the Apple ecosystem, and that’s where MacFormat comes in, delivering inspiring ideas as well as tried and tested solutions in good measure. The new-look magazine was directly inﬂuenced by your feedback in our recent magazine survey – you’ll see the rewards from 19 January. Enjoy! CHRISTIAN HALL EDITOR editor@macformat.com

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MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 25

Words: Nick Peers, Nik Rawlinson Illustration: Paul Blachford It’s said we only use a tiny percentage of our brain’s full potential. The same, sadly, is true of our Macs. These wonderful machines, even the oldest of which far outstrips the computing power of the kit that put Armstrong and Aldrin on the moon, spend their days drifting about the web, processing your words and totting up columns on a spreadsheet. In almost every instance there’s a better way of achieving each task, too – whether it’s employing some handy keyboard shortcuts, finding a workaround for a repetitive, tedious task, or employing some of the great innovations in Apple’s latest hardware and software. In the former case, we’re thinking

26 | MacFormat.com | January 2016

specifically of Force Touch, which crops up in the latest MacBook and – for desktops – Magic Trackpad 2. We’ve pooled our writers’ expertise, and their years of living and working with Macs, to bring you 13 pages packed with the tips and fiddles they use every day, whether at home or the office, to get more done in less time. We’ll also show you how to fix some of the most common niggles and irritants in an otherwise first-class pairing of hardware, software and online services. Some of what follows requires El Capitan, but not much, so even if you’re running an older edition of OS X on an ageing Mac there’s something here for everyone.

5 things to do in

El Capitan 1. Find the pointer

Our ultimate guide to doing more without spending more is packed with tips, tricks, features and fixes for every Mac user

Lost the pointer? Don’t waste time moving it slowly around the screen until you spot it: give the mouse a good shake, or scrub your finger quickly back and forth on your trackpad, and the pointer balloons to its maximum size so you can easily spot it. Stop shaking or scrubbing and it’ll shrink back to its normal size.

2. Edit images in Mail Place the pointer over an image in an outgoing mail message and click the arrow that then appears in the corner of the image. You can edit and annotate the picture right inside Mail before sending it. This neat change should be enough to save you a trip to an image editing app before you click Send.

3. Search using sentences Spotlight has always been good at finding files based on their names or contents, but you can now use more abstract phrases like ‘documents I worked on this week’ to pull up recent files.

4. Silence Safari

5. Relocate Spotlight We use Spotlight to work out simple calculations, but its window frequently covers the numbers we need to refer to. This was a problem in Yosemite, but not in El Capitan, as you can now drag the window (from its search bar) to a new spot on the screen to uncover your source material.

If you’re like us, you despise sites which autoplay sound; especially when you’ve got several tabs open and can’t work out which is the obnoxious one. In Safari 9, noisy tabs sport a speaker icon that you can click to mute it without having to close the page. If there’s more than one, click the speaker icon in the Smart Search field to silence all of them.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 27

13 Mac could do things you forgot your

1. Dictate offline OS X Yosemite and El Capitan support offline dictation (Mountain Lion and earlier require an internet connection). You’ll have to download an additional batch of data though, which for English-language users totals around 440MB. Press ƒ twice to start dictation and then select the option to enable Enhanced Dictation and press OK to start the download.

2. Type special characters easily You’ll already know that holding å, ≈ or ß with certain keys lets you type special symbols, but a lot of fonts include characters that aren’t directly accessible this way. To make finding them easier, add the Character Viewer to the menu bar by opening the Keyboard pane in System Preferences, clicking its Keyboard tab, and then checking the box beside ‘Show Keyboard, Emoji & Symbol Viewers in menu bar’. Click the new menu bar icon and pick ‘Show Emoji and Symbols’ to call up the viewer, find the character you want to use and drag it into your document or double-click it to enter it at the insertion point’s location.

3. Share work with your iOS device If you’re using an iOS 8 or iOS 9 app that has an OS X Yosemite or El Capitan equivalent (or vice versa) you can hand off tasks between devices, as long as they’re signed in to the same iCloud account. On the Mac, an app’s icon appears to the left of the Dock, ready to be clicked, while on iOS you’ll find a prompt at the bottom of the app switcher, waiting to be tapped. Handoff needs a Mac and an iOS device listed at http://apple. co/1I34axX, and to be enabled in System Preferences’ General pane and on iOS in Settings > General > Handoff & Suggested Apps.

4. Reverse scroll direction

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OS X Lion introduced ‘natural scrolling’, which scrolls contents so that it tracks the direction of your finger movement. It’s logical, but if you switch between OS X and Windows or Linux you might want to reverse it so that all of your computers match. Click Mouse or Trackpad in System Preferences and uncheck ‘Scroll direction: natural’.

6. Open hidden menus

With every refresh introducing great new features, it’s easy to forget about some of OS X’s existing and invaluable tools

You’ll already know that clicking the status icons on the right of the menu bar lets you pull down menus for changing the volume and switching Wi-Fi networks, but did you know that doing the same while pressing å on the keyboard opens up a world of extra options and hidden info? å-click Bluetooth, for instance, and you can see the MAC addresses of your devices and create a diagnostics report to help investigate problems; on the volume icon, this lets you redirect the output to alternative speakers; å-clicking the Wi-Fi icon shows a raft of information about connection speed, channel and so on, all of which helps when you’re trying to select the best connection among competing networks. å-clicking Notification Centre’s icon toggles Do Not Disturb off or on.

7. Tap your trackpad

Apple’s preference is for physically clicking a trackpad (as such, it’s the only way you can select a user account at the login window). However, we prefer gentle, quiet tapping. If you’re like us, open the Trackpad pane in System Preferences and check the box beside Tap to click in the Point & Click tab.

5. Reinstate Dashboard

8. Detach the Dock

Dashboard has fallen out of favour of late (we’re still hoping to see it reincarnated as a place for running iOS apps). If you still want to use it and it’s not showing up in Yosemite or El Capitan, reinstate it by opening the Mission Control pane in System Preferences and turning on the Dashboard option.

If you’re running Google Hangouts, or anything else that pops up notifications from the bottom of the screen, you run the risk of unintentionally dropping something – perhaps a file destined for the Trash – into your Hangouts stream. To relocate the Dock, ≈-click its divider and select Left or Right from the Position on Screen submenu.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 29

HOW TO USE

Things you forgot your

13Mac could do CONTINUED... 9. Change your default applications Don’t like Safari? Then don’t use it. Changing your default web browser is easy: open System Preferences, click General and pick one from the list of browsers installed on your Mac. If you want to use something other than Mail for handling email, launch Mail (yes, we know!), open its preferences, switch to the General tab and pick an option from the pop-up list of installed apps labelled ‘Default email reader’. You can’t specify a webmail service, so if you routinely use Gmail outside of an app, consider installing something like Go for Gmail (free, Mac App Store). To switch your default instant messaging app, open Messages’ General preferences, and make a choice from the list labelled ‘Default IM application’.

10. Capture shots of the screen Take a screenshot by pressing ç+ß+3. Capture an area of the screen by pressing ç+ß +4 and then dragging the crosshairs through that area. The image will be snapped as soon as you release the mouse or trackpad button. To capture a window, press ç+ß+4 followed by the Spacebar and then click on what you want to grab.

12. Switch Spaces You can move apps from one (work)space to another by pressing the Mission Control key (F3) to shrink their windows and then dragging them to another space to the row at the top of the screen. If you only want to move them one space left or right of where they already are, it’s easier to drag from a window’s title bar all the way to the left or right edge of the desktop, avoiding Mission Control entirely.

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TWO APPS SIDE BY SIDE El Capitan now lets you run a pair of apps in tandem on a single full screen

1. Max your app Start by clicking the green button at the top-left corner of one of the two apps you want to use to switch it to full-screen mode. Don’t worry about the menu bar disappearing: moving the pointer to the top of the screen will reveal it.

11 Force Quit If an app freezes, open the Force Quit window by pressing å+ç+œ. Select the unresponsive app and then click Force Quit. If you’re certain which app is the problem, hold å+ ç and click its Dock icon, then choose Force Quit.

13. Volume variations If you’ve unchecked the option ‘Play feedback when volume is changed’ in your Mac’s Sound preferences, holding ß while pressing the volume keys temporarily re-enables the preview sound until you release the key. Holding ß+å lets you make smaller changes, moving up or down the scale by a quarter-step rather than the usual full step you’ll jump with the volume keys alone.

2. Add your second app Press the Mission Control key (labelled F3), then hold å and click on your previous space in the top bar (which expands to shown spaces when you put the pointer over it). Now you can see the windows in that space, drag one from a second app on to the first app’s space in the top bar.

3. Reapportion space As you drag the window over the space, you have a choice of dropping it onto the left or right side. Make that choice, and then click that space. The two apps now sit side by side in the fullscreen display. Drag the black bar between them to adjust the amount of space allocated to each.

Get more from

Mac apps

1. Souped-up Notes Notes has been reinvented in El Capitan, enabling you to incorporate data from other apps into your notes, from selected text and photos to maps and web page links. When you’ve found something you want to note, look for a Share button in its app; if it exists, click it and choose Notes to transfer that content to a note. If you want to add a specific object or passage of text to a note, select it, then ≈-click and choose Share > Notes (again, not all apps have this). From the Share sheet that pops up, you can add the selection to a new note, or you can tack it onto the end of an existing note (you can then change its position by editing the note). Notes can store PDFs, movies and audio recordings, and its Attachments Browser lets you view by type all objects you’ve added: photos & videos, sketches, maps, website links, audio, and documents.

2. Grouped conversations In El Capitan, you may find that conversations in Mail are no longer grouped. Many mail apps automatically ad ‘Re:’ to the beginning of the subject line when replying. If it’s missing, Mail doesn’t recognise the connection between messages, even if their subjects match.

3. Multi-edit in Photos

5. Power up Photos

The latest version of Photos makes it easier to work on multiple pictures at the same time, allowing you to perform the same edits (such as adding a common location) on them. To do this, hold ç and click each photo in turn, then press ç+I to access the Info dialog to apply your changes.

El Capitan adds support for third-party extensions in Photos – these allow you to access selected image-editing tools from supported applications from within Photos itself. Early adopters include Pixelmator (various Distort tools), Tonality (for black and white effects), Noiseless (noise reduction), Snapheal (cloning and other healing tools), and BeFunky Express. The latter is the cheapest way to add additional editing capabilities to Photos – it costs £3.99 and provides you with six extra tools for improving your snaps, including a highlights and shadows adjustment tool and various tweaks for brightening skin, teeth and eyes. Once you’ve installed an app that plugs in to Photos, go to System Preferences > Extensions > Photos and turn on its extension; then access its tools by clicking the Extensions button when editing an image in Photos.

4. Events from email If Mail detects references to events and previously unknown contact details in a message, it alerts you to them at the top of that message. So, if people include enough pertinent detail in invitations, you can quickly add it to Calendar or Contacts.

HOW TO

Discover some neat tips and tricks that help you get more from Apple’s free apps

CUT OUT PHOTOS Decorate your Pages and Keynote documents with objects and characters

6. Make iPhone ringtones Why pay for ringtones when you can easily convert any song in your iTunes library into a ringtone? One rule: ringtones can be no longer than 30 seconds in length. Open iTunes, then locate the track you want to use for your ringtone. ≈-click it and choose Get Info. Switch to the Options tab and set the Start and Stop times to encompass the snippet you wish to use – remember, no longer than 30 seconds. Click OK, right-click the song again and this time choose ‘Create AAC version’. You’ll see a new version of the song appear in iTunes, its length 30 seconds or shorter. ≈-click it and choose ‘Show in Finder’. Change its file extension to .m4r. Return to iTunes, right-click the song again, but this time choose Delete (don’t send it to the Trash when prompted). Return to Finder, and simply drag the .m4r file back into the iTunes window – it won’t be added to your music library, but you’ll find it under Tones, ready to sync to your iPhone.

1. The Instant Alpha tool Place an image in your document and then select it. Open the Format inspector (click the paintbrush in the toolbar) and click the Image tab, then the ‘Instant Alpha’ button. First, put the crosshairs over an area of the background you want to remove.

2. Select an area to remove Hold the mouse or trackpad button and then drag in any direction – the size of the area that will be made transparent increases as you do so, changing colour as a result. Drag too far and the foreground will be included; drag back in the opposite direction to fix it.

7. Casual playlists iTunes’ Up Next feature lets you queue up tracks for one-off playback. It’s easy to manage too: put the pointer over the status area at the top of the app, then click the bulleted list icon at its top-right corner. Drag items up or down the list to tweak their order, or click the clock icon to reveal recent tracks played; listen again by putting the pointer over a track, clicking the ‘…’ button next to it, and then choosing ‘Add to Up Next’ or ‘Play Next’. To turn your set into a playlist, select File > New Playlist. Name it, then open Up Next. Select all of the tracks in it (or its history view) and drag them onto the new playlist.

3. Erase and repeat When you’ve selected the right amount, release the mouse or trackpad button to remove it. Now click elsewhere on the background and repeat until you’ve wiped away the background. Click Done when only the bit you wish to keep remains.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 33

HOW TO

ADD MISSING ALBUM ART IN iTUNES Fill gaps to make your iTunes library more beautiful

1. Set up an app Download and open Album Artwork Assistant (http://bit.ly/albumartassist). Choose Album Artwork Assistant > Install iTunes AppleScript. Once done, switch to iTunes. Select the album with missing artwork and then choose Scripts > Find with Album Artwork Assistant.

Things you forgot your

Mac could do CONTINUED... 8. TextEdit time savers Here’s two handy tips that use the Clipboard. First, to copy and paste styles between passages of text, select the text containing your desired style and press å+ç+c. Now select the text you wish to apply that style to and press å+ç+v to make it so. To do this with tab stops, place the insertion point in a row that contains the tab stop setup you want to reuse and press ≈+ç+c, move the insertion point to another line and press ≈+ç+v to apply them to it.

2. Add artwork

12. Annotate better

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Roll back a document In many apps, you can recover previous versions of files from your Time Machine backup. Open your file, pick File > Revert To > Browse All Versions, find the one you want and click Restore. Enter Time Machine while in Mail to recover messages.

A new window will open to a list of potential image matches – look for the one with the largest dimensions (ideally 500x500 pixels or greater), then click Add Immediately and it’ll be added to all the tracks that are listed above, which come from your selection in iTunes.

3. Advanced tips

Maps’ Transit view makes it possible to plot journeys using public transport (http://bit.ly/AppleMapsTransit). Zoom into the map and you’ll see the layout of a station in terms of its shape and entrances. In London, you can get live travel information for rail, underground and bus routes. Just click on the station icon for a list of services that operate there, then click the ‘i’ for live updates.

10. Open multiple documents in Preview To work with more than one document in Preview – hold ç as you select files before opening them. Thumbnails of each one will appear in Preview’s sidebar. Click the relevant thumbnail to switch to that document, or click the triangle next to one to see thumbnails of its pages. Add more files by dragging them from Finder onto the sidebar.

If the album’s title is too generic, you may need to tweak your search terms (try adding the artist name). Also, beware titles like ‘Greatest Hits’, which will pull in all matching tracks regardless of artist. If necessary, select tracks you don’t want to change and choose Edit > Delete.

9. Public transport

El Capitan introduces some neat new features that make the Markup tool in Mail, TextEdit and Preview perform better. The most obvious example is the Sketch tool, which enables you to quickly sketch a rough shape in freehand, which Markup will smooth out the shape to a

rectangle or a circle, for example – a pop-up allows you to switch between this and what you actually sketched. If you possess a Force Touch trackpad, press more firmly on it when drawing to produce a heavier, darker line. The Loupe tool isn’t new, but is often overlooked: click the ‘a’ in circle in the shapes menu to create a magnifying lens that you can drag over a part of your image to draw attention to a detail. Click and drag on the two coloured buttons on the circle’s edge to adjust it: green for zoom, blue for lens size. Place a second lens over the first to zoom in even closer.

Make more of

gestures

The swiping & pinching you already know from iOS also helps you fly through OS X 2. Push everything aside 1. Ways to reach Mission Control It can be difficult to keep track of things when you’ve got too many windows, which is why the Mission Control key is useful (that’s the one that has several rectangles inside a larger one, and labelled F3). This spreads out your windows so that each is fully visible, and you can quickly switch between them – or the different virtual desktops (spaces) across which they’re organised. However, it’s often quicker to use a trackpad gesture; lay three fingertips on the trackpad and swipe up to achieve the same thing. Swiping three fingers left or right moves you through the virtual desktops you’ve created (shown at the top of Mission Control), including Dashboard if you’ve enabled it (see p29).

Place three fingers and your thumb on the trackpad and spread them out to move all your windows out of the way and reveal the desktop below. You can now work with icons on the desktop – for example, dragging them into folders, or onto Dock icons to open files. Reverse the gesture to bring the windows back into view. With your windows in view, that reversed gesture – starting with three fingers and a thumb wide apart and pulling them together – opens Launchpad, which shows your installed apps in a grid across multiple pages in a very similar manner to the Home screen on iOS devices. Click an app to open it, or perform the gesture in reverse or press œ to close it. Learning this lets you reclaim space by removing Launchpad from the Dock.

3. Look up a word

4. Force Touch

Press on a Force Touch trackpad while the pointer is over a word in a webpage or a document, then press harder to feel a second click and get a definition of the word. If applicable, you’ll see various options on the bottom of the pop-up window containing extra information retrieved from resources such as web videos, helping you to gain a broader understanding. For word definitions, click Open in Dictionary to open the dedicated app.

With a Force Touch trackpad, you press once to click and then harder to call up extra info and features in compatible apps. You can adjust the amount of pressure that’s required to trigger the deeper click by going to System Preferences’ Trackpad pane: clicking the Point & Click tab, and dragging the ‘Click’ slider. If you have a regular trackpad, put a check mark next to ‘Look up & data detectors’ to look things up with a three-fingered tap.

MAGIC KEYBOARD Familiarising yourself with some common Mac keyboard shortcuts and cross-platform controls pays dividends A. Magic Keyboard in Boot Camp If you’re running Windows in Boot Camp or a virtualised environment, such as Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion, use ç for the Windows key, å+≈ as a substitute for Windows’ Alt Gr key, ƒ+œ for Pause/Break, ƒ+® for Insert, and ƒ plus the …, æ, “ or ‘ arrow key for Page Up, Page Down, Home and End respectively.

B. Multiple keyboards If you’ve bought two or more keyboards with different language layouts, switch between them automatically by opening the Keyboard pane in System Preferences and putting a check mark next to ‘Automatically switch to a document’s input source’ in the Input Sources tab. Checking ‘Show Input menu in menu bar’ displays a national flag that, when clicked, lets you switch manually.

C. Acute advice Alternatively, if you only occasionally need to type an accented character rather than writing in a foreign language all the time, hold down on the

closest letter and wait for the accented options to pop up, then press the number listed below the one you want to type. So, for the German ß, hold S, then press 1 to match its position in the pop-up menu, or for an e with a circumflex, hold E and then press 3.

D. Share your keyboard You don’t need to buy a Magic Keyboard for every device. When you’ve finished using your keyboard on one Mac, briefly connect it to another using its Lightning cable and, so long as the Mac’s Bluetooth is turned on, they’ll be paired and the keyboard will forget all about the last Mac it was used with. It’ll now stay paired to the new Mac until you next briefly plug it into another one.

E. Bluetooth wake-up fix If pressing a key on your Magic Keyboard isn’t waking up your sleeping Mac, open System Preferences, click the Bluetooth icon, and then click the Advanced button at the bottom-right corner. Make sure the ‘Allow Bluetooth devices to wake this computer’ option is checked.

5. Take a peek at Notification Centre Clicking the bulleted list at the far right of the menu bar opens Notification Centre, but if you just want to take a quick peek at what you’ve missed while away from your Mac, you can bring it in by sliding two fingers left from the very right hand edge of your trackpad. You’ll be familiar with this action if you have an iPad as it’s a lot like sliding one finger in from the left to reveal the mailbox list when using Mail in portrait orientation. To dismiss Notification Centre again, simply place two fingers at any position on the trackpad and swipe right.

6. Force Touch in other apps Force Touch provides shortcuts to many useful actions. When you press harder on the trackpad in QuickTime and iMovie, you’re able to scrub forwards and backwards more quickly. Do the same in Maps to zoom faster. Force-click an event in Calendar to see its full details, or force-click an app icon in the Dock to see only that one’s windows, spread out, so you can quickly switch to the one you need to use. Check out http://apple.co/ 1XIMjG4 for more examples of places to use Force Touch.

7. Swipe your way around the web Browsing with Safari inevitably requires a lot of scrolling, but gestures can help here, too. Swiping two fingers up or down moves the page up and down, as with a regular document, but swiping left and right with two fingers moves backwards and forwards through your history (pressing ç with [ or ] does the same if you don’t have a trackpad). Double-tapping while the pointer is over an image or a column of text zooms the page to better fit that content into the window’s width, after which you can pan in all directions by sliding two fingers on the trackpad to move the page). Double-tapping two fingers again zooms back out. Provided ‘Tap to click’ and ‘Secondary click’ are enabled in Trackpad preferences, tapping a link with two fingers reveals a context-sensitive menu, from which you can open the linked resource in a new tab if you don’t want to lose your position on the page you’re currently reading.

8. Advanced gestures If any of these gestures aren’t working for you (or you’re inadvertently triggering some), select which ones are active through System Preferences’ Trackpad pane, where you’ll also find short demo videos that show how each of them works.

9. Use App Exposé Turn on App Exposé in Trackpad > More Gestures, then swipe down with three fingers to focus on the various windows of the foreground app. So, if you have several Numbers documents and several Pages files open, and Pages has focus, this gesture will arrange the Pages windows so they’re each visible, while hiding Numbers’ windows.

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Improve your Mac’s

security

Disable SIP

Two-step verification

El Capitan’s System Integrity Protection feature locks down your Mac’s System folder for better protection. If there’s a time when you need to temporarily disable it, restart your Mac with ç+r held down, then choose Utilities > Terminal. Type csrutil disable and press ®, then restart. When you’re done tweaking, return here and type csrutil enable to switch SIP on.

Apple is rolling out two-factor authentication, which basically means you’ll need to enter a verification code the first time you use your Apple ID and password on an unrecognised device. If you want to tighten security on your account further, look to enable two-step verification too, which will require you to enter a four-digit verification code sent to a trusted device each time you sign into key services or make purchases from a new device. Browse to http://apple.co/1N9SqsI to set it up.

Avoid dangerous websites

Keychain safety

Encrypt your Mac

How safe is the website you’re about to visit? Don’t take any chances: install a free browser add-on called WOT (Web of Trust) from mywot.com, which provides traffic-light security and privacy ratings for sites, and will pop up warnings should you attempt to access sites known which are known to be dangerous.

If you’re using Keychain to store your usernames and passwords, be aware it is vulnerable to attack, as was discovered by researchers in 2015. Make sure you haven’t been compromised by installing and running Malwarebytes Anti-Malware from malwarebytes.org, which also detects and removes adware and other malware too.

Worried about sensitive files you’ve stored on your MacBook? Make sure you encrypt its storage to keep your data off-limits in case the MacBook is lost or stolen: open System Preferences, click the Security & Privacy icon and then click the FileVault tab. Click ‘Turn on FileVault’ and follow the prompts to keep your files safe.

ENCRYPT YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION Protect yourself when online by using a free VPN service

1. Install CyberGhost

2. Sign up

3. Beef up security

CyberGhost’s free service is particularly suited to free, unencrypted Wi-Fi hotspots, though it works elsewhere too. Go to cyberghostvpn.com/en_gb and click ‘Free Download’. Open the disk image and drag the app to the Applications folder.

Open CyberGhost and install the helper app when prompted. When the main window appears, click the power button to connect via the VPN – you’ll have to wait in a queue, but it only takes a few minutes before you’re automatically connected.

You’ll be assigned a random location (click Automatic to change this to a specific country) and once connected everything you do will be encrypted and sent securely. The connection will automatically close after three hours – just reconnect to go again.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 39

Fixing

annoyances As much as we love our Macs, there are some things that niggle, but a solution is usually close to hand

4. Working with a Windows keyboard If you’ve switched from Windows to a Mac mini, you might have been tempted to bring your old PC peripherals with you, in which case the Windows keyboard might not behave in quite the same way as its Mac equivalent. You can set the modifier keys, such as Ctrl, Alt, and the Windows key, to behave however you prefer in System Preferences > Keyboard > Keyboard and clicking Modifier Keys.

1. Dual-screen life’s a drag If you’re lucky enough to regularly work with two displays at once, but are having trouble dragging windows from one to the other, open the Displays pane in System Preferences and click the Arrangement tab. Your primary display is shown with a menu bar, which you can drag to the other one if you want to demote the current display. Dragging either display here lets you move it to whichever side of its neighbour matches their physical arrangement, while dragging one higher or lower than the other makes it so that when the pointer leaves one display and arrives on the other, it does so at the same vertical position.

2. Streamline Spotlight

3. Skip annoying confirmations

If Spotlight is giving you too many results, go to System Preferences > Spotlight > Search Results and clear the checkboxes next to the categories that do not interest you to exclude them from results.

Where an action or a menu command invokes a confirmation dialog, holding å while performing or choosing it often skips the confirmation. So, if you want to shut down without being asked if that’s what you really wanted, hold å while picking Shut Down from the Apple menu. Likewise with the Trash, hold å while picking Empty Trash after ≈-clicking it in the Dock to empty it right away.

40 | MacFormat.com | January 2016

5. Faulty defaults Want to open .docx files in Pages but find they’re always snaffled by Word? To change the default app for any file type, ≈-click on an example of the file you want to reassign and choose Get Info (or just click on it and then press ç+I). Expand the ‘Open with’ section and select the application you want to use instead, then click the Change All button to set this app as the default for all files of that type on your Mac.

Clean up iCloud Drive

6. Application errors If an app isn’t working and you haven’t found a solution online, try repairing file permissions (on Yosemite or earlier; El Capitan does this automatically during software updates). Permissions tell OS X which accounts can access what. Open Disk Utility, select a partition on a disk and click First Aid, then Run to check everything is set as it needs to be. It’s also worth selecting the drive on which the partition is located (even on El Capitan) and running First Aid to verify the way the disk is configured has not become damaged.

Diagnose iCloud problems through the iCloud pane in System Preferences. Check that each application you want to synchronise is ticked in the list of services and click the ‘Manage’ button to see which of them is using the most storage space when things start to get a bit tight on your account. A little spring cleaning here can save you shelling out for a monthly, paid plan, but many of the erase options are heavy-handed and delete all of the data for a particular app en masse – for example, removing all of your Notes in one fell swoop. For more fine-grained control, open the actual applications themselves and delete unwanted files from their built-in file manager – or archive specific documents to an external drive. In Pages, Numbers and Keynote, you can also open files to inspect them and then use the Move To command in the File menu to shift them from your online cloud storage to a location on your Mac. A third option, which lets you skip a lot of these steps, is to show iCloud Drive in the Finder sidebar, or choose Go > iCloud Drive when Finder is the foreground app – and then drag files from iCloud to local storage in the Finder window that opens.

8. Dock overload An overloaded Dock can actually make apps harder to find. The rule we live by is to keep only those apps onto which we might want to drag a file, such as Photoshop or Preview, in the Dock, and open others using Spotlight (or by pressing ç+a when the Finder is active to open the Applications folder and find the one we want). To remove an app from the Dock, simply drag it upwards, and let go when the word ‘Remove’ appears.

7. Clean your clutter Even a high-spec Mac won’t have enough memory to hold all the data you’re throwing at it at any one time. It therefore uses its storage as a temporary staging post, briefly swapping out data from its fast memory to the slower storage medium. When that information is required, something else may be swapped out to disk and it’s read back to main memory. Make sure you have plenty of free storage for the operating system to play with – 10%, or at least as much as you have RAM – or you’ll start to notice your Mac slowing down. Keep it running well by regularly emptying the Trash and archiving unused files frequently.

9. Finder’s default location By default, Finder windows open with a view of all of your files, but if you routinely work in one folder this isn’t necessarily the best start point. Set Finder to open new windows on your favourite folder by opening the Finder menu, picking Preferences and selecting your folder from the ‘New Finder windows show’ menu, under General.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 41

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Organise your menu bar Use Bartender 2 to quickly organise and search all of your menu extras p53

Use Pages to work with others

Get to events on time

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Make the most of Mail

Manage storage in Disk Utility

El Capitan brings some great new features to Apple’s excellent email app p46

An essential tool for checking drive health, and formatting and encrypting disks p58

Make a ringtone in GarageBand

Go deeper with 3D Touch

How to turn your favourite tune into an iPhone ringtone with GarageBand p49

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Tighten file security in the cloud

Remotely control your Mac

Add a secondary layer of encryption and prevent unauthorised access to cloud-hosted files p50

Use your Mac remotely just like you do when you have it with you p62

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 43

IMPROVE | iWork

Work collaboratively in Pages Even if others don’t have a Mac, you can still work on documents with them SKILL LEVEL Anyone can do it

IT WILL TAKE 20 minutes

YOU’LL NEED Pages, a compatible web browser

Pages’ collaboration and commenting features are very good and very useful, but they haven’t been much cop if you’re working with people who don’t have the app, or who don’t have a Mac. That can be a problem, because commenting and editing plays a key role in many teams; several people might need to look over a press release, contribute to a newsletter, or review a document to ensure it isn’t going to land

Recent changes to the iCloud version of Pages enable it to be used collaboratively

QUICK LOOK COLLABORATION

anyone in legal hot water. We can’t be alone in keeping a copy of Word handy for documents that require other people’s input. Things have changed, however. Recent improvements to the iCloud version of Pages enable you not just to share documents with people who don’t have Apple hardware, but to collaborate with them too. In this tutorial we’ll explore two kinds of collaboration. First, we’ll discover how to share documents with others over iCloud, how to enable commenting, and how those comments look on your Mac. Then we’ll discover the extra features that are available when the recipient also has Pages for Mac – as you’d expect, while collaboration works fine for non-Mac users, Apple keeps the best stuff on the Mac.

Review toolbar

This pane tracks all 1 of the edits and comments added to your document. Use the ticks and crosses down its right side to accept or reject changes. You can show or hide this pane from the View menu.

This provides an easy way to step through all of the comments and changes made to your document.

Highlighted Comment Each person who comments on your document is assigned a colour, making it easy to see who’s said what. 2

Gary Marshall

2 2

44 | MacFormat.com | January 2016

Comments

Tracked changes New text appears in a different colour, while deleted text stays in place with a line through it so that you can see what’s been cut. You can accept or reject the changes individually or globally. 4

iWork | IMPROVE HOW TO | WORK ON A SHARED DOCUMENT IN iCLOUD

1 Start sharing

You can share from Pages by sending a file to somebody, or using iCloud (which needs an iCloud account to be set up on your Mac. Save your document and choose Share > Share Link via iCloud. You can make your document read-only and password-protect it.

2 Open it online

All you need to collaborate is a suitable web browser (see http://bit.ly/iworkicloud). This is what our colleague sees when they open the shared iCloud document in their browser. It’s similar to Pages on the iPad, with icons along the top and formatting tools on the right.

4 See what’s said

5 Track changes

6 Leave a trace

7 Accept or reject

On your Mac you’ll see the comments on your copy of the document. To review the feedback, just click on the highlighted text, or on the coloured block in the left margin. If several people have contributed, each one’s comments will be coloured differently.

This is what your document looks like if you make edits with Track Changes switched on. Deleted text remains, but with a line through it, and added text appears in a different colour to the original text. Click View Options at the top of the left pane for options to filter by author.

Notice the row of options above the document. Click its far-left icon to show the Comments pane, which shows everything that has been added by others. You can also track changes to the document, but that requires you to be working with another Pages for Mac user.

You can choose to accept or reject changes individually using the green and red icons next to each one in the Comments pane. You can also accept or reject all changes in one step by clicking either the green or the red button in the Review toolbar.

3 Add comments

Click Comment in the toolbar to add comments to the document shared with you. Here, our colleague has highlighted a block of text and commented on it. If you don’t like iCloud’s colour choice, change it by clicking the icon of a person in the toolbar and pick another.

NO ENTRY? NO PROBLEM! If an ageing Mac’s version of Safari prevents you using iWork for iCloud, install Google Chrome, which supports OS X 10.6 onwards.

8 Clean it up

After reviewing the changes, your document should look like this: the proposed edits have either been made or refused, so they no longer appear, but the comments remain. If you want to delete one, put the pointer over it in the left pane and then click Delete.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 45

IMPROVE | Mac Apps

Make the most of Mail Learn how to manage your email like a pro using Apple’s excellent email app SKILL LEVEL Anyone can do it

IT WILL TAKE 10 minutes

YOU’LL NEED OS X 10.11, an email account

Mail is the default app you use to receive and read email on a Mac. It’s been around since the start of OS X but has been through many changes. In an age where webmail is king it might seem old-fashioned to use a dedicated email app instead of your web browser to get your mail, but there are several advantages to using Mail. At first glance Mail hasn’t changed much in El Capitan, compared to the previous Yosemite version, but if you look more closely you’ll find that there are plenty of new features to delight you. It can automatically identify event details, show you addresses and spot updated contact information. You can use natural language searching, so for example if you search for “emails from Susan on Friday”, Mail will understand you. If you have a trackpad you can use iOS-style swipes to trash mails or mark them unread, and in another iOS-inspired move you can work in full-screen mode with the message you’re writing hiding itself when you want to see or copy from another one. You can even have several

OS X El Capitan’s Mail application should be your go-to place for getting email on your Mac.

If you look closely you’ll find there are plenty of features in Mail to delight you

part-composed messages open in full-screen mode, using Safari-like tabs. Here we’ll explore Mail’s many powers and show you how to make the most of them. You’ll soon see why Mail should be your go-to email app on your Mac.

Gary Marshall

HOW TO | SET UP EMAIL IN EL CAPITAN

DROP IT! Mail Drop means you don’t need to worry about sending big files: if they’re too big for the recipient’s inbox, Mail will automatically send them an iCloud download link instead.

1 A fresh start

If you’re upgrading from a previous version of OS X, Mail should automatically import everything you need: all of your messages and settings will be carried across. With a new Mac or a fresh OS X installation, however, you’ll need to start from scratch. Click Mail > Accounts.

46 | MacFormat.com | January 2016

2 Choose your provider

System Preferences’ Internet Accounts pane will now appear. You’ve got a choice of common account types – iCloud, Gmail and so on. You can also enter details manually in Mail > Preferences > Accounts. Here, we’ll add an existing Gmail account. iCloud support works the same way.

Mac Apps | IMPROVE

SHRINK PHOTOS

3 Enter your password

In order to receive your mail, the app needs to know your email address and password. If you’re using iCloud, you’ll be asked for your Apple ID and password here. We’ve entered details of our Google account; for popular services such as this one, Mail automatically detects server settings.

4 Prove it’s you

iCloud, Gmail and other services offer two-factor authentication, so when somebody tries to connect an app, as we’re doing here, they need to prove they’re really you by entering a code sent to one of your registered devices. Without the correct verification code, the installation will fail.

Digital photos can be enormous. If you don’t need to send full-resolution originals, attach your files, then use the pop-up menu on the right of your message to select a smaller image size.

JARGON BUSTER

5 Watch it arrive

If you’ve entered the correct information, you should now see your emails begin to appear in your inbox. If you have a busy email account, this could take some time. You don’t have to wait for the messages to finish downloading: you can use Mail right now.

7 Sort with swipes

If your Mac has a trackpad, you can quickly filter email just like you do in iOS – with swiping. Put the pointer over a message and then swipe left to trash the message, or swipe right to toggle the message’s read status. No trackpad? No problem: use ∫ and ç+ß+U for the respective actions.

6 See your labels

By default Mail shows your inbox, but if you organise your email by folders (or in Gmail’s case, labels) then clicking on the Mailboxes button at the top-left corner shows them. You can create a new folder by choosing Mailbox > New Mailbox, naming it, and selecting where you want to put it.

8 Anoint a VIP

Mail has a VIPs mailbox that only includes messages from your most important contacts, and it can notify you of those messages and no others. To set someone as a VIP, ≈-click on their name and choose Add to VIPs. In Mail’s General preferences, set ‘New message notifications’ to VIPs.

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) enables you to access email that’s stored on a remote server, such as iCloud or Gmail. The older POP3 standard usually removed messages from the server when you downloaded them to your computer. Bcc (blind carbon copy) is a way of copying an email to someone without letting them see who else you’re sending it to.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 47

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Mac Apps | IMPROVE

Make iPhone ringtones Easily turn your favourite tune into a ringtone using GarageBand SKILL LEVEL Anyone can do it

IT WILL TAKE 5 minutes

YOU’LL NEED Garageband and a suitable tune

GarageBand isn’t just for people who want to record music: it’s a handy app for making ringtones too. Making a new tone is really simple. All you need to do is choose the audio you want to use, cut it down to size and export it to iTunes. (Technically it should be a track you own the copyright for, but nobody’s ever been arrested for making their favourite song into a ringtone.) As you’ll see, the process is really quick and straightforward. You can also compose your own ringtones using Apple Loops, GarageBand’s Smart Instruments, or any real musical instruments you have handy. The trick to making loops is to take advantage of GarageBand’s selection looping. If you click the icon that looks a bit like a recycling symbol, whenever you press the Play button GarageBand will repeat the section indicated by the orange marker above the audio tracks – so if you want an eight-bar loop, simply adjust the selection to eight bars. That

GarageBand isn’t just for making music. You can use it to make ringtones or to record podcasts too. makes it easy to hear how your ringtone will sound, and to identify whether you need to do any more tweaking to it. In this tutorial we’ve used a track that’s easy to loop, but not all music is so simple: you might find that to get your audio to loop perfectly, you need

to edit it in a bit more detail. You might need the audio to start a fraction of a second earlier or later, for example, so it’ll loop nice and smoothly. That isn’t a problem: zoom in, then drag the audio forwards or backwards by tiny amounts.

Gary Marshall

HOW TO | TURN A TUNE INTO A TONE

1 Choose the tune

Make sure the song you want to use is already in your iTunes library. If it isn’t, open iTunes, choose File > Add To Library and add the track. Next, open GarageBand’s Media Browser using the icon of a camera and a musical note at the top-right corner. Select iTunes, then Music, locate the track you want and then drag it to the very beginning of the Audio 1 track.

2 Trim the track

A three-minute song is too long to use as a ringtone, so trim it to an appropriate length. Zoom out to see the whole track and then move the pointer to the bottom-right of the track. The pointer will change to the trim tool. Drag leftwards. You should see the audio shorten. In this example we’re going to trim it to just eight bars of music, so that we only have the main riff looping.

3 Check your loop

The orange bar right above your track is the selection marker. If you click the loop icon and then play, GarageBand will loop just that section. You can adjust the selection by dragging its edges. This is a good way to check that your loop will work as a ringtone. When you’re satisfied with it, choose Share > Ringtone to iTunes to export the loop in the correct format, ready to sync to your iPhone.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 49

IMPROVE | Mac Apps

Secure your files in the cloud Prevent unauthorised access with a secondary layer of encryption SKILL LEVEL Anyone can do it

IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes

YOU’LL NEED OS X 10.7 or higher, the Viivo app and a free account

Just how secure is your data in the cloud? Services like Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive encrypt your files, but the all-important key that’s used to decrypt those files is stored online, out of your control. With online security breaches on the increase, can you trust your cloud storage provider to keep your most sensitive files private? Viivo is one of a growing number of tools that provide greater

With online security breaches on the rise, can you trust your cloud storage will remain private?

QUICK LOOK VIIVO’S INTERFACE

protection for your data by adding a second level of encryption to your files while keeping the decryption key firmly in your possession, stored locally on your Mac. Even if your cloud storage is compromised, any files on it that you’ve encrypted using Viivo remain protected. Viivo’s free, non-commercial version covers most people’s needs. With it, you can create up to five folders called ‘lockers’, inside which all files are automatically encrypted. You can also encrypt individual files on the fly using Viivo’s Drop Zone, and access your files on other devices too, including your iPhone and iPad. The Pro version (£4.19 per month) gives you unlimited lockers and lets you encrypt files on your iPad and iPhone too, but here we’ll focus exclusively on the free version. Nick Peers

Viivo Manager

Set up a filter

Use these icons 1 to navigate the various parts of Viivo. Select Notifications to review potential issues, for example, or Lockers to review and edit your encryption settings.

Select this option to instruct Viivo to leave files containing matching filenames or extensions unencrypted. Note that only new files are affected; existing ones are left untouched.

Drop Zone

Decrypt files

Drag one or more 2 files or a folder onto Viivo’s menu bar icon and an encrypted copy will be placed in the Drop Zone folder (the desktop, by default).

50 | MacFormat.com | January 2016

Hold ≈ and click an encrypted file in Finder, then choose ‘Services > Decrypt to’. Select the location to save the decrypted file to, and then click Open. 4

Mac Apps | IMPROVE HOW TO | SET UP AND MANAGE LOCKERS

1 Get started

Get Viivo from viivo.com. Double-click its disk image, then double-click the installer on it and follow the prompts, choosing ‘I don’t have an account’ when prompted. Enter your name, email and chosen password (see the tips box) Review and accept the terms, then click Next.

2 Finish setting up

Click the confirmation link in the welcome email. Return to the installer and click Next. After a short pause, Viivo’s main window will open to the Lockers page. Lockers are Viivo’s name for encrypted folders; a free account can have up to five. Click Create New to set one up.

3 Select a folder

Viivo will try to detect popular cloud services and set up shortcut buttons, or you can click the magnifying glass to manually select a folder. Whichever route you take, we suggest you use a dedicated folder in your cloud storage rather than encrypting all it contains. Click Next.

PASSWORDS

4 Set up folder sync

5 Review and sync

6 Access your files

7 Remote access

Viivo will ask whether you want to keep a decrypted copy of your files somewhere – click Yes to create a folder that will stay in sync with your encrypted one going forward. Do not put this folder online. Click Next, choose where this folder should reside, then click Next again.

All encrypted files in the online folder gain the .viivo extension. You can open them directly on your Mac – Viivo will automatically open and decrypt the files to a temporary folder, allowing you to make changes. When saved, the file is updated and then re-encrypted.

Review your first locker’s settings (click Back to make any changes) and then click Finish. Files in the original folder are encrypted, while decrypted copies remain in the synced one. Encrypted versions of files you put in the latter will be uploaded to the cloud, and vice versa.

To access your files on another computer or a supported mobile device, you’ll need to install the relevant client or app and authorise it to access your account. The mobile app works with the relevant mobile cloud apps, and .viivo files opened from other sources (such as email).

The more complex your password, the harder it’ll be to crack. Use a tool like http://bit. ly/1NJCYch to come up with a strong one that includes symbols, numbers and letters.

8 Share with others

Click the Sharing button next to a locker to share it with someone – they’ll need their own Viivo account and the app to access it. Enter the email address they use for Viivo and click Add. You can revoke access simply by clearing the box next to the person’s name.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 51

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Mac Apps | IMPROVE

Organise your menu bar Use Bartender 2 to quickly organise and search your menu bar’s status icons SKILL LEVEL Anyone can do it

IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes

YOU’LL NEED OS X 10.10 or higher, Bartender 2, some menu bar status icons

Icons at the right end of the menu bar provide quick access to settings and alerts, but OS X has a strange relationship with third-party ones. Those provided with the system – Volume, Clock, AirPort, and so on – can be rearranged, and accessed using the keyboard by pressing ≈+*. However, third-party icons are blocked from both.

Enter Bartender (macbartender.com), which enables you to organise all menu bar icons, along with a host of other things. We’ll assume you’ve installed the four-week trial version. You’ll need to access its preferences, which is done by clicking the app’s own menu bar icon, then the cog, then Preferences. When you open Bartender for the first time, it’ll rearrange your menu bar icons

in semi-random fashion. However, it will remember any subsequent changes you make. Quit it and your menu bar will revert to how it was before. Also, if an icon doesn’t behave regarding your Bartender settings, quit and reopen its app. One final tip: if you have lots of icons, activate Bartender and then type to search; it’ll filter the selection as you type, Spotlight-style. Craig Grannell

HOW TO | GET TO GRIPS WITH BARTENDER

1 Organise your menu items

2 Show updates clearly

In Bartender’s preferences, click ‘Menu Items’. Active third-party and system menu icons are shown in the sidebar. Select each in turn and use ‘Menu Bar Item’ to define whether the item should be placed in the menu bar, the Bartender Bar (the menu that appears when Bartender’s clicked), or hidden.

Icons are sometimes used to grab your attention, but this won’t happen if they’re ‘hidden’ in the Bartender Bar. Select ’Show item in menu bar’ and then, for relevant items, set the duration of their temporary appearance (from five seconds to 10 minutes) when something changes.

3 Rearrange menus

4 Adjust appearances

TOOL SCHOOL In Hot Keys preferences, you can define shortcuts to toggle the Bartender Bar, temporarily hide menus, show hidden items, and navigate using the keyboard. Make sure they don’t clash with those for other apps.

Under General, uncheck ‘Autohides’. Click Bartender’s menu bar icon. The Bartender Bar will stay open, enabling you to hold ç and drag menu bar icons to new positions. These will be used as long as Bartender is open. Check ‘Autohides’ again if you want the bar to close itself.

Click Bartender’s menu bar icon, then hold ç and drag the cog icon to move the Bartender Bar. Its position can be reset in Bartender’s Appearance preferences, where you’ll also find options for changing the app’s icon and removing the gap left behind when Notification Centre is hidden.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 53

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MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 55

IMPROVE | Mac / iOS Apps

Get to events on time Make use of travel information in Calendar to ensure you’re always punctual SKILL LEVEL Anyone can do it.

IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes

YOU’LL NEED A Mac running OS X 10.11 El Capitan, or an iOS device running iOS 9

Apple’s Maps app has come a long way since it debuted in 2012. As well as improved data about points of interest, the version of Maps in El Capitan and iOS 9 has access to accurate information about public transport routes and timetables – though in the UK, this is currently limited to London. Maps is even able to figure out travel times to help you plan your journey. This capability extends to Calendar, which combines information you add to events with travel times from Maps, helping to ensure you are punctual. When you receive an email that contains an invitation to an event, you should find that you don’t even have to manually add it to your calendar. El Capitan and iOS 9 automatically add events detected in emails to a Found in Mail calendar. iCloud is able to keep your Calendar information up to date on all of your devices, so whether you’re using your Mac or an iOS device, the one you’re using when it comes time to leave will

Maps checks traffic reports and live public transport information in order to calculate your travel time.

Calendar considers traffic and transit reports when letting you know when to leave for a meeting

remind you. On your iPhone you’ll get step-by-step instructions on the way to the event, whether you’re driving, walking or using public transport. Calendar even takes into account the latest traffic and transit reports to let you know if you need to leave some extra time for the journey. Cliff Joseph

HOW TO | ENSURE YOU GET TO EVENTS ON TIME YOU’VE GOT MAIL If you receive an email with an invitation to an event attached (a file with the suffix ‘.ics’), you can quickly add it – including the date, time and location – to your calendar by double-clicking the attachment.

1 Event locations

When you add a location to an event in Calendar on your Mac, the app displays a map of that location when you double-click the event. The event summary contains several other options. You can invite people to the event, and set up an alert to nudge you when it’s time to leave.

56 | MacFormat.com | January 2016

2Allow for travel time

In the event summary, put the pointer over ‘None’ next to ‘travel time’ and click. Calendar will pull information from Maps and calculate the time it’s expected to take to walk or drive to your event. Choose either option, or set a fixed amount of time by choosing one of the presets or Custom.

Mac / iOS Apps | IMPROVE

iCLOUD ALERTS

3 Time to leave

4 Get times for public transport

With travel time set, click next to Alert. If the journey will take an hour, the Time to Leave option alerts you that amount in advance. However, you may need to gather notes or stop off for petrol, so you can instead set the alert to occur ahead of the necessary departure time to fit in these tasks.

Calendar’s travel time option only calculates times for driving or walking, yet Maps also includes transit info that shows routes and times for public transport (see http://bit.ly/ AppleMapsTransit for availability). If you don’t drive, look up this info in Maps, and set your event’s travel time accordingly.

5 Notification to leave

6 On the move

Calendar and Maps check the latest traffic reports to see if there are any problems on the road. The notification shown above is warning us that traffic is pretty bad, so if you were driving you would need to leave a bit earlier than originally planned in order to get there on time.

If your schedule is busy and involves a lot of travelling, your calendar can get cluttered with indications of travel time. Calendar for Mac provides an option to hide these, giving you a clearer view of event times and durations only. Click View > Show Travel Time so that it doesn’t have a check mark next to it.

Ensure that iCloud on your Mac and iOS devices is set to sync your calendars. On an iPhone, you can set a starting point for Calendar to use when calculating travel time to an event. Edit an event, tap Travel Time, tap Starting Location, and then enter an address or tap Current Location.

JARGON BUSTER

7 Set a second alert

It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re busy, so Calendar allows you to set a second alert, just in case you missed or forgot about the first one. So, your first alert may give you a comfortable lead time, and the second one can act as a final warning that you need to head to your event.

8 Step-by-step directions

Tap the map attached to a Calendar event to see that location in Maps. You’ll see step-by-step instructions for your journey, regardless of whether you’re walking, driving or taking a train. There’s Wi-Fi on the London Underground, so Maps can tell you to change trains and which to take next.

Time To Leave alerts sound self-explanatory, but beware that they only work for events that require less than three hours of travelling time. So, if you’ve got a long journey ahead, set a Custom alert with a longer duration.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 57

IMPROVE | System

Manage storage in Disk Utility An essential tool for checking health and formatting and encrypting disks When you buy a new hard drive, when you want to encrypt some files to carry around on portable storage, or when files are corrupt or apps exhibit unexpected behaviour such as crashing, the first tool you should turn to is Disk Utility. This isn’t the sort of app you’ll use every day, which is why it’s stored in the Utilities folder (found within your Mac’s Applications folder) – though that’s only one of the places you can run it from. In the event of

SKILL LEVEL Could be tricky

IT WILL TAKE At least 10 minutes

YOU’LL NEED Disk Utility

Disk Utility can encrypt a disk and protect access to it with a password in the process

a serious problem that stops you getting into OS X in the first place, you can start up in the Recovery system to run Disk Utility’s First Aid feature, which diagnoses and tries to repair damaged drive structures. Disk Utility isn’t just about fixing problems. If you buy an external hard drive that isn’t preloaded with an app that preps it for use with a Mac, you’ll need to use Apple’s tool to reformat the drive. If that drive happens to be a portable hard drive or a flash drive, you’ll probably want to encrypt it so that if it’s lost or stolen, your files aren’t immediately readable. In fact, Disk Utility can protect your disk with 128-bit or 256-bit AES encryption, the latter of which is strong enough that it’s used by governments and public bodies.

Alan Stonebridge

3 1

58 | MacFormat.com | January 2016

QUICK LOOK THE MAIN WINDOW Disks/volumes This pane lists all 1 of the storage attached to your Mac – internal and external, and disk images. When the arrow next to a disk is pointing down, all of the volumes (partitions) on it are shown slightly indented below it.

an image is intact, and to restore it to a disk.

Operations With a disk or a volume selected, certain items in the toolbar will be available to use – most notably ‘Partition’ when a disk is highlighted, and ‘Erase’ when either is selected. 3

Menus Look under File, Edit and Images to find options for altering the password for an encrypted disk, to verify 2

Summary info Select a volume or a disk to see an overview of its contents and technical attributes. 4

System | IMPROVE HOW TO | MANAGE AND PROTECT DISKS

1 Run a health check

Select either a disk or a volume on the left, click First Aid in the toolbar and then click Run when asked to confirm the operation. Disk Utility will run through some health checks to ensure that everything is okay with the item you selected, and it will attempt to repair problems.

2 Format a disk for Mac

When you buy storage, it’s likely to be formatted for use with Windows. On the left, select the disk or the volume on it, then click Erase. Set Format to ‘OS X Extended (Journaled)’. (If you selected the disk, set Scheme to GUID if you want to install a second copy of OS X on it.)

3 Format as encrypted

Particularly with a portable drive, you might want to encrypt its contents in case you lose it. In this case, choose ‘OS X Extended (Journaled, Encrypted)’ as the format. You’ll be asked to set a password, which will be required to access the drive upon connecting it to a Mac.

RECOVERY

4 Format for Windows

5 Encrypt without erasing

6 Partition a disk

7 Back up to a disk image 8 Securely erase a disk

To share a disk with a Windows PC, set its format to ‘MS-DOS (FAT)’ if the disk or volume is under 32GB in size, or ExFAT if it’s larger than that. Its label can be 11 characters long, but filenames can be longer. Both OS X and Windows will be able to write to the disk.

To split a drive into smaller partitions – perhaps to limit space that’s available to Time Machine – select it (not a volume on it) and click Partition. When you click the + below the pie chart, space will be reapportioned from the volume that’s selected (shown in blue).

A Mac volume can be encrypted without erasing its contents – but back them up first! In Finder, select Go > Computer, hold ≈ and click the volume, choose ‘Encrypt…’ and set a password and a reminder. After clicking Encrypt Disk, ≈-click the volume to check progress.

You can make a disk image from a folder (useful for archiving projects). Choose File > New Image > Image from Folder, and then select a folder and click Open. The image’s contents can be compressed and encrypted. To restore an image, choose Edit > Restore.

Your Mac’s drive contains a hidden Recovery partition for use in an emergency. If you can’t get into OS X to use Disk Utility’s First Aid feature, hold ç+R at the startup chime.

Some researchers say it’s unnecessary to erase a modern hard disk multiple times before it’s abandoned. If doing so eases your nerves, erase the disk to contain one partition, select that partition, click Erase, then Security Options and choose a number of passes to make.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 59

IMPROVE | iOS

Go deeper with 3D Touch Take a peek at how the iPhone’s new input method makes mobile life easier SKILL LEVEL Anyone can do it

IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes

YOU’LL NEED An iPhone 6s or 6s Plus

When Apple has talked about 3D Touch on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, it has focussed on obvious benefits, such as Quick Actions available from app icons on the Home screen, playing back Live Photos, and taking a peek at emails to decide if they’re worth attention. 3D Touch can do more than this. You can tailor what some apps list among their Quick Actions, so that the things most relevant to you are never more than a press away. Taking a peek at things might seem unnecessary when you could just tap to open an item and then decide whether to respond to it. It’s easy to overlook that you can swipe up while taking a peek at

something to access more actions. Peeking works with more than just emails and hyperlinks, too. 3D Touch also makes it more comfortable to manipulate text on a small screen. The insertion point can be moved quickly with a firm press on the keyboard, turning it into a trackpad of sorts. On devices without 3D Touch, selecting text inevitably puts your fingers in front of the text. On the latest iPhones, though, you can make selections starting from what’s under the insertion point while keeping your fingers firmly out of the way. Here’s how to use 3D Touch’s advanced features to help justify the cost of upgrading your iPhone.

Alan Stonebridge

HOW TO | GET MORE VALUE FROM 3D TOUCH

JARGON BUSTER Taking a peek at something and popping it open may sound superfluous, but with a little adjustment time to get used to their different pressure levels, they soon make a meaningful difference to the way you perform tasks on iOS.

1 Customise Quick Actions

One of the first 3D Touch features you will have tried out is Quick Actions, by pressing on an app icon on the Home screen. For many apps these actions are fixed, but some allow the list to be customised. The third item furthest from Mail’s icon is the topmost Smart Folder (Today, Flagged, VIP, and so on) in the list of mailboxes. The fourth is either your inbox or whatever regular folder is listed first in Mail.

60 | MacFormat.com | January 2016

2 Extra actions when peeking

When you press lightly on some things, such as an item in Mail’s message list or a link on a web page, you’re given a peek at whatever content would have opened if you simply tapped. You can press harder to pop open the item, or let go to cancel, but those aren’t the only actions you can take. If there’s an arrowhead above the preview, swipe that way to reveal more actions – handy for triaging email, say.

iOS | IMPROVE HOW TO | GET EVEN MORE VALUE FROM 3D TOUCH

3 Peek at tabs in Safari

It’s easy to end up with a bunch of tabs open in Safari, and it can be difficult to pick out the one you want from the card-like view in which they’re presented on an iPhone. 3D Touch‘s peek and pop gestures come in useful here, too. Lightly press on one of the card-like tab previews to pull it out of the list for a closer look. If it’s not the one you want, let go to return to the list. Press harder to switch to that tab.

4 App Switcher shortcuts

Reaching the Home button with your thumb can be tricky, never mind pressing it twice to open the App Switcher. Try pressing firmly on the left edge of the screen as a way to open the switcher. If it feels like the iPhone will slip out of your hand, instead try pressing lightly and swiping right just a little way to open the switcher, or most of the way across the screen to flick back to the last app you used.

PEEK ZOOM

If you have trouble reading things on your iPhone even when using Display Zoom (found in Display & Brightness), go to General > Accessibility > Zoom. Set Zoom Region to Full Screen and turn on Show Controller and Zoom. Drag the circular controller (with no pressure applied) to move it, tap it to reveal options, or press on it to zoom in.

TOOL SCHOOL

5 Work with text more easily

When typing, press hard on the on-screen keyboard so you feel a vibration. The keys will become blank. You can lessen the pressure, but don’t lift your finger just yet; slide it around to move the insertion point to where you want to type, then let go. Alternatively, put the insertion point over a word and then press harder once to select the word, twice (quickly) for the sentence, or thrice for the paragraph.

6 Extend your selection

If you make a mistake when starting your selection, press hard again until you feel another vibration and the text is deselected. Otherwise, move your finger to extend the selection – the amount will match the unit you selected initially. When you’ve completed your selection, lift your finger off the screen to do something with it – type over it, say, or tap the selection itself to reveal additional options.

If 3D Touch kicks in too soon or too late as you apply pressure, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > 3D Touch to adjust sensitivity. The difference is subtle; try it out by pressing on that page’s test image.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 61

IMPROVE | iOS

Control your Mac from iOS Access your Mac apps even when the computer is in another room SKILL LEVEL Taking things further

IT WILL TAKE 10 minutes

YOU’LL NEED Remoter VNC, a Wi-Fi network

Many of us have more than one Apple device these days. A laptop or desktop computer tends to be at the heart of where you manage and store most of your stuff. However, your Mac may not be the device you have on your person most of the time, so it can be very useful to be able to control your Mac when you’re not actually in front of it – to see if a

download has completed or to open or quit an app, for example. You can do this from your iPad or iPhone. There are a number of apps that make this possible, and they work over VNC (Virtual Network Connection). This is quickest over your local network, but can also be used in conjunction with apps like TeamViewer to keep you connected to your Mac even when you leave the building (see MF277).

Being able to see your Mac’s screen and control the computer from your iOS device gives you more capabilities than if you were to simply connect to it as a networked drive. VNC is a great way to use computers that are elsewhere in your home or office without having to be physically present. Here’s how to do this using an app called Remoter VNC (79p, https://appsto.re/i6SN9yb).

Hollin Jones

VISUAL GUIDE | REMOTER VNC Get hands-on control of your Mac from anywhere

3 1 2

Connect to a computer The back arrow disconnects your session and returns you to a list of different computers you can connect to. The icon to its right gives you the option of automatically zooming in or out to fit height or width, or using full-screen mode. 1

Type from afar You can tap anywhere that it’s possible to enter text, as if you clicked it with a mouse or trackpad, and then, with the virtual keyboard open, type as if you were at your Mac. This is a great way to control apps that don’t have a dedicated remote control app for iOS. 2

Advanced and Macro menus You can send more advanced commands to your Mac, such as pasting text from Remoter VNC on your iOS device to the remote Mac, dragging through an area of the screen to make a multiple selection, or switching between monitors. The Macro menu lets you record sets of actions that can be repeated with a single tap, which greatly speeds up repetitive tasks that might otherwise become tedious. 3

62 | MacFormat.com | January 2016

Mouse customisation

The virtual trackpad

The virtual keyboard

These icons alter how a single tap 4 on the screen is interpreted: select, click, å-click and double-click. There’s also a full-screen option here, which hides Remoter VNC’s various shortcuts.

Tap this to reveal a virtual trackpad. 5 This has two areas, the first of which is a 360-degree pad for regular scrolling in any direction with the mouse. There’s a narrower strip to the right, which is used to scroll up and down in any window where that is possible.

You can call up the virtual keyboard to send text input to the Mac. This is actually held in a preview window on your iOS device as you type, and only sent when you hit the Return key on Remoter VNC’s keyboard. This prevents lag or other issues occurring between the keyboard and the area on the Mac into which you’re typing. 6

iOS | IMPROVE HOW TO | ACCESS YOUR MAC USING REMOTER VNC

1 Turn on Screen Sharing 2 Set up Remoter VNC

3 Provide login details

On your Mac, open System Preferences and click the Sharing icon. Put a check mark in the box next to Screen Sharing. Click on that item, then click the button labelled Computer Settings. In the pane that opens, put a check mark next to ‘VNC viewers may control screen with password’, and then click in the adjacent box and enter a password, which you will need in the following steps. This ensures nobody else can control your Mac. If you plan to give this password to someone else for some reason, make it different to the one you use to log in to your user account on your Mac, so that you don’t also give them physical access to it.

Download Remoter from the App Store on your iPad or iPhone, and make sure the device is on the same wireless network as the Mac you will be controlling remotely. Click on the + icon at the top-left corner of the screen and you will be shown a list of available computers on your network. You should see your Mac appear, using the name that‘s set at the top of its Sharing preferences pane. You are looking for the VNC icon which will look different to machines using other protocols to broadcast their identities. Tap on the name of your Mac, then tap Add to provide settings necessary to establish a connection.

The app should have detected that you want to use the VNC protocol to connect, but if it hasn’t got this right you can correct it by tapping on the Server Type item and selecting VNC ScreenSharing. Next, move down to the username and password fields, which are necessary to successfully connect to the Mac. Next to VNC Username, enter the administrator account name you use on the Mac, and for VNC Password enter the password you set in step 1. When these details are filled in, tap Save. You will be returned to the main screen. A similar procedure applies even if you are using a protocol other than VNC to connect.

4 Connect to your Mac

5 Control the pointer

6 Use the keyboard

Tap on your Mac on Remoter VNC’s main screen, and then tap Start. The app will connect over your Wi-Fi network and give you remote control of the Mac as if you were sitting in front of that computer. You can spread two fingers apart on the iPad’s screen to zoom into the Mac’s desktop, and then pinch them together to zoom out again, just like in many iOS apps. Tapping on the iPad’s screen will move the Mac’s pointer to wherever you tapped. Tapping on items on the screen has the same effect as clicking on them with a mouse or trackpad. There’s a full-screen mode option at the top-left corner of Remoter VNC, if you wish to use it.

Tap on the trackpad icon at the bottomright corner of Remoter VNC to open its virtual trackpad. The larger area on it is used to move the pointer, just like moving a mouse around or dragging your finger around on a trackpad’s surface. The smaller strip on the virtual trackpad’s right side controls vertical scrolling. This works in any document or window where scrolling is possible, such as websites or Pages documents. Actions you set up for the trackpad on the Mac are also translated. For example, a two-finger tap on the virtual trackpad opens a contextual menu in certain places, just like it would if you did it on a Mac’s trackpad.

You can call up a virtual keyboard to type as if you were sitting in front of your Mac. For this to work you first need your Mac to be focussed on something where it’s possible to enter text, such as a Pages document, Safari‘s Smart Search field, or Spotlight. Tap to focus on an area such as these, then tap the keyboard icon at the bottom-right corner of Remoter VNC. A small, temporary text field above the virtual keyboard shows you a preview of what you’ve typed. Confirm it’s correct, then press the Return key to send the text to your Mac. If you’ve typed something in Safari’s Smart Search field, press Return again to search or go to the address.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 63

Have your say on everything Mac, OS X and iOS

iPad Pro woes

Welcome... There’s always plenty to say about Apple, whether it’s good or bad. And we’d particularly love to hear what you think? Write to us at letters@macformat.com and the remember, the Star Letter wins a prize!

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64 66 67 69

I am writing about problems that I am having with my iPad Pro. I purchased my 32GB model when it was released on Wednesday 11th November. Initially I was delighted with the iPad, it lived up to all the hype. My love affair with my iPad cooled on Sunday, when it would not switch on after charging overnight. I pressed all the buttons (having had every iPad from the start, and all the iPhones, I knew how to reset it.) It took over 20 minutes of trying before it sprang into life. On Tuesday it would not start up again. After spending another 20 to 30 minutes changing the charging leads, and connecting it to iTunes on my Mac, nothing happened. In exasperation, I phoned Apple, explained the problem. As I was talking to Apple’s support staff, the iPad started up, but as I was not happy, I wanted a replacement. I returned my ‘dud’ iPad, on the Tuesday, and by this Thursday, I had a new iPad – excellent service from Apple.

JOIN US ONLINE Emailing your questions to letters@macformat.com Visit macformat.com for more great Mac news

Peter Gray

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64 | MacFormat.com | January 2016

My joy was curtailed The iPad Pro is Apple’s best tablet yet, but some this morning when – readers have reported yes, you guessed it – problems with waking it the iPad would not after charging overnight. start up again, after charging overnight. I looked into this problem, and found on that many people were complaining online of similar problems with their iPad Pros. After spending £670 on a high-end iPad, I would have expected it to work faultlessly. I am seriously thinking of returning my second iPad Pro, requesting a refund, and going back to my iPad Air 2. Is Apple looking into this, and what is it going to do about it?

YOU’RE A WINNER! Drop us an email at letters@macformat.com. If yours gets picked as the MacFormat Star Letter, you win a Just Mobile AluCable Flat for connecting iOS devices with a Lightning port to a Mac.

Christian Hall says… Apple is aware of this issue with the iPad Pro and is investigating. A fix should be available by the time you read this, but, if not, Apple suggests you force your iPad Pro to restart by holding the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons at the same time for 10 seconds or more, until the Apple logo appears on screen.

AppleTALK Office networking

the content, which is a problem for many of us who use iOS devices and want to review old emails when travelling.

I run a 27-inch iMac alongside an Apple Cinema Display in my business. I plan to employ someone to work alongside me, so I need to buy a new machine and network them. My plan is to buy myself a new 5K iMac and to set up my existing late 2010 model for the new person. I have a network set up in my office through my 2TB Time Capsule. How do I set this up so the new workstation can access the main job folders? What is the best way to set up two Macs in an office so they work harmoniously together? I would also like to be able to stop my employee from being able to delete job folders.

Danny Bengtsson

Dylan Morton

Alan Stonebridge says… You can easily network several Macs together using your Time Capsule’s network. You just need to set up your new iMac so it uses the same Wi-Fi settings as your existing computer. Your employee will still be able to access any job files or folders you have shared (under File Sharing in the Sharing preferences pane), and you can limit what they can do with them. To do that, click on the job file or folder you want them to access, press ç+I, then open the Sharing & Permissions settings. Here you’ll find a list of users, along with their access rights: You can choose from Read & Write, Write Only and Read Only, with the latter being the safest option. You could also use a versioning process. This is where you or your employee download a copy of a shared file to your individual machine when you want to work on it (moving the original into a Taken folder on your server). You then rename the file you’ve downloaded, so it includes the version number followed by your initials (so workfile.txt becomes workfile.1as.txt, etc). This way you always know who worked on the file last. When you’ve finished working on a file, upload the new version back to the server to share it again. This is what we do on MacFormat and it works really well. It means you should always have a record of changes, either on the server or on each person’s Mac, to refer back to if necessary. We’d also advise making regular backups of your devices in case something goes wrong.

POP goes iOS 9 Immediately after I updated my iPad to iOS 9 I got problems: the content and attachments in my emails

OS X makes it easy to share files and folders on different Macs over a Wi-Fi network, as our reply to reader Dylan Morton explains. disappeared. Mail in iOS only says: “The letter has not been downloaded from the server”. New emails disappeared after two days. It’s a POP3 account that I also have set up on my iMac, but there email is okay. I’ve talked to a member of Apple’s support staff, but he had not heard of the problem and could not help me, so I started a thread on Apple Support Communities with the title ‘Problems with Mail in iOS 9’. As I write this, iOS 9.01, 9.02 and 9.1 have appeared without the problem being solved and the thread I started is now 12 pages long, with over 200 people reporting the same problem with their POP3 accounts. I and many others have reported the problem to Apple, but to no avail. I have come to a temporary solution: I have my original POP3 account on my iMac. In my account settings, under Advanced, I discovered that the setting ‘Remove copy from server after the message has downloaded’ was set to ‘After two days’. I changed this to ‘When it has been moved from the Inbox’. There is no option to never remove messages. Before I updated to iOS 9, I was able to download entire emails from my POP3 account to my iPad, but now they are just linked to the server. As long as the message remains on the server, the content is visible on my iPad. But I must be connected to the email server all the time to show them. If I am offline, I can not see

Alex Blake says… We’ve tried this ourselves, setting up a Gmail account using POP3 on an iPad Air 2 and we haven’t been able to replicate your issue. All of our emails downloaded fine and didn’t disappear even when we went offline (although embedded images did). The only thing we can think of is that this has something to do with the particular mail service you’re using, but without having any further details it’s difficult to know for sure. It might be wise to consider moving over to an IMAP account for your emails, if this is possible, as IMAP is much better at managing email across multiple devices.

Pricing problem On page 40 of your December issue one of the items, an STM Linear Shoulder Bag, is priced at about £38. In other words, a conversion of the price taken from STM’s Australian dollar-quoted site. The online retailer for the UK cited by STM is Amazon. I suggest you check out the price for an STM Linear Shoulder Bag for a MacBook smaller than 15 inches. The price you’ll see is approximately four times what you said. Russell Caplan

Christian Hall says… The info and dollar pricing for the STM Linear bag came from our sister magazine, Mac|Life, which is published in the USA. The UK price we gave was an estimate. The STM Linear bag you found appears to come from a third-party importer, not from Amazon itself – and the price it’s quoting is way above the list price given by STM. Sadly, STM has decided to replace the bag with a new model, which will go on sale later this year.

Doctor, doctor I am within a whisker of purchasing the demonically gorgeous iPad Pro – providing it will operate properly in respect of a specific task.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 65

AppleTALK

Send the best of your iPhone shots to photos@macformat.com

We, at this medical practice, use Microsoft Journal, in which all our patients’ records are stored. I think it an excellent idea to switch to the iPad Pro for this purpose if Microsoft Journal can be run on it. Our current arrangement comprises a Microsoft Surface Pro, connected via Wi-Fi to our server, but I would prefer to use Microsoft Journal on an iPad Pro. As I understand it, Apple has provided emulation facilities for some Microsoft programs. Fingers crossed that Journal will work on the iPad Pro. Dr. Georges S. Kaye

Alex Blake says… Sadly, I think Microsoft Journal is part of Windows rather than a separate application or service, so you can’t actually put it on an

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iPad. However, I’m sure you could migrate your data to another app that could manage those records, but as I don’t know the specifics of your data it would be wrong to advise on something. Also, you’d need guarantees that all aspects of that data could be successfully migrated, which only speaking to the developers of a database app could advise on. You could consider alternatives to Windows Journal, such as Microsoft OneNote, which does work on Windows, Mac and iOS devices, although as OneNote syncs its data to the cloud there will patient confidentiality and security issues that you would have to investigate.

Between the lines Do you know of any Mac-compatible email programs that allow separator

(grid) lines to be displayed between messages shown in the incoming mail list? I receive over 100 emails every day, and having the separator line is valuable to allow different messages to be recognised visually. Grid lines are displayed by default in Entourage and I have stuck with that program, as this option was dropped from Outlook 2011. I have discovered, sadly, that Entourage is incompatible with El Capitan – it keeps hanging when trying to contact an Exchange server – so ideally I need a new Mac email client or I am stuck with OS X Yosemite. I have read that an add-on called WideMail added this functionality to Apple Mail in Lion, but have no idea if that might work with newer versions of

AppleTALK Belfast Dock We love this moody panorama from Martin Coutts, which was created on an iPhone 6s Plus, then edited using Snapseed and Instagram.

Find fellow Mac enthusiasts near you!

Search the list below to find your local Mac user group – and if you can’t find one, why not start one yourself? It’s easy and fun. Berkshire MUG

London MUG, London

vlsburia@me.com

secretary@lmug.org lmug.org.uk, @londonmacgroup Facebook: facebook.com/ groups/35108081221

Bracknell Forest MUG, Bracknell, Berks bfmugoffice@gmail.com bfmug.org

Midlands MUG, Birmingham

Bristol and Bath MUG

mmug.org.uk

robert@bbmug.co.uk bbmug.co.uk

OxMUG, Oxford oxmug.org

ClubMac Ireland, Dublin including Outlook 2016 (£110, http:// bit.ly/1Yucltw, Mailbox (Free, http://bit. ly/1gOTtOs) and Postbox (£12, postbox-inc.com). But we think the best solution might be for you to use the version of Mail built right into OS X El Capitan. It separates emails with grid lines and is compatible with Microsoft Having trouble telling emails apart? One way to distinguish them is to Exchange. However, we also assign colours to different domains in Mail > Preferences > Rules. think that you might be referring to WideMail’s ability to display email rows in alternating colours. Mail and El Capitan. Also it is not Unfortunately, WideMail hasn’t been clear whether Outlook 2016 for Mac updated since 2011 and isn’t compatible has restored the grid lines option. with OS X El Capitan due to System Integrity Paul Dyer Protection, which prevents applications from modifying protected files and folders. Alan Stonebridge says… There For other alternatives, check out our group are lots of email apps available for test of Mac email apps in MF291. the Mac that include grid lines,

secretary@clubmac.ie clubmac.ie

South Essex MUG, Wickford, Essex

Cork University College, Cork

South Wales MUG

d.murphy@cs.ucc.ie ucc.ie/mug

terence.neels@btinternet.com

seal-apple.co.uk

Suffolk Mac User Group, Ipswich

Cotswold MUG paul@cotsmug.org cotsmug.org

mikekwasniak@me.com suffolkmacusergroup.co.uk

Cumbria Mac Enthusiasts, Barrow-in-Furness

Sussex MUG

contact@macenthusiasts.co.uk macenthusiasts.co.uk

Edinburgh MUG, Edinburgh

adamfield@gmail.com sussexmug.org.uk

Three Counties MUG Luton, Bedfordshire

Twitter: @edmug edmug.org.uk

chris@3cmug.org.uk 3cmug.co.uk

Exeter MUG, Exeter

Wessex MUGs Fareham, Dorchester, Bournemouth & Salisbury

examug@mac.com examug.org.uk Twitter: @examug

www.wamug.org.uk

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 67

Helping you live better & work smarter

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AppleTALK GET IN TOUCH

If you have a technical issue that you need help with, please email us at: sos@macformat.com

Your questions answered by our Apple expert in residence, Luis Villazon

What’s the next number in series? I keep track of my books in a Numbers spreadsheet. In column D is a number for each book, which is the next number in series when the book was added to the sheet. Because the books are in alphabetical order by author, the numbers are not sequential. If I add a book by an author whose name begins with M, say, how can I find the next number in the sequence? Dave Burns So you’re just using column D as an index number for your collection, yes? There are two very easy solutions. You could use the function ‘MAX(D)+1’ to find the largest value in column D and increment it. If you put this in a cell above, below or to one side of your main book list, and label it ‘Next book number’, it’ll always tell you which number to use when adding an entry. Make sure you don’t put the function anywhere in column D, of course, or you’ll get an error. The other way is to temporarily re-sort the sheet by index. Choose Table > Sort & Filter Options, and sort the entire sheet by column D. You can then add your new entry at the bottom with the next number in the sequence, and then sort on whatever column you use for author surnames.

The MAX function lets you quickly see the highest number in whatever column or row you specify.

Can they see what I’m typing?

When filling out details for a home insurance quotation on my MacBook Pro, I entered my landline number and straight away the insurer phoned me, even before I submitted the form. Was my security compromised? I have a firewall but no virus protection. I’m rather worried. Chris Mace Are you sure it couldn’t have been coincidence? Did they say anything on the phone to imply that they were watching you on the website? It is theoretically possible for a web page to trap the system events that are triggered each time you press a key, and use that to grab your input before you even submit the form. This would be highly unethical, maybe even illegal (although I’m certainly no lawyer). However, it’s possible that the company already had your phone number from a previous quotation or even from another site that is owned by the same parent company. The website can identify you using a cookie left on your computer on your previous visit, tying the details you entered that time to you

on your return. That’s likely legal because the small print for which you ticked ‘I agree’ to, probably advises that they may do this. Whether or not this website has broken the rules though, this is a question of business ethics, not computer security. We can be confident that this isn’t a virus or a hack, because the website doesn’t need to do either of these things to pull this trick off. It’s more akin to a site that lets you tick the box marked ‘don’t spam me’ and then sends some anyway. If you’re still concerned, you could take this up with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk).

Cookies let companies track you between website visits, so they can remember your personal details.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 69

AppleTALK

A single parental control

Staccato status stress I updated to OS X El Capitan as soon as it came out, but this week I noticed for the first time that the status bar that used to be at the bottom of the window in Safari has gone. Now it just flashes up briefly, which is quite distracting. Now I have noticed it, I can’t concentrate on anything else! I feel like the constant flashing at the bottom of the screen every time I roll over a link is going to drive me crazy! Is there anything that can be done? Ann Grassmere You can click View > Hide Status Bar to turn it off altogether, but if you mean can you revert to the old style, then no. The status bar was really only ever useful to verify where a link would take you before you clicked and the rest of the time it just took up space. Chrome and Firefox both switched to this style some time ago.

I have three children: my daughter is the eldest, presently at university in her second year. She has an iPhone 4s and a MacBook Pro. Each of my teenage boys has an iPad mini and a non-Apple phone. We share a family account for Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, but have separate ones for the iTunes Store. I would like a single, simple way of regulating who has access to what on each device. I’m a single mother with limited technical know-how, and I don’t have the time to administer a complicated network with different permissions for everything. Is there a device that I can plug into the network that will take care of all of this for me? Marie Bettencourt

Safari’s status bar can help to ensure you aren’t duped by a link, but it isn’t needed all the time.

All video streaming services have their own parental controls to manage.

It depends on what you are trying to restrict. Let’s start with pornography. Most broadband providers have a filtering option that you can enable on their site. That will block virtually all adult content for free, but teenagers are resourceful creatures and there are lots of ways around this. They could turn on the mobile Wi-Fi hotspot feature on their phones, for example, and access porn on another device connected to it, unless you also enabled adult filtering with their mobile phone providers. Even then, there isn’t much you can do to restrict their internet access when they are using somebody else’s Wi-Fi away from home. For streaming TV, both Amazon Prime and Netflix have a parental controls setting that lets you restrict the content that can be viewed, with a PIN code for times when you want to override the restriction. There’s just one PIN for each account, so you’ll have to make sure the older kids keep it secret. You can also use the PIN to prevent anyone renting or buying videos on Amazon Prime. However, the short answer is that there isn’t really a single device or service that will give you complete control over your children. Mobile internet and Wi-Fi hotspots mean that just restricting your home router isn’t enough, and every service has its own parental controls to manage. My kids are about the same age as yours though, and I’ve found that a combination of sensible discussion, and having all the receipts come to my email address has been enough of a deterrent to keep them out of the worst trouble.

An alternative for extending Wi-Fi With my thirdgeneration Time Capsule, one cannot extend an existing Wi-Fi network unless an Apple router, such as an AirPort Express, is connected using Ethernet to the broadband modem. I believe this is a compatibility issue with non-Apple routers. As my router’s Wi-Fi signal cannot reach the extremities of my

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house, I’m using a repeater to extend the signal, which kills network speed. My Time Capsule is halfway between my router and the outer limits of my house, so will I have to attempt the Apple solution by using an AirPort Express? Arthur Dardalis Powerline networking reuses your home’s electrical wiring.

Another option is to use Powerline networking to bridge some of the gap. This technology sends signals through your domestic wiring by modulating the frequency of the AC electricity supply. It’s quite invisible to ordinary electrical appliances and has a theoretical bandwidth of 500Mbps, which is faster than most

Wi-Fi networks. It’s a pretty mature technology now, though I wouldn’t recommend it as a replacement for Wi-Fi since it’s more restrictive and no use at all for mobile devices. It’s a great way to fill in Wi-Fi blackspots. Netgear’s XWNB5201 is about £70, for a pair of repeaters. You plug one into a socket near your router and connect it with an Ethernet cable. The other can go anywhere in your home (on the same circuit), where it will rebroadcast the Wi-Fi signal.

Mac SOS

Importing videos into iTunes My hobby is making home movies. In the past I was able to add these to my iTunes library and watch them on TV using my Apple TV. The latest iTunes version does not allow me to add to its library. Is there any way of getting around this deficiency? Dennis Lamb I’ve seen reports of a bug to this effect, but first let’s check that this isn’t due to iTunes’ rearranged interface. When you choose File > Add to Library in the menu bar and select an MP4 file, it looks as if nothing has happened, because the video doesn’t appear in My Movies. Select Movies from the media icons at the top-left corner of iTunes and you’ll see the tabs along the top now include a ‘Home Videos’ section. Click that and you’ll see that your video files appear there. If you don’t see them, it should just be a question of reimporting them. This categorisation is intended to keep your

iTunes Store purchases separate from your home movies, but the way iTunes organises your media works by looking at the metadata embedded in each file, you can change it if you want to. To get your home videos in the My Movies tab, Hold ≈ and click one, select Get Info, click Options, and then change the media kind to ‘Movie’. You can’t have a video appear in both places though, because you can select just one category for its media kind. To list a film and a home-made parody of it together, say, you’ll need to use playlists.

iTunes now separates movies bought from the store and those you’ve created yourself.

Quick case changes Is there an easy way to convert a block of text to all upper or lower case? I know this could probably be done with AppleScript or Automator, but I’m hoping there is a simpler solution, even if it involves a separate app, because I haven’t had much success with AppleScript in the past. Asif Mansur There’s no need for an app because there are several ways to do this. The simplest is to hold ≈, click a selected block of text and then move the pointer over Transformations. This submenu offers a choice of upper case, lower case or capitalising every word. That method can be a bit laborious if you use it a lot, so you may want to assign a keyboard shortcut. Go to the Keyboard preference pane and click the Shortcuts tab. In the left-hand pane, select App Shortcuts, select All Applications on the right, and then click the + icon below that pane. In the box labelled Menu Title, type ‘Make Lower Case’ (without the quotes). Now click in the Keyboard Shortcut box

and press the key combination you want to use, which needs to include at least one modifier key – that is, ç, å or ≈. The advantage of setting up keyboard shortcuts is that they will work in any app that has a menu item called ‘Make Lower Case’, regardless of where it is found in the menu bar. The three transformations that appear in TextEdit’s contextual menu are also available in the menus of many other Mac apps, including Finder and Safari.

When an app doesn’t support OS X’s text transformations, you can set up shortcuts to the app’s own, if it has some.

Tech Talk by Luis Villazon I do most of my writing on a Late 2012 Mac mini that I try to keep relatively sandboxed from all of the blithe experimentation that goes on with my other devices. Consequently, error messages are a very rare sight on my Thunderbolt Display. So, I was a bit surprised by the kernel panic that occurred immediately after I upgraded to El Capitan, and even more so that it happened every single day after that. When shutting down, the Mac mini reliably threw a kernel panic (where you see a message box in the middle of the screen and the same sentence in lots of different languages). After an

I was surprised by the kernel panic that occurred immediately after I upgraded to El Capitan automatic restart, shutting down again immediately from the login window works normally, but not if I log in first. OS X generates a crash log when it restarts after a kernel panic and offers to send it to Apple. The first couple of times I just sent it, unthinkingly, and got on with my day. But as the problem persisted, I began adding background info in the comment field. Eventually, I bothered to read the details in the log itself. The process that was crashing was always related to IOUSBFamily, so I decided to unplug my USB devices. As it turns out, I only have one – an old five-port hub. The moment I unplugged it, the Mac mini crashed. So case closed, I guess. Time for a new USB hub. Moral: The crash log does actually contain useful clues.

Luis Villazon allows his Macs to break exactly once per month so he can write about it in Tech Talk.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 71

AppleTALK

Strange foreign characters I have some old files from a very old Mac which contain the early drafts of a book I was writing. They were created as ordinary text files, and saved on 3.5-inch floppy disks. With considerable effort, I have managed to get them transferred to a memory stick so I can read them on my 2012 iMac, running Yosemite. However, I think the files might have been corrupted, either during

conversion or as a result of sitting in a dusty drawer for 15 years. The text is basically readable but it contains a lot of garbled characters. All of the dialogue is bracketed by an accented capital ‘O’ on either side, for example. I dare say I could do a search and replace on every file for each character, but this would be very laborious. Is there a simpler way? Tony Westacott

Power-hungry Mac mini My three-year-old Mac mini is always warm to the touch when I come downstairs in the morning. According to Apple’s own website, the Mac mini is only supposed to use 1.5 watts when it is sleeping but mine is using between 13 and 15W (measured with a meter from my electricity supplier). What is causing it to use so much power when it is supposedly asleep? Robert Caston If your Mac mini is compatible with Power Nap, it can perform a limited range of tasks while it’s otherwise asleep. Apple warns that this can make a Mac warm to the touch (see http:// apple.co/1NkCd2Y). Try turning off Power Nap in Energy Saver preferences. Alternatively, a process or service may be preventing the Mac going to sleep. In Activity Monitor, click the Energy tab and try quitting Macs are power efficient apps that say ‘Yes’ in sleep mode, but they in the ‘Preventing Sleep’ column. have to get there first.

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Your files aren’t corrupted, they are just using the old Mac Roman character set. The open quotation mark is character 210 in this character set, but in the modern Unicode encoding standard, character 210 is Ò, so that’s how it appears to you. You can convert your files to UTF in Terminal by using the following command: iconv -f MACROMAN -t UTF-8 your_original_file. txt > converted_file.txt

You can force TextEdit to open or save files in modern Unicode or traditional Mac Roman text encoding, enabling it to work with files saved on very old Macs.

Fixing an unrecognised Fusion Drive I upgraded my Late 2014 iMac to El Capitan, assuming that it would run faster and smoother. This has not been the case, so I tried to roll back to Yosemite. Something happened during this process and now I am marooned, with neither version working! I used recovery mode to erase my 1TB Fusion Drive, which worked fine, but the drive doesn’t show up in the OS X installer. In Disk Utility, the drive looks normal but all the options on the Partition tab are greyed out. Is the disk broken? Help! Carol Wojewodzki Not broken, but unpartitioned, I think. A Fusion Drive is actually two drives: a hard disk and flash storage, treated as a unified volume by OS X, but I’ve seen cases where this breaks down and so neither drive is recognised. In Disk Utility, where you see the name of the drive, you should also see a line saying Macintosh HD indented below it. The former refers to the Fusion Drive, the latter to the partition on it. If you only see the former, the drive isn’t partitioned properly. To fix it, we will have to trick Disk

A couple of Terminal commands should resolve a Fusion Drive not showing up in OS X’s installer. Utility into repairing it, by deliberately breaking apart the Fusion Drive. Disconnect all other storage, then start up in Internet Recovery mode (by holding å+ç+r at the startup chime). Choose Utilities > Terminal. Enter diskutil cs list and press ®. The long string of numbers and letters next to Logical Volume Group is the Fusion Drive’s UUID. Select it and copy it to the Clipboard. Now enter diskutil cs delete then a space, paste the UUID and press ®. Return to Disk Utility. It will recognise that the drives aren’t unified as a Fusion Drive and offer to fix it. Allow it. You should then be able to reinstall Yosemite.

Mac SOS

Minimising distractions I need to work for long periods uninterrupted, and I try to minimise the visual clutter on my desktop as much as possible. In Yosemite, I used a ‘launchctl unload’ command to remove the Notification Centre icon from the menu bar. Since upgrading to El Capitan, this trick no longer works. Do you have a workaround? James Goodrich The Terminal command ‘launchctl unload -w /System/Library/ LaunchAgents/com.apple. notificationcenterui.plist’ stops Notification Centre loading, and ‘killall Notification Center’ will halt the service that is already running by the time you reach the desktop. However, that just prevents notifications appearing; the menu bar icon will remain. A more comprehensive way to deal with menu bar clutter is Bartender, which is compatible with El Capitan. This utility costs about £10 from macbartender.com, and there’s a free, four-week trial version.

I’m sure you already know this, but it would be remiss of me not to mention that the best way to work without any interruptions is to turn on Do Not Disturb. The quickest method is to hold å and then click Notification Centre’s icon so that it becomes dimmed. Optionally, also switch the main app you want to use to full-screen mode to focus on it. Also, now that El Capitan can display two full-screen apps side by side, you can, for example, have your word processor open on one side of the screen and Safari on the other to more easily research and write.

Split View in El Capitan minimises distractions while enabling you to use two apps at once.

This is a phishing attempt. Phishing is when criminals attempt to trick you into giving away personal information, such as bank account details and passwords. In this case they are trying to scare you into thinking that you have already been hacked, so that they can go ahead and hack you. Often, criminals will register domain names that are simple typos of legitimate popular sites and wait for unsuspecting

El Capitan comes with Safari 9, which has a slew of subtle improvements that help you to juggle lots of open browser tabs at once. Hold ≈ and click a tab, then choose Pin Tab. That tab will shrink down to a compact icon and slide over to the left side of the tab bar. Pinned tabs appear on every new window, even after you quit and then reopen Safari. Use ≈+† to step through each open tab, or ß+ç and either [ or ] (the left and right square brackets) to move to the one on the left or the right, respectively. Hold å and click the X on a tab to close all open tabs except that one.

Can I believe this error? Recently, I typed in a wrong address and was taken to a strange website. Suddenly a message flashed up on the screen, my MacBook chimed, and a message popped up that said: “Do not shut down this computer. Do not make any purchases. Call toll free number”. I contacted my bank, which said it would check for possible fraud, but I am scared to use my credit card now. Danil Dyachenko

Self Service Get the most from Safari

users to visit by accident. The messages are hoaxes, but the links on the web page may try to download malware if you click them. This is unlikely to work against a Mac, since almost all of this sort of malware targets Windows, not OS X, but calling the number is definitely a bad idea. To dismiss a persistent message, force Safari to quit (press å+ç+œ, select Safari and then click Force Quit). Other than that, there is no need to worry. Phishing sites rely on spooking you into acting rashly, but they are mostly just bluster.

Alternatively, hold ç and press a number key to jump directly to that tab position (from left to right) for rapid access to your first nine tabs. Don’t forget that the numbering includes pinned tabs. When a page is playing audio, the Smart Search field has a blue speaker icon at its right side – solid when sound is from the current tab, an outline otherwise. Click the icon to mute the current tab, or hold å and click it to mute all others. Safari’s Reader view (accessed by clicking the paragraph icon at the left of the Smart Search field when reading a long article) now offers a choice of font and background colour as well as text size.

Enter a web address at phishtank.com to determine whether it’s a well-known phishing site.

Safari Reader removes a lot of the clutter from pages and lets you choose a font and colours.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 73

AppleTALK GET IN TOUCH

If you have a technical query with your iOS device that you need answering, please email us at sos@macformat.com

Christian Hall fixes your iPad and iPhone problems

Photos from video

Trimming Live Photos

I am thinking of upgrading from an iPhone 5 to a 6s. I was intrigued about the ability of the new phone to record 4K video. Will I be able to grab a frame from the video? I have a Panasonic stills camera that allows me to record 4K video and then select a frame which is saved as an 8MP JPEG. Does the new iPhone have the ability to do this, or do you need a separate iOS app to do it? John Varcoe

I really love Live Photos on my iPhone 6s. However, I find it’s rapidly eating up my storage (I have the 16GB model). Can I delete the live part of the photo and just keep the still without turning the feature off altogether? Julie Ann Haupner Before you take a photo, you can turn off the live part by tapping the yellow concentric circles at the top of the Camera app. If you don’t, the video is saved as part of the Live Photo. Tapping the same icon when editing a photo will just disable playback of the video, not remove it entirely. There is a free app called Lean (https://appsto.re/i6Sc32x) that will remove the video for you.

The newest iPhones can take high-resolution stills at the same time as shooting 4K video.

A mysterious overlay My wife’s iPhone 5s has a strange fault. In Messages, the message box has a grey box overlaid on it, with three zeros at the right side. You can type with the keyboard but you can’t see what you are typing. Restarting the phone temporarily fixes it. What’s going on? Should I ask O2 to swap it? Mike Riley The phone is fine. The 0:00 display is the timer for an audio message. The last update to iOS seems to have introduced a bug that triggers this

74 | MacFormat.com | January 2016

feature inappropriately – possibly the algorithm that detects when you lift the phone to your ear is now a bit too sensitive. There are three workarounds. The first is to double-click the Home button and swipe up on Messages’ thumbnail, which clears its temporary data. When you open the app again, the timer box will be gone. Secondly, before you type anything in the message box, you’ll see a microphone icon instead of the Send button; hold a finger on this to get rid of the timer overlay. Finally, for a more permanent solution, go to Settings > Messages > Audio Messages and switch off Raise to Listen.

You can tap the white circle in the bottom-right corner of the screen to take a still picture while you are recording, just like you can on your iPhone 5. On the 6 and 6 Plus, this will only give 4MP pictures, even though the camera normally takes 8MP photos. However, the 6s and 6s Plus will both capture 8MP stills (3840x2160 pixels), even while filming 4K video. That only works while you are recording video. You can’t go back over existing footage and extract a single frame. The video footage is highly compressed, with image information spread over several frames. To rebuild this data into a single, full-resolution image you’ll need some additional software. Shutta (free, https://appsto.re/ i6Sc32B) looks like it will do the trick.

Where are my iCloud photos? I recently uploaded 2.3GB of photos to iCloud Drive and now I can’t see them on my iPad mini 2 anywhere in Photos. I’m using iOS 9 with all the latest updates. George Cockspur iCloud Drive is intended as general purpose cloud storage, not just for photos. Your iPad doesn’t automatically download pictures from it, but you can view them in the iCloud Drive app. If you can’t find the app, go to Settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive and switch on Show on Home Screen. In the app, select some photos, tap the Share icon, and then tap Save Image to download them to the Photos app. Alternatively, turn on iCloud Photo Library in iCloud’s settings to sync all of your photos to all of your devices.

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MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 75

Get fit with Apple Kit Why has biometric tracking become so popular, and how can your Apple devices improve your health and fitness?

Words: Tim Hardwick

elf-tracking is nothing new. Professional athletes and trainers have monitored personal metrics for decades in an effort to improve performance, while doctors and clinicians have studied medical data for longer to improve patient health. But in the last few years, interest in biometrics has increased exponentially. Over the next few pages, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll look at why tracking health and fitness data has really taken off â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and how Apple has innovated the field, broadening accessibility and democratising data in the process. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll also look at the best tracking apps available for Mac, Apple Watch and iOS devices, and introduce you to the third-party wearables and accessories that promise to help you lead a healthier, happier, and more active lifestyle. 76 | MacFormat.com | January 2016

FITNESS TECH

A brief history of tracking The innovative first steps that birthed a biometric craze e track our activities all the time. Whether we’re calculating our monthly outgoings or stepping on a weighing scale, we seek validation in numbers because we can measure and compare them against each other, gleaning insights that we can then use to steer our behaviour in targeted ways. This habit of quantification has been amplified by recent advances in electronic sensors, which have gotten smaller and better at recording biometric data. One of the first breakthroughs came in the mid-90s, when University of Alabama engineering professor Ken Fyfe developed a runner’s speedometer for his own personal use. Fyfe designed accelerometers to fit into a plastic insert in his shoe, and which wirelessly transmitted his distance covered and average speed to a wristwatch. He perfected the system using algorithms to produce more meaningful data, and the sensor soon became a hit with like-minded runners. Fyfe built a company called Dynastream around his biometric wearable, and in 2006 sold the business to Garmin for a cool $36 million. The same year saw Nike collaborate with Apple to create an activity-tracking shoe sensor

In 2008, the iPhone 3G added GPS; meanwhile social media caught on and sharing everything, became the norm

5 best Mac apps iMuscle 2

Apple teamed up with Nike to develop the Nike+, one of the first activity trackers to become commercially available. accessory for iPod users, called Nike+. A year later, Apple ushered in the smartphone revolution with the iPhone, and people began carrying around powerful accelerometerequipped computers in their pockets. In 2008, the iPhone 3G added GPS; meanwhile social media caught on, and sharing everything fast became the norm. These advances, together with the increased integration of mobile networks and cloud-based services, liberated the potential for quantitative self-measurement, leading to wearable consumer devices and activity-tracking apps, and an explosion in shareable data on our moods, diets, fitness and health. The always-on-hand nature of smartphones means that modern desktop computers now offer limited appeal for biometric trackers, with the most popular tools existing as browser-based interfaces that act as remote dashboards for mobile-tethered tracking accessories. As a result, only a handful of decent Mac fitness apps have survived the mobile advance (see right), because iOS and devices like the iPhone and Apple Watch are where tracking is at.

An Apple a day... HealthKit is Apple’s specialised software framework which allows third-party developers and hardware makers to log and record biometric data taken from the physical sensors that integrate with its iOS Health app. (Google has a similar solution for Android users in the form of Google Fit, but its analytics lean towards fitness and exercise tracking rather than overall health.) While it’s tempting to slap a dollar sign on every bit of recorded data and assume

a financial motive on Apple’s part, there are good reasons to reel in the cynicism. HealthKit also pulls in data related to allergies, glucose levels and more recently with iOS 9, analyses of women’s reproductive health. Thanks to its open-source ResearchKit framework, Apple is now working with doctors and researchers to help gather more accurate data through the Health app for better treating specific conditions (see page 81).

£7.99 3D4Medical.com, 3D4Medical.com This app takes a hands-on approach to targeted exercises by letting you zoom into a 3D model of the human body to select a particular muscle to work on. Doing so reveals a range of exercises which you can then add to a custom workout routine, or simply follow one of the preset workouts.

Daily Workouts £4.49 Daily Workout Apps, dailyworkoutapps.com If you’re looking for varied bodystrengthening routines that last between 10 and 30 minutes, consider this Mac app. It randomly generates exercise routines targeting full body, upper, lower and core muscles, plucked from a database of over 100 exercises.

My Medical £10.99 Hyrax, mymedicalapp.com If your health is such that you have to keep medical records then this app is for you. It’s a comprehensive repository for all your medical data, including emergency contacts, health insurance, drug prescriptions and test results. It can even add doctor appointments and lab tests to Calendar.

Pocket Yoga £3.99 Rainfrog, pocketyoga.com This app is perfect if you take yoga classes and want to keep up with your practice at home. You can select from 27 different sessions of varying difficulty and duration, and follow the visual and spoken instructions. There’s a detailed description of each pose, and you can track your progress.

Perfect Diet Tracker £18.99 Boni Lifestyle, perfectdiettracker.com Enter your current weight along with an ideal target weight, and this app will calculate the length of time it will take you to achieve it based on your daily calorie intake and nutritional profile. You can then track your diet by filling in the food diary, encouraging you to stay on target as you go.

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FITNESS TECH

Health and fitness with iOS Make the most of the biometric tech in your iPhone or iPad pple opened up the iPhone’s biometric potential in 2010 with the release of iOS 4 and a software framework called CoreMotion, which allowed developers to access movement data captured by the device’s multiple sensors. But it was three more recent developments that signalled a turning point in Apple’s support for health and fitness tracking. The first came in 2013 with the announcement of the iPhone 5s and its dedicated M7 motion coprocessor, which captures motion data from the device’s accelerometer, gyroscope and compass. The second was iOS 8, which brought us Apple’s much-vaunted Health app – a centralised hub for storing all your health data, categorised by movement, weight, nutrition, blood pressure, body temperature and a ream of other analytics. The third development was the introduction of Apple Watch in 2015 (see page 81 for more), the tech giant’s late-to-the-game smartwatch

Habit forming The standalone apps we’ve highlighted in this section allow you to make best use of your iOS device for monitoring sleep, activity and dietary habits, but many of them rely on you having your iPhone or iPad to hand at all times, which may strike you as inconvenient or simply impractical. If you’re struggling to stay motivated or keep to your fitness goals then consider a dedicated tracker. Some of the wearables covered here offer useful feedback, informing you of upcoming workouts you have scheduled, or pinging you when it’s been a while since you last worked out. But if you’re more interested in an integrated solution for iOS devices, consider an Apple Watch (see page 81).

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that now competes in a well-established world of wearable technology.

Hea altth track king If you own an iPhone 5s or later then you can already track your basic activity through the Health app; simply carrying your iOS device on your person lets you track number of steps taken, distance covered and calories burned. If you own an iPhone 6 (or even an iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 4) you can track stairs climbed too, thanks to the more advanced M8 coprocessor in these devices and the addition of a dedicated barometer sensor that measures elevation changes. And if you have an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus, an integrated M9 motion processor does all these things continually without gobbling battery life. These tracking features are turned on by default in iOS 9, but if you want to turn them off you can do so by opening the Settings app, tapping Privacy > Motion & Fitness and toggling the switch next to Fitness Tracking. Stick with them though, because the Health app is pretty useless otherwise. Open it and you’ll see the Dashboard – this is where a series of graphs visualise tracked data above options to browse them by day, week, month and year. You can edit the Dashboard to see only the information you’re interested in: simply tap the Health Data tab, select a metric such as Fitness > Active Energy and then toggle the Show on Dashboard switch.

Stay on track with your fitness goals using the dedicated Activity and Workout apps on your Apple Watch.

Thiird d-pa arty y app ps Let’s be honest, Apple’s Health app isn’t terribly inspiring. Thankfully there are plenty of far more spritely (and free) third-party apps that access your iPhone’s motion and GPS data which you can use instead. One of our favourites is UP by Jawbone (jawbone.com), due to its elegant interface, a ‘Smart Coach’ that posts health and fitness advice in your daily activity feed, and its social media integration, which enables you to ‘gamify’ your activity by challenging friends and family to activity ‘duels’. For tracking exercise with your iPhone, there’s Nike+ Running (nike.com), which offers in-run audio feedback, and logs distance, time, elevation and workout intensity, plotting these data points on a map. MapMyRun (mapmyrun. com) offers similar in-depth analyses of your runs, but takes things further with 24/7 tracking and logging options for over 600 types of activity. Both apps offer training programmes as

in-app purchases if you want to take your fitness regime to the next level. Keen cyclists and aspiring athletes on the other hand should check out MapMyRide (mapmyride.com) or Strava Running and Cycling (strava.com), both of which offer similar features to the apps above, but also benefit from recommended riding routes and like-minded user communities.

Wearring g we earab ble es If you’re interested in a dedicated wearable to track your activity then your options are legion. The least expensive we recommend is the MisFit Flash (£25), a pebble-shaped device that tracks steps, distance and burned calories, and displays progress towards a pre-established goal using a circle of LEDs; it also monitors your sleep and lasts six months on a single battery. The Withings Pulse Ox (£80) is the next step up and adds

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5 best iOS apps Runtastic Free runtastic, runtastic.com Ignore the name; this app tracks almost any outdoor activity well, thanks to its GPS integration. Follow your route, distance, speed, split times, elevation, pace, duration and calories burned on its geographical map, and log additional data such as the weather and even your mood.

Endomondo Free Endomondo, endomondo.com In its basic form, this app tracks a wide selection of outdoor activities and offers plenty of useful stats. But with a premium subscription it comes into its own, with a range of training and coaching plans that provide structure and motivation to inspire and challenge you.

Human Free Human.co, human.co Human pushes you to achieve a goal of at least 30 minutes’ exercise a day, and automatically counts your calories as you walk, run and cycle, without you having to stop and tell it what you’re up to. You can follow your friends’ activity in the app too, helping you stay motivated.

Pillow Free Neybox Interactive, neybox.com Pillow tracks your sleep using your device’s accelerometer; pop it in your bed and on waking up you’re given a detailed overview of how you slept, with REM, light and deep sleep cycles plotted in a timeline. It has built-in nap modes and can also record sound events such as sleep talking.

Lifesum Free ShapeUp Club, lifesum.com This visually rich app offers structured diet plans, tracks your food intake, and its detailed meal information helps you understand how many carbs, proteins and fats you’re eating. It also syncs with wearable fitness trackers to factor activity levels into your calorie burn.

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How much you rely on biometric data in an effort to improve your health and fitness is up to you elevation, on-demand heart rate and blood oxygen level measurements to the typical tracking repertoire. Then there’s Jawbone’s UP3 (£120): this wristband packs a bevy of skin and ambient temperature sensors, one which measures resting heart rate, but the rest don’t really deliver much useful information, which is a shame, because the UP app is so well made. The latest contender is Moov Now (£60), another pebble-shaped sensor that tracks your daily activities and acts as a dedicated sports coach, with a host of motivational training plans. Sadly its iOS app isn’t so great, so our favourite remains the Fitbit Charge HR wristband (£100), due to its clear OLED display, incoming call notifications, and elevation, sleep, and all-day, on-demand heart rate tracking – not to mention the excellent Fitbit app.

iOS S in nte egrattion Thanks to Apple’s HealthKit API (see opposite) the Health app can sync with many third-party apps

and devices, but the process of enabling Health integration differs slightly depending on what you’re using. Endomondo app users, for instance, can go to Menu > Settings > Connect & Share > Health > Connect with Health, while owners of Jawbone or MisFit devices can sync to Apple Health by enabling access in their tracker’s companion app – or in the case of Fitbit users, via a third-party sync solution (syncsolver.com). This is the real beauty of Apple Health: its ability to corral data from multiple sources and give you a comprehensive biometric overview. For example, your day could begin by stepping on a Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale (£85), syncing this measurement to the Health app with Sync Solver, and then going for a run wearing an Apple Watch (from £299). On returning home you might take a diastolic and systolic blood pressure reading using Withings’ Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor (£90) synced to Apple Health. This would allow you to view it alongside yesterday’s blood pressure reading, check it against your heart rate and even compare it with another Smart Scale measurement that revealed the effects of a low-calorie diet you had synced from the UP app. Of course, how much you rely on biometric data in an effort to improve your health and fitness is really up to you. But it’s unwise to use it to self-diagnose, treat or monitor any medical condition without consulting your doctor first.

FITNESS TECH

Tracking activity with Apple Watch Built-in health and fitness features plus third-party apps make it worth a look pple Watch is billed as a multifunction smartwatch that augments your iPhone, but look beyond its Siri, message and call features, and Apple’s timepiece also has plenty of health and fitness smarts. It comes with an accelerometer, gyroscope and optical heart rate sensors, which feed data into its native Activity app (as well as the iOS Health app) and combine to track your movement through the day. Activity divides this data into three metrics called Move, Exercise and Stand, shown on-screen as three concentric rings that extend as you close in on an adjustable calorie burn goal (1,000 a day, say). The Stand ring shows how often you’ve stood up to take a break from sitting; the Watch subtly vibrates if you’ve been idle for an hour to get you moving again. It’s a feature shared by many wearables such as the Jawbone UP – and a welcome one, given the growing body of evidence showing the health hazards of too much sitting. Any activity counts towards your Move goal, but the Exercise ring monitors your heart rate to register only brisk activity. You can’t adjust the 30 minutes’ exercise goal, but the ring continues

beyond a single loop and you receive rewards for doubling or tripling it in one day. There’s a separate Workout app for running, cycling, rowing and elliptical machine routines that keeps track of pace, distance, heart rate and calories burned. One thing the Watch is missing is GPS, so if you want to track your route or elevation you have to take your iPhone along for the ride. The good news is that this doesn’t stop the Watch from tracking distance, as it calibrates this data based on stride and cadence.

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ResearchKit

Two things limit the Apple Watch’s appeal as a health and fitness device. One is that it usually needs to be taken off and charged overnight, so sleep tracking is largely a no go. Having enough quality sleep is important for overall health, so if you buy Apple Watch, we recommend a separate sleep tracking solution, either via a simple iPhone app or with a device such as the Beddit sensor (£105, beddit.com). The other limitation is its lack of data analysis: weekly activity summaries simply state whether you achieved your goals, but offer no advice or encouragement if you didn’t. Thankfully, watchOS 2 grants sensor access to third-parties, and most of the iOS apps mentioned in this feature also offer Watch extension apps or ‘complications’ that do a far better job. Lifesum, for example, lets you log your dietary intake from your wrist and its complication tells you when you should eat, drink or exercise throughout the day. Runtastic now reads your heart rate, returning richer data than the Workout app. Elsewhere, Gymaholic (Free, gymaholic.me) tracks weight training reps and sets, lets you edit workouts on your Watch and feeds back alerts if your heart rate spikes; Trails (Free, trails.io) lets you create waypoints when tracking any outdoor activity; and Cycles (Free, perigee.se) uses an Activity-style ring to help track menstruation, while its complication helps women keep an eye on their fertility window. In fact, more and more health and fitness apps are supporting Apple Watch by the day, so be sure to check the App Store to see what’s new.

ResearchKit won’t show up on your Apple device, but it’s already proving crucial to developers interested in solving medical issues using iOS; Apple’s research software framework expands upon its HealthKit API and gives medical teams the opportunity to create apps that can diagnose specific diseases and track health problems. ResearchKit also makes it easier for doctors and scientists to recruit volunteers for large-scale studies, because it overcomes the inherent limitations that come with doling out expensive and complex medical technology to participants. In a study being conducted at John Hopkins University, for example, one research team is looking at whether the Apple Watch’s sensors can detect the onset and duration of epileptic seizures, triggering an alert that’s sent to a loved one whenever a seizure occurs. The EpiWatch app (hopkinsmedicine. org/epiwatch) uses custom WatchOS code to capture accelerometer and heart rate sensor data to record a seizure’s digital signature, which is logged along with the participant’s responsiveness for the event’s duration. The aim is for sufferers of the condition to be able to manage their disorder by tracking their medication adherence, and screening for side effects. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Other ResearchKit-based apps include Share The Journey, for self-diagnosing breast cancer (sharethejourneyapp.org), Asthma Health (lifemap-solutions.com) and cardiovascular tracker MyHeart Counts (http://bit.ly/myheartcounts).

7KHUH·V D VHSDUDWH Workout app for running, cycling, rowing and elliptical machine routines

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The home of technology techradar.com

“This amazing

REVIEW MANIFESTO

speaker combines iconic design with superb sound quality”

Our ratings explained Our reviews are totally independent; we’re not affiliated with Apple or anyone else, nor are we influenced by advertisers. You can trust us. Prices we quote for products are correct at the time of writing and are the best we can find from a reputable online dealer, excluding delivery.

Zeppelin Wireless p89

+++++ Rarely given; a brilliant thing that’s as good as you can get in its class right now +++++ A strong recommendation to buy; any concerns are comfortably outweighed by its strengths +++++ A good product you should consider buying, but there may be better options for you +++++ Fundamentally flawed either in concept or execution; there are almost certainly better options for you +++++ A waste of your money and everyone’s time; do not buy!

Given solely at the discretion of the Editor only to truly exceptional products. Our group test winner gets this award; it’s the best of its kind at the time of writing.

REVIEWED IN THIS ISSUE KIT

GROUP TEST

MAC GAMES

iOS APPS

iPad Pro............................................................................. 84 Apple Pencil ................................................................. 87 Apple Smart Keyboard....................................... 87 iRig Pro Duo ................................................................. 88 R6 Wireless Audio 360......................................... 88 Zeppelin Wireless .................................................... 89 EcoTank ET-4550....................................................... 90 Logi Circle....................................................................... 90 BookArc for MacBook.......................................... 91 James 15-inch Tote Backpack....................... 91 SteelSeries Nimbus ................................................ 91 August EP650S.......................................................... 91

Distraction-free writing apps........................ 92

Mushroom 11 .......................................................... 100 Prison Architect...................................................... 100

Tweetbot 4 ................................................................. 102 Solar Walk 2 ............................................................... 103 Launch Center Pro............................................... 103 Assembly...................................................................... 104

MAC APPS iFinance 4........................................................................ 96 Emulsion.......................................................................... 96 iPulse 3.0.......................................................................... 97 Dragon 5 ......................................................................... 99

iOS GAMES Downwell .................................................................... 101 Magic Flute by Mozart ..................................... 101 SPL-T................................................................................. 101

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 83

iPad Pro It’s everything you love about the iPad, only a little more confusing… +++++ From £679 Manufacturer Apple, apple.com Available capacities 32GB, 128GB Display 12.9-inch, 2732x2048 pixels Colour options Silver, Gold, Space Grey Other 8MP camera (rear), 1.2MP camera (front), 4G on the top-end model, Touch ID, A9X processor

The way some creationists see it, evolution is bunk because they cannot imagine how useful adaptations come around if not all at once. Throw a gerbil off a cliff, they think and, if those scientists are right, it’ll evolve wings on the way down. The thing is, that’s not an entirely ridiculous analogy for the tech industry, and if it’s true then with this newest iPad we’ve caught the process halfway down; the result, while impressive and definitely a good thing as the ground rushes terminally upwards, is just as odd and sometimes unsettling as a gerbil in the middle of sprouting wings. At one level, of course, you can say the iPad Pro is just a big iPad, because at that one level that’s exactly what it is. You can choose between the 7.9-inch iPad mini, the 9.7-inch iPad Air and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and in theory the only major thing that differentiates them is the size of the screen. And yet, the iPad Pro, simply by dint of being the

size it is – allied to the fact that Apple has made an optional keyboard cover for it – plus iOS 9’s ability to run more than one app at a time with Slide Over, Split View and so on – continually prompts you to think of it not as an iPad at all, but as a more traditional computer.

Laptop power It certainly has the grunt to square up to a laptop. The A9X at its heart is a hugely capable chip, and you have to be doing very computationally intensive work for the iPad Pro to feel anything other than utterly slick and assured, but of course the iPad Pro is not a laptop. That would be fine – great, even, depending on your particular needs – but after decades of using desktops and laptops, when

The iPad Pro is powerful enough to be a laptop, but it isn’t one – and it shows. presented with something that, when docked in a keyboard case, looks a lot like a laptop, your brain just starts to think it will work like a laptop, and when it doesn’t, you’re more reminded of iOS’s limitations than you are of its benefits.

iOS 9’s split-screen multitasking stuff is genuinely of huge benefit here, even more so on the Pro’s bigger canvas

TOP 3 FEATURES | iPAD PRO

1 Speakers The iPad Pro has a speaker at

Pencil Connector 2 Apple 3 Smart We’ve reviewed the Pencil itself Most keyboards you’d use with

each of its four corners. At all times, all four speakers produce bass, while the rest of the spectrum is produced by whichever two speakers are on top depending on orientation.

on p87, but while it’s an optional accessory, it’s such a big part of why you might choose an iPad Pro that we can’t ignore it here. It’s wonderfully fluid and responsive – a delight to use.

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an iPad connect via Bluetooth, which not only means fiddly pairing, but also having to keep the keyboard charged. The Smart Connector makes this easier, and is open to third parties.

Some of the things that trip you up are big, system-level things: iOS doesn’t support a mouse, and we lost count of the number of times our thumb twitched towards a non-existent trackpad. Clearly, this has always been the case with iOS, but the iPad Pro’s size, plus the fact that we’ve been using it lots with a keyboard case, makes this lack of support even more apparent. Some issues are tiny. iOS now supports an app switcher, accessed with ç+†, just like on a Mac, but because of how iOS handles running apps, it’s limited to just your 10 most recent, and you can’t press Q with an app highlighted to quit it. Neither is in and of itself a bad thing, but they can cause tiny moments of confusion throughout the day when things don’t work as long-term Apple users expect them to, and while in the past you wouldn’t have even had that expectation, the fact that iOS has now adopted some of OS X’s conventions, albeit not with perfect fidelity, creates a slightly uncomfortable tension when your muscle memory fights with reality. iOS 9’s split-screen multitasking features are genuinely of huge benefit here, even more so on the

The iPad Pro is the biggest and best iPad yet, but using it flits uncomfortably between iOS and OS X at times.

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Pro’s bigger canvas compared to the iPad Air, letting you write in one app while having Safari open on the right of the screen for research, or draw in one while looking at source material in another, say. But while it’s welcome, there is confusion and compromise. Apps have to be updated to allow them to run as these ’secondary’ apps on the right (and it does have to be the right), and, because the way the apps display themselves boils down to ’behaving like iPad apps’ when the divider is in the middle of the screen, and ’behaving like iPhone apps’ when it’s further towards the screen’s right edge, their interface can change completely. Take Safari. On an iPad, you add a tab by tapping a plus icon at the top-right corner; on an iPhone, you tap the overlapping squares at the bottomright corner, and then tap a plus icon. So depending purely on where the dividing line between apps is on your iPad Pro, the control for adding a new tab to Safari when it’s on the right of your screen is not just in a different place but in one case behind an entirely different button. Again: this isn’t necessarily bad, but it adds unwelcome friction.

Power and flexibility Don’t, however, leave with the idea that the iPad Pro is a bad product. It’s ridiculously powerful and flexible, and it’s likely that with time not only will we adapt to these conventions but that developers will come to embrace them.

The iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil are a compelling creative pairing, so good is the Pencil’s implementation.

Besides, that big screen is just glorious – for showing photos, for drawing and painting, for editing video – and while the iPad Pro initially strikes you as comically large, it’s lighter than you expect, and its scale soon stops seeming silly. It’s surprisingly comfortable to wrangle in an armchair. The speakers – proper stereo speakers, which switch orientation with the device – are far richer and fuller than any other iPad; you probably still want an external wireless speaker for really enjoying music, but they are surprisingly, delightfully accomplished. (Had the speakers taken up less room internally, Apple could probably have pushed the iPad’s battery further than its now standard 10 hours, but we think most will be happy with that trade-off.)

A lack of shortcuts means the Smart Keyboard is not an essential purchase.

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So, do you buy this, maybe adding the Smart Keyboard (see p87), rather than, say, a MacBook? It is – or at least, depending on configuration, can be – cheaper, even with the pricey keyboard, yet depending on your needs it can be both a simpler and more fun computer, while also doing the majority of what most of us want a laptop to do, and some stuff a laptop can’t do. Plus, these days it’s not uncommon to find you want to use apps and games that only exist on iOS, not OS X. If you’re of an artistic bent or spend a lot of time sketching diagrams, it’s currently an easy decision; the Apple Pencil (see p87) is such a joy that you should buy the iPad Pro, whose larger canvas suits creative work – though we expect Pencil support to be rolled out across the iPad line soon, which will muddy things a bit. For everyone else, it’s much less clear-cut. The iPad Pro is a genuinely wonderful piece of tech – powerful, pleasing, impressive, joyous – though we can’t help but feel that the iPad line in general is at an awkward point in the process of evolving into something new. Once it grows its wings it’s going to fly, but at the moment it feels, more so with the iPad Pro than any other model, that it’s neither fish nor flesh, nor a good red herring. Christopher Phin

TEAM TALK After playing a few films and listening to music on the iPad Pro, it’s hard to go back to the iPad Air 2. Its four speakers give a good sense of stereo position, and are much better quality overall than the 9.7-inch iPad. That said, it’s a bit of a beast to lug around. Not every app looks great on it just yet, yet it’s certainly a better prospect for work tasks.

Everything that makes an iPad great, made bigger – but the pure iPad experience is tarnished. Lovely large screen Powerful and flexible Surprisingly rich speakers iPad experience muddied

Kit | RATED

Apple Pencil

The Pencil is equipped with a Lightning connector in the tip, so you can charge it from your iPad Pro.

Is Apple’s new stylus sharp enough to erase the competition? +++++ £79 Manufacturer Apple, apple.com Connectivity Bluetooth Charging Lightning connector Includes One extra tip

Apple isn’t the first company to make a pressure-sensitive iPad stylus, but as is often the case, now it has finally made one, it is probably the best iPad stylus you can buy. Developed specifically for the iPad Pro, the Pencil connects using Bluetooth and transmits a signal back and forth 240 times a second, so there is almost no perceptible lag when drawing. For many digital artists this potentially resolves the issue of latency, which has held back other styluses from being truly exceptional, and when combined with a phenomenal degree of

accuracy on the Pro’s supersized screen it means your artwork is able to look better than ever before. The Pencil feels great to use in your hand thanks to its slick white glossy finish. Tilting it enables you to shade as if using the edge of a pencil or charcoal, and drawing with the Pencil feels so natural that you find yourself checking your hand to make sure it is not covered in charcoal smudges or ink stains as you draw. It is this distraction-free usability which is the Pencil’s greatest feature. With other styluses you find yourself focussing on what you are

Smart Keyboard Edging your iPad towards true MacBook replacement territory

using, rather than what you are drawing. However, you have none of that with the Pencil, and the way it integrates seamlessly with apps like Procreate and Adobe’s Sketch and Photoshop Fix means you can simply enjoy being creative. At £79, the Pencil is competitively priced when compared to rivals. Although it currently only works with the iPad Pro, if you have made the investment in the larger tablet then your experience of it will not be complete without one of these. Alex Thomas

An essential purchase for any iPad Pro owner. Apple’s largest tablet just isn’t the same without it. Virtually no lag Incredibly accurate Tilt detection for shading Super-quick charging

The iPad just got its biggest ever on-screen keyboard, so why buy a physical one as well?

+++++ £139 Manufacturer Apple, apple.com Dimensions 30.6x2.3x0.7cm Weight 335g Connectivity Smart Connector

Apple hasn’t made an official keyboard since the first iPad, leaving it to third-parties to do so for its smaller tablets, and there are many good buys. The iPad Pro, by Apple’s own admission, sets out a clear vision for how the company sees the future of computing, and as a tablet/laptop hybrid the need for a physical keyboard has never been more pressing. When you see the iPad Pro docked in the Smart Keyboard you begin to understand that this is an iPad with serious computing potential, and we doubt any other manufacturer could make

a keyboard case that’s so in keeping with the style of the iPad Pro. It fits perfectly with Apple’s Silicone Case, which protects the back of the iPad, but there’s an odd gully on the front when the Smart Keyboard is closed as a screen cover, which is rather ungainly and smacks of compromise. However, you wouldn’t buy this to keep it closed; it’s supposed to spend most of its active life in the typing or ‘media’ positions, and we’re pleased to say it snaps into place easily and feels very sturdy in either configuration. Yet it’s not for laps in typing mode as you’ll find it tends to

bend in towards the fold at the back of the keyboard. The feel of the keys take a little getting used to, but is comfortable for longer periods, and their short travel is similar to the MacBook. The omission of a top row of media keys, offering system-wide shortcuts for volume and brightness controls, as well as play/pause and a Home button, may grate, since you’ll have to reach up to the iPad’s screen to make those tweaks. Christian Hall

Apple’s official keyboard for the iPad Pro has some ingenious elements, but it’s not universally appealing. Smart Connector is brilliant Comfortable for a thin keyboard No media keys or Home button US layout only at present

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RATED | Kit

iRig Pro Duo Turn your Mac or iOS device into a portable studio +++++ €200 (about £140) Manufacturer IK Multimedia Features 24-bit/48kHz operation, phantom power, MIDI in and out

iRig Pro Duo is IK’s first stab at cramming a lot of functionality into a single box. It’s an audio and MIDI interface designed to work with iOS, Macs or PCs and, remarkably, with Android. It can be powered over USB, by two AA batteries or an optional external power supply, and comes with a selection of cables for each of the different ways you may want to use it. There’s regular and micro-USB, as well as a Lightning cable for connecting to iPhones or iPads. No real setting up is required because the device simply appears as a source and destination for audio and MIDI inside your software.

Recording is done using the two combo inputs to which you can connect microphones or musical instruments using either jack or XLR plugs, and phantom power is available for using studio condenser microphones. Gain knobs and simple level meters let you control recording volume. You monitor using the jack outputs or the headphone socket, and a direct monitoring button helps to eliminate latency when recording. Your MIDI gear gets a look in too, with adaptors supplied for the mini jacks to send MIDI to or from your computer or iOS device.

R6 Wireless Audio 360

The iRig Pro Duo is pretty small, light, and can run off batteries. The iRig Pro Duo is an extremely portable box that brings studio-level connectivity to iOS for musicians: setting it up is easy and the results impressive. The plastic body could probably feel more solid, and it errs a bit on the side of lightweight. You get some free iOS apps after registering the hardware, but there’s increasing competition at this price point for catch-all professional audio devices such as this. Hollin Jones

An impressive multipurpose audio and MIDI interface for your Macs and iOS devices. Battery power option Works across all your devices Feels a little too lightweight Relatively expensive

The rounded design emits sound through a full 360 degrees.

Classy sound – but a clumsy app +++++ £329 Manufacturer Samsung, samsung.co.uk Connectivity Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (2.4GHz/5GHz) Dimensions 23.2x15.7x15.7cm

There are quite a few speakers available that have a circular or cylindrical shape, but the design is often just for show as these speakers still tend to emit sound in a relatively narrow area immediately in front of the speaker. But, for the new R6, Samsung developed a special ‘ring radiator’ that is able to emit sound in a full 360-degree range around the speaker. The result is pretty impressive, as this nine-inch speaker pumps out a firm, full sound that is capable of filling a room for a decent-sized party. It weighs a comfortable 1.8kg

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and has a rechargeable battery that lasts for about six hours, so it’s ideal if you want to pick it up and blast your tunes outside. You can connect to the R6 using either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and the Wi-Fi option also allows you to link multiple speakers as part of a multiroom audio system. Unfortunately, the Wi-Fi side of things is a bit untidy. Samsung’s Wireless Audio app is available for Macs and iOS devices, as well as Windows and Android, but it has some very rough edges – for instance, you still have to use the app on an iOS device in order to play

music stored in iTunes on a Mac. Songs are also listed in alphabetical order rather than in their correct album-track order, which is sloppy. At this price we’d have liked the R6 to support Apple’s AirPlay, which would have solved those problems with the Wireless Audio app. As it stands, the R6 is an impressive speaker that works best via Bluetooth, but which needs a better app in order to make the most of its Wi-Fi features. Cliff Joseph

The R6’s sound quality and design are first-rate, but Samsung’s Wireless Audio app needs some work. Impressive 360-degree sound Portable, with six-hour battery life Supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Clumsy app mars Wi-Fi features

Kit | RATED

Zeppelin Wireless Soaring sound or burning blimp? +++++ £499 Manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins, bowers-wilkins.co.uk Physical connections Ethernet, 3.5mm aux input Streaming sources AirPlay, Bluetooth (with aptX support), Spotify Connect Dimensions 19x66x18cm

Back when iPod docks were often a cheap charging station with the same acoustic power as dropping your phone into a plastic cup, the original Zeppelin arrived. The airship-shaped speaker has evolved over the last eight years, and this new model is more focussed than ever on wireless streaming and audio quality. It’s built from the same studioquality DNA as B&W’s flagship 800 Series speakers, even using the same Fixed Suspension Transducer (FST) tech in its mid-range drivers. The idea is to make the unit invisible from an acoustic standpoint by holding the speaker cones in suspension for more controlled sound, ensuring the chassis doesn’t colour the sound of the driver units.

At the edges of the shell, either side of the twin 90mm mid-range drivers, is a pair of 25mm tweeters. The iconic elliptical shape comes into play here, giving the doubledome tweeters limited airspace and allowing them to create beautifully clear treble. B&W thought its earlier models a little bass-heavy, thanks partly to twin flow ports on the rear, so these have been removed. This means the speaker operates as an almost completely sealed unit, with only a few, smaller micro ports beneath the grille at the front. This doesn’t mean weak bass response, though. There’s a huge amount of punch and power, and the bass is finely controlled, terminating concisely without being left to wobble out. It doesn’t impact

on aural clarity of the mid-range. Vocals are crisp and clear, yet natural. You can really hear a singer’s breaths or the shifting fingers of a guitarist’s hands across the strings and fretboard. It also creates an impressively wide sound stage. That great audio is open to loads of devices, thanks to Bluetooth (including the high-quality aptX codec, which Macs support) and Spotify Connect, as well as AirPlay. There’s a 3.5mm analogue input, but digital optical input is omitted. B&W has made an effort to ensure sound is good at low volumes by using a new digital signal processor, and the dynamic EQ monitors the signal to ensure that powerful bass stays controlled at all volumes. The Zeppelin Wireless is a great piece of design too – solid and reassuringly weighty. Admittedly it’s very expensive, but give it just a few seconds with your favourite songs and you’ll immediately know why. Dave James

This beautiful speaker takes a classic design and adds a more powerful yet detailed aural experience. Powerful, controlled bass Clear and satisfying sound Still pricey Inevitably limited stereo effect

The Zeppelin Wireless retains the iconic shape of older models, but there are big changes on the inside – and to what comes out of it.

TEAM TALK A Zeppelin Air has been part of my living room for years, so the promise of even better sound is a big temptation for me. If you’re also thinking about it, note the lack of an optical input on this model in case it means rewiring your setup. MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 89

RATED | Kit

EcoTank ET-4550 This printer looks expensive, but compensates with low running costs +++++ £370 Manufacturer Epson, epson.co.uk Paper handling 15-sheet A4 paper tray with duplex printing Print resolution 4800x1200dpi Scanner resolution 400x1200dpi

Inkjet printers are quite cheap to buy, but they can run out of ink quickly and then really sting you when it’s time to buy replacement cartridges. Epson’s EcoTank printers turn that approach on its head. They’re more expensive up front, but the large ink tank bolted onto the side of the printers holds enough ink to print thousands of pages. The EcoTank ET-4550 ups the ante even further. Its £370 price tag does seem expensive at first, but it includes enough ink to print a full 11,000 pages in colour (using all four

coloured inks). That works out at just under 3.5p per page for colour, far lower than a conventional inkjet printer. Epson doesn’t quote a cost for printing text with black ink alone, but we estimate mono printing at around 1p per page, which is also pretty good. Replacement inks are even cheaper. A set of four inks costs £35 and will last for about 6,000 pages in colour – just 0.6p per page. Print quality is good too, with smooth text output and colourful graphics and photos. The ET-4550 is not spectacularly fast, but speeds of

It’s a bit bulky, but the EcoTank ET-4550 holds enough ink to print 11,000 pages. 12 pages per minute for text and 5.5ppm for colour are respectable enough. It also includes a scanner, copier and fax machine, so has all the main features that home or small business users will need. If you only print a few pages a week then you probably don’t need a high-volume printer like this, but it will be a real money-saver if you regularly print a lot of documents. Cliff Joseph

Logi Circle

Despite the high initial price, the EcoTank ET-4550 will save you plenty of money in the long run. Large tank prints 11,000 pages Low-cost replacement inks Multifunction device Upfront price is expensive

The Logi Circle features a rather attractive, unobtrusive design.

Keeping an eye on your home’s security is accessible and fun +++++ £160 Manufacturer Logitech, logitech.co.uk Features Smart Filtering recording, 135-degree viewing angle, 8x zoom, Wi-Fi

This internet-connected home security camera’s design and companion app are full of engaging features that make filtering through the day’s happenings much easier and, dare we say, much more fun than any other home security camera that’s available. It’s fixed to a stand, which gives it stability and allows it to tilt forward and back with about 90 degrees of freedom. You can sit the Circle on any flat surface, or mount it to a wall. A dock is included, which feeds the Circle with power. You can go dockfree, but the internal battery doesn’t

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last long and there’s not much reason to, considering that the USB cable is three metres in length. Setting up the camera is a cinch. Download the app and the camera will join your Wi-Fi network, which allows it to beam footage to the app, no matter your location. The camera sensor is capable of HD capture in both light and dark rooms; when the lights go out, it automatically flips on night vision mode. The Logi Circle is managed through its companion app. It allows you to make several adjustments to the camera. You can zoom in/out,

turn off the LED indicator, and mute the mic. You can even chat into your phone, conversing with whoever’s near the camera. The only potential wrinkle is that it that selectively saves clips – if nothing’s happening, it just deletes the video. It also doesn’t back up footage by default, and that may not appeal to some, but the camera is easy to set up and the app is a joy to use. Cameron Faulkner

Security buffs might scoff at the lack of footage backup, but using the Circle is just plain fun. Charming design Excellent app A bit expensive Battery doesn’t last long

Kit | RATED

BOOKARC FOR MACBOOK

JAMES 15INCH STEELSERIES TOTE BACKPACK NIMBUS

AUGUST EP650S

+++++

£40 Manufacturer Twelve South, twelvesouth.com

£169 Manufacturer Knomo, knomobags.com

£40 Manufacturer SteelSeries, steelseries.com

£40 Manufacturer August International, augustint.com

BookArc is an arched aluminium stand for your MacBook for when it’s hooked up to an external display. Run your MacBook with its lid closed and pop it into the BookArc to save some desk space and hide away the distraction of another screen. The stand is lightweight but sturdy with rubberised soles, and comes with three interchangeable inserts to match different MacBook models. It’s an elegant piece of kit that ties in nicely with the other Apple gear on your no-doubt minimalist and perfectly-presented desk. Alex Blake

This laptop bag is surprisingly capacious – we used it for a few overnight trips, packing a change of clothes and a stack of magazines as well as a laptop and various other stuff – and as with all Knomo stuff the detailing is just lovely: big, chunky zips, little flashes of colour (both inside this black model and in the khaki Army colourway), and the Knomo tracker ID that can help reunite you with a lost bag. We especially love how the backpack straps stow away completely, transforming it to a smart office bag at the end of your commute. Christopher Phin

This controller comes with a Lightning port for charging, and is certified for use on all compatible iOS devices, and Apple TV. It feels really solid, without any telltale creaking. The thumbsticks are among the best we’ve used, as is the D-pad, though rotating your thumb around it gives less feedback than a normal press. The triggers have a little less travel than we’d like, but are perfectly good. The pad is easy to pair, worked reliably for us, and has a strong battery life. This brilliant device is the ultimate expression of Apple’s game controller vision. Matt Bolton

We would normally tell you to stay well away from a pair of wireless headphones that were just £40, but this lightweight and foldable set from August sounds rather good. The sound is a bit neutral and is lacking any notable bass, but it’s clear and consistent across various genres of music. There’s no getting away from the low-quality plastic feel of the cans, and the clicky buttons, but the faux leather is comfortable, and of all the Bluetooth-pairable headphones we’ve tried recently with an iPhone, these are one of the fastest to pair. Christian Hall

A simple stand for external display users, it has plenty of nice design touches and a lovely Apple-esque aesthetic.

A wonderfully refined and considered simple laptop bag. It’s not cheap, but it’s totally worth the cost as a treat to yourself.

The best iOS and Apple TV game controller, bar none. It’s comfortable, sturdy, looks great and is more affordable than any of its rivals.

Looking for a starter pair of wireless cans, or a spare pair for travel? Then these are well worth a punt at £40 a pop.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 91

RATED | MacApps 3

1 Byword

£8.99 bywordapp.com

2 iA Writer

£14.99 iawriter.com

3 Ommwriter

$5 (about £3, donationware) ommwriter.com

Distraction-free writing apps For when you just need to get some words down, here are six of the best apps around With any task, there’s a certain amount of being ‘in the zone’. When you’re distracted, you lose your train of thought and then spend the next fifteen minutes thinking about penguins when you should be working. With any task, that’s bad enough; with writing, it can feel like all of those amazing ideas that were tumbling out of your brain, channelled through your fingers to the digital page, have decided to instead tumble into the ether, never to be seen again. Distractions can come in the form of people, but the Mac also needs to take some of the blame. It was Apple that popularised the multiple-window

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system, meaning you could have two, three, four, or even seventeen apps on the go at once, all fighting for attention. And even if you in a wide-eyed state of hysteria get an app into full-screen mode, shut off all notifications and hide in a cupboard, there’s no guarantee your writing app’s interface won’t tempt you. After all, look at those pretty colours! And those toolbars! And all those formatting options! Forget about writing for a minute — how about making that headline look like it fell out of a magazine?

Take writing back from apps that tempt by hitting the rewind button and partying like it’s 1979

Enough! It’s time to take writing back from apps that tempt, largely by hitting the rewind button and partying like it’s 1979, but with a little added smarts. Here, then, we have six apps that aim to give you a distraction-free writing environment that’s all about you, your words, and not a whole lot else. That might sound reductive and limiting, but it’s surprising to see the variance in how each app approaches efficiency. Some have a very take-it-or-leave-it stance, while others are rather more configurable, enabling you to bend the app (at least a little) to your will. In our tests, we delve into each app’s interface, formatting support and document management. We want efficiency and elegance, a touch of flexibility and, if possible, a dash of beauty. Note also that you may see Focused on the internet under its former name of Typed. Craig Grannell

MacApps | RATED 5

4 Focused (formerly Typed) £22.99 71squared.com

5 Ulysses

£34.99 ulyssesapp.com

6 WriteRoom

£7.99 hogbaysoftware.com

DISTRACTIONFREE WRITING APPS | AT A GLANCE

Byword

iA Writer

Ommwriter

Focused

Ulysses

WriteRoom

Metaclassy

iA Labs

Herraiz Soto & Co

Realmac Software

The Soulmen

Hog Bay Software

Web

bywordapp.com

iawriter.com

ommwriter.com

71squared.com

ulyssesapp.com

hogbay software.com

Price

£8.99

£14.99

$5 (about £3, donationware)

£22.99

£34.99

£7.99

iOS app?

Yes

iPad

iPad (iPhone soon)

Markdown support?

Yes

Characters, words

Characters, words, sentences

Words

Characters, words

Characters, words, sentences

Characters, words, sentences, pages

Yes

User can create

Developer

Stats displayed Dark mode?

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 93

RATED | MacApps

Focused feels the most modern of the apps on test, with some smart transparency.

WriteRoom makes it possible to create your own themes, which can vary wildly.

TEST ONE

TEST TWO

THE INTERFACE

CUSTOMISATION

All about the ‘out of the box’ experience

Fine-tuning each app to your liking

Byword and WriteRoom are basically digital typewriters with optional live stats. Focused adds music and transparency effects, which can be disabled. The audio’s pleasant, even in the background when working elsewhere. Ommwriter is comparatively textured: you can use a plain background but alternatively a snowy landscape or hessian pattern. There’s audio, but most options are music-like and distracting; the audio also obnoxiously stops when you switch apps. Oddly, the app eschews menus, in favour of fiddly icons that appear on moving the cursor. iA Writer used to go for broke with minimalism, but has since relaxed.

You can optionally display a bar with statistics, syntax or formatting assistance, and either a pane with your library (saved files) or a preview. Annoyingly, text size adjusts based on screen space. Ulysses has a bare full-screen mode, but headings, navigation, stats and a Markdown guide are available via pop-ups. Two optional panes enable document access.

TEST RESULTS Byword

+++++

iA Writer

+++++

Ommwriter

+++++

Focused

+++++

Ulysses

+++++

WriteRoom

+++++

Every app on test, aside from Ommwriter, has focus (or highlighting) modes and typewriter scrolling. They differ in the fine details, but it’s elsewhere that variance is more obvious. iA Writer has a take-it-or-leave-it interface, bar adjusting text size. Byword gives you custom fonts, two themes and three column widths. Ommwriter has three themes, four font options, a resizable writing area, and background audio and typing noises. Focused offers six fonts, three themes, audio, and the choice of ‘responsive’ text sizing or four specific font sizes and three column widths. WriteRoom and Ulysses go for fullon theming. The former app enables

you to edit sounds, backgrounds and text styles, allowing alternate settings for full-screen and windowed modes within the same theme. Three of the four default themes are ropey, so this is just as well. Ulysses looks great to start with, and provides multiple mark-up and export themes (for HTML, ePub and rich text). In addition, you can adjust the font and typography.

TEST RESULTS Byword

+++++

iA Writer

+++++

Ommwriter

+++++

Focused

+++++

Ulysses

+++++

WriteRoom

+++++

HOW WE TESTED | WRITING APPS The apps were installed on a 2012 Mac mini running El Capitan. They were used at various screen sizes in order to ascertain whether this affected how well they worked. We primarily tested them by sitting in front of the screen and writing – while keeping some questions in mind. How did each application feel to use? Were any roadblocks thrown up, thereby slowing us down? How easy was each app to set up in the first place, and were there any customisation options provided to finetune everything to our liking?

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Modern writing is often about more than just writing until you’re done, so we explored common requirements writers have, whether they’re working for magazines and websites or putting together text for a presentation: access to document statistics, such as word counts; support for structural formatting; and exporting documents in formats that are widely accepted. Not all of the apps did everything, so we were aware we’d be looking for some kind of sweet spot – an app that did enough of the right things in a pleasing, efficient, usable manner.

Ommwriter feels a bit chilly due to that background image.

MacApps | RATED

iA Writer’s two-up layout is a boon for previewing Markdown as you write.

Ulysses has seriously powerful document management and export capabilities.

TEST THREE

TEST FOUR

FORMATTING SUPPORT DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT How and where your files are saved

What each app can do beyond plain text Distraction-free writing is about content, not layout, and so formatting niceties are rare. Only WriteRoom and Byword support anything beyond plain text, and only WriteRoom’s rich text support is of interest, helping you quickly craft lists and tables. Mostly, Markdown is the preferred means of structuring documents. Ommwriter and WriteRoom lack Markdown tools and previews, but every other app excels in some way: Byword’s speed in enabling you to tap a bracket to surround a selection when adding links; iA Writer’s great two-up preview and three alternate styles; Focused’s great-looking preview; and the smart pop-up

assistant for links and images, which appears in Ulysses. We found Byword nudged ahead in terms of preview accuracy and adherence to the Markdown spec, but Ulysses is the best app for that crossover of writer and geek. Beyond Markdown, it supports Markdown XL, Minimark, and Textile’d. You can even define your own Markdown system, should you feel the need.

TEST RESULTS Byword

+++++

iA Writer

+++++

Ommwriter

+++++

Focused

+++++

Ulysses

+++++

WriteRoom

+++++

Ulysses tries to be a repository for everything you ever write. Open its three-pane view and you access a library and your current folder. You can rearrange files using drag and drop, create smart folders, and Shift-click multiple items to temporarily group them in the editor. You also get cross-device iCloud sync, periodic backups and powerful export functionality. Text, HTML, ePub, PDF and DOCX are supported, along with direct publishing to Medium. iA Writer has a new Library pane – a searchable documents list that syncs with the iOS app using iCloud (although files can alternatively be saved locally). The app exports to

text, HTML, PDF and Word. Byword is similar (minus a sidebar), but adds RTF and LaTeX output, and a £3.99 publishing in-app purchase for directly posting to Medium, Tumblr, WordPress, Blogger and Evernote. The others are simpler: WriteRoom handles PDF; Focused exports to HTML and RTF; Ommwriter will export to PDF and RTF, but only allows one open document at once.

TEST RESULTS Byword

+++++

iA Writer

+++++

Ommwriter

+++++

Focused

+++++

Ulysses

+++++

WriteRoom

+++++

THE WINNER | BYWORD Ommwriter’s too much of an oddball and WriteRoom’s feeling its age, which leaves us with four top apps. Buy Byword, iA Writer, Focused or Ulysses and you’ll be happy. Which is ‘best’ in part comes down to personal taste. Focused is modern and pleasant to use. iA Writer is much improved and boasts a superb two-up mode. Ulysses is easily the best all-rounder (so buy it!), but the torn-off panels to get stats in full-screen aren’t very discoverable, and they distract. So Byword nicks it, not as the prettiest nor the

most flexible app, but the one that has that indefinable something. It’s also fast, efficient, robust, very affordable, excellent with Markdown, and just plain nice to use!

FINAL RESULTS Byword

+++++

iA Writer

+++++

Ommwriter

+++++

Focused

+++++

Ulysses

+++++

WriteRoom

+++++

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 95

RATED | Mac Apps

iFinance 4 Good value for money or a dubious investment? +++++ £29.99 Developer Synium Software, syniumsoftware.com Requirements OS X 10.10 or higher

iFinance 4 goes a long way toward smoothing the bumpy road that Mac users have had with personal finance management software, not least due to its ability to sync using iCloud or locally using Wi-Fi (though not both at the same time). Its iOS companion app works with iPad and iPhone, and Touch ID can be used to secure your data. On Apple Watch you can peek at your finances and add transactions. Otherwise, both versions are nearly identical in features, including

support for multiple databases, charts, reports, and budget analysis. Data in CSV, OFX, or QIF format can also be imported in either version. Though iFinance is more powerful than Quicken 2015, and at least on par with popular rival iBank, we didn’t warm to its interface, with its overly large buttons, questionable colours, and generally unpolished look and feel. The layout of many options is unintuitive, so the app is harder to use than it should be. The exception is the Analyses tab, which offers visually rich charts and graphs.

iFinance 4’s interface is unintuitive, scattershot and hard to love. Note that iFinance is a bargain compared to alternatives, but you’ll pay twice to get it on Mac and iOS. Syncing was mostly flawless; we had a few conflicts when the database was open in multiple locations, but these were easily resolved by manually selecting the most recent version. J. R. Bookwalter

Affordable finance management, but the interface could use an overhaul to live up to the comprehensive features. Beautiful charts and reports iCloud or local Wi-Fi syncing Unintuitive interface Cost of buying for Mac and iOS

Emulsion Could this be the app Aperture lovers have been holding out for? +++++ £39.99 Developer The Escapers, emulsionapp.com Requirements OS X 10.10 or higher

This Lightroom-a-like organises and nondestructively edits your photos. Images can be imported into Catalogs, which you switch between in the File menu, but it’s simpler to drag folders onto the bar at the left; the app watches for new items to save you manually importing them. Aperture and iPhoto library import is still in beta. For metadata addicts, a lot of the basic EXIF data is editable, and you can build a list of your equipment to populate it in scanned film images.

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The Adjustments palette enables image editing, although not until you’ve created a version. Sensibly, editing is restricted to a copy, preserving the master, although this surely could have been achieved in the background without prompting you for a name every time. Edits consist of the usual fare, with exposure, colour controls and noise reduction. We found the Sharpen Luminance slider very effective at bringing out detail in images. There’s also an auto-enhance option, and a palette of one-shot filters.

Adjustment Sets enable you to apply a variety of useful tweaks to an image. The app’s downside is slowness, certainly compared to Lightroom when building previews of 20MP raw files on a Core i7 Mac, with plenty of pauses between adjusting a slider and the effect appearing. It taxed our MacBook’s CPU too, causing the fans to kick in when processing raw files. Ian Evenden

A good choice as an Aperture replacement if Lightroom doesn’t set off your flash. Importing photos is easy Great at sharpening images Supports masses of metadata Rather slow

Mac Apps | RATED

OMNIGRAFFLE The easy way to create diagrams for home, work or school

iPulse puts a lot of stats in one location, but it’s difficult to see what’s going on.

iPulse 3.0 Keep an eye on your Mac with this performance monitoring tool +++++ £7.99 Developer The Iconfactory, iconfactoryapps.com Requires OS X 10.7 or higher

On the surface, at least, iPulse is a fuss-free monitoring tool that provides you with performance-related stats on demand. It starts out as a floating icon on your desktop, but can just as easily be placed in the menu bar or in the dock for a less obtrusive presence. The app’s origins date back to 2002, but after a four-year hiatus, version 3 brings things bang up to date, and has been designed to work seamlessly with El Capitan. Fire up iPulse for the first time and a small (but resizable) multi-coloured icon appears, floating above everything else on the desktop. It displays a range of gauges that flash and update in real time, but it’s hard to make out anything meaningful. Instead, roll your mouse over various parts of the icon and pop-up windows reveal the stats behind each gauge, which are split into six categories: CPU, memory swapping, memory usage, disk, network, and a mobility section for MacBooks. By holding ≈ and clicking the icon you get shortcuts to key system tools, including Activity Monitor, and you can tweak the app’s preferences.

There are 10 looks for the Dock icon, plus tabs for each section. Each one provides an explanation of what the gauge displays, and provides limited customisation options. It’s here you can enable the menu bar icon, and decide what each of its two graphics displays. Sadly, they remain as impenetrable as the main gauges. There’s a lot of information hidden away in iPulse, but its gauges and menu bar graphics are more likely to confuse than enlighten. There are plenty of useful stats the app wants to share with you, but you’ll have to put in a lot of effort learning how it displays that information to get anything meaningful from it. Nick Peers

iPulse monitors lots of useful system info, but is guilty of overcomplicating things with the way it’s presented. Lots of information in one place Extremely customisable New features aren’t compelling

If you’ve ever needed to create diagrams for a school, work or home project, OmniGraffle (£79.99, omnigroup.com) has your back. A perennial MacFormat favourite, it enables you to make everything from hierarchical charts and software wireframes to plans for your next kitchen or garden. Available from the Mac App Store as well as from Omni Group directly, OmniGraffle comes with a huge range of illustration tools, plus built-in shapes and stencils that make quickly creating complex infographics a breeze. If you can’t find the shape or stencil you’re looking for, OmniGraffle makes it easy to create and save your own, with additional stencils available free either from Omni Group or from its OmniGraffle user community at http://bit.ly/OU94gF. One thing that counts against OmniGraffle is that there is quite a steep learning curve, at least in the beginning, and the built-in Help menu is of limited use. Luckily, the user interface is well laid out and organised, and you can usually find the option you need in one of the inspectors, which are available as sidebars, palettes or floating panes. For more experienced users, OmniGraffle is also available in a Pro version (a £79.99 upgrade), which adds even more capabilities. There’s also a capable iOS version for iPad users (£39.99). It supports the iPad Pro’s Apple Pencil, and also offers a Pro upgrade as an in-app purchase.

Graphics hard to interpret

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 97

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Mac Apps | RATED

Dragon 5 A hoard of treasure for chatty Mac fans to plunder +++++ £139.99 Developer Nuance, nuance.com Requires OS X 10.9 or higher, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or better

Dictation is built into OS X and iOS, so why would you want to buy a third-party app on top? If you spend at least a little time each day dictating, the convenience of having almost complete vocal control over your Mac – not just dictation – makes Dragon well worth the money. It’s not simply a transcription device; it can launch and close apps, move the pointer, and interact with OS X itself. Just about anything you can do with your hands on the keyboard and mouse can be done just as easily by sitting back in your chair and talking. Dragon is like a text expander on steroids, which adapts as you use it, so the longer you work with it, the more accurate it will get. It can also insert standard blocks of text with a single command, much like managers of old signed off dictation to their secretary with “yours etc etc”. Tradition dictates that if you’re reviewing voice recognition software you ought to use it to write the review, which is exactly what we did. We wrote our review using Dragon, then made amendments by issuing spoken commands to tell Dragon how to go back and make changes.

The muted interface is an improvement. Its contents change to reflect your selection. Upgrading from version 4 is painless: the training you have given the previous version is reworked, so your additions to the dictionary are migrated. The installation process warns that this could take up to 20 minutes, but on our Mac mini it took just six. It also claimed that it would

There’s also a less garish dictation window, which keeps the most common functions in view and dynamically switches to correction mode when you verbally select a word or range of words. Not that you’ll need to do that very often: so far, we’ve only corrected one word

Dragon 5 is like a text expander on steroids – the longer you work with it, the more accurate it will get make the dictation process more responsive, and our tests certainly bear that out, with very little delay between saying a word and it appearing on the screen. The interface has been rethought too, with a new Dragon menu bar item keeping the app close at hand.

It’s easy to switch between user profiles using Dragon’s new menu bar item.

in this document despite dictating at close to regular talking speed. As well as dictating live, you can use it to transcribe voice files. An iOS and Android app is to be imminently released in the UK (it is already out in the US and Canada), which will let you work on the move. This will sync with the Mac edition upon payment of a subscription. Dragon is flexible and very fast to work with, but there’s no denying that at £139.99 it’s expensive. At that price it’s not an impulse purchase, but once you get used to talking to your Mac you really won’t want to go back; typing feels slow and, in our experience, dictation helps us stay focussed on the job at hand, so that investment repays itself fairly quickly. (If you’re wondering, the final tally of errors we corrected while writing this was just two.) Nik Rawlinson

TEAM TALK The notion of giving very detailed spoken commands is appealing, and Dragon is certainly great for it. However, do check first whether El Capitan’s expanded Dictation Commands list already addresses what you want to say.

Forget about controlling your Mac with Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard – Dragon is Magic Mic. Easy, swift upgrade Smooth, fast recognition Retooled and improved interface Justifies the high price

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 99

RATED | Mac Games

Mushroom 11 In this radioactive wasteland, what doesn’t kill you makes you stranger +++++ £10.99 Developer Untame, untame.com Requires OS X 10.7 or higher

Most fungi aren’t known for their intelligence, but Mushroom 11 is pretty smart. What other game is there where a malleable blob of mould seeps across the post-apocalyptic remnants of civilisation? In Mushroom 11 you are that mould – a green splat that can’t actually move but can grow, yet has to maintain the same mass. Your mouse is essentially an eraser; only by destroying part of yourself can you move forwards. It’s a mechanic that sounds incredibly awkward, yet

it becomes fluid and natural as more complexity is introduced. As you grow, you learn new ways to sculpt yourself, from being a living ramp for explosive projectiles to wrapping yourself around machinery. Each stage ends with a monstrous Lovecraftian entity, and getting past it tests everything you’ve learned. Mushroom 11 is set against the remains of a civilisation torn apart by nuclear war. Although this is a 2D platformer, the backdrops give it an amazing feeling of depth, as well as being mildly unsettling. There are signs of new life – brightly coloured

Post-nuclear apocalypse, the world has a lot more lava than you may be used to. spiders and flowers – which you roll over and absorb. You wonder what the survivors are so afraid of, but when you see jellyfish fleeing, you realise maybe it’s you. But this revelation doesn’t stop you. There are more flowers to dissolve, and the circle of decay and growth must continue. Alice Bell

Mushroom 11 is well designed, beautiful and interesting on many levels. It’s anything but simple. Original, with fluid controls Beautiful level design Can become frustrating Inspires some existential angst

Prison Architect If it’s a strategic challenge you want, this game has it all locked up +++++ £19.99 Developer Introversion, introversion.co.uk Requires OS X 10.6 or higher, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, see site for graphics cards

A prison is a place as complicated as a city, but where all of the ‘civilians’ are stashing weapons in their beds. As the architect of their incarceration, it’s your fault when they kill each other, escape, or arrange for drugs to be thrown over the fence. Prison Architect is not, in short, a cheery experience. It is a surprisingly enthralling one though, taking on such a seemingly limited subject and drilling into it all the way. You design every building and every cell block, wire up every light and add every toilet. Your power stretches from

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controlling inmates’ schedules to setting up support groups; not just putting down cameras, but hiring the guards who watch them, and designing patrols routes to see what they can’t. That’s just scratching the surface of the sandbox. You can create a liberal utopia that maintains order with free TVs and lush rooms, crack the whip and rule by fear, or anything in-between. Getting started in it isn’t easy, thanks to the weak tutorial and an interface that often makes it hard to discern the effect things are having and why everyone’s suddenly setting their beds on fire. It’s not long before

Escape Mode is a simple mini-game. It’s cute, but don’t buy the game for it. the act of creating prisons becomes not just second nature, but oddly compelling. It’s not the most obvious topic for a game, but Prison Architect is one of the best city-builder sims in years… not to mention the world’s new best demo of why you never, ever want to end up behind bars. Richard Cobbett

A break-out success that explores its subject like few others, though with a steep learning curve. Very deep simulation Surprisingly flexible building Terrible tutorial Often unclear about specifics

iOS Games | RATED

MAGIC FLUTE BY MOZART Slide to unlock me, Amadeus +++++ £2.99 Developer Lab Like, magicflutebymozart.com Works with iPhone, iPod touch, iPad Version 1.2

A puzzle game based on a Mozart opera doesn’t seem the most obvious subject, but perhaps it’s not that different to mushroom-gobbling plumbers or hyperactive hedgehogs. You don’t need to be an opera buff to enjoy Magic Flute, but you’ll certainly need your wits about you to succeed. Although it’s billed as a ‘casual puzzle game’, Magic Flute is rather challenging. Simple sliding puzzles give way to convoluted mazes across multiple axes, buttoncontrolled elevators, and

character-swapping. The range of puzzles is almost overwhelming, but it makes them satisfying to solve. If you’re unfamiliar with opera, you could be disappointed by the lack of narrative and musical detail. Though the game might not make the most of its source material, its puzzles are more than interesting enough. Alan Williamson

A wasted adaptation of an old opera, but still a worthwhile take on an old genre.

Beneath the deceptively simple visuals lies a deep and fiendishly hard game.

SPLT

Downwell

Make like our opinion and…

Going down, gunboots blazing

+++++

£2.29 Developer Simogo, simogo.com

£2.29 Developer GHI Media, downwellgame.com

Works with iPhone, iPod touch, iPad Version 1.0

Works with iPhone, iPod touch, iPad Version 1.0.2

This strippedback puzzle lets you interact in a single way, yet it’s one of the most complex App Store games in ages. You tap the screen to split it into two boxes, then tap one of them to split it. This continues with you alternately splitting boxes vertically or horizontally. When you make a set of matching smaller ones, numbers appear inside them, counting down to zero, at which point those boxes disappear to make room for new ones. You simply keep splitting until you run out of places you can do so.

Downwell starts as a fun but tough game as you blast enemies with your gunboots, inching a little further down the well each time before the demons get you. Then you realise your gunboots aren’t just weapons, but explosive air brakes. You shoot less, bounce more, and chain together increasingly audacious combos. Downwell is a masterclass in design, crisp aesthetics and crunchy feedback. Like Spelunky – with which it also shares a composer – it’s full of discoveries and choices, where every weapon is potentially doubleedged. Will you sacrifice your laser

beam for health? Feast on enemy corpses? Turn bullet casings back into bullets? The randomised level design and distribution of power-ups forces you to master every weapon and strategy to survive. There’s always a new way to play, and even if you somehow reach the bottom there are high scores and speed runs to chase. It’s a bottomless well of possibilities. Alan Williamson

Not just another pretentious pixel art platformer: it’s one of the best games of the year, on any device.

You can just fiddle about to get a personal high score, but by learning SPL-T’s intricacies over time you can use them cleverly – say, by speeding up countdowns in a certain way to trigger chain reactions. We struggled long-term though, seeing the genius of SPL-T’s many strategic options, but unable to get our heads around them – it seems more fun if you can. Matt Bolton

A very smart game, pared back to the essentials, but some may find it too strategically focussed.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 101

RATED | iOS Apps

Tweetbot 4 An upgrade worth tweeting about +++++ £3.99 Developer Tapbots, tapbots.com Works with iPhone, iPod touch, iPad Version 4.0.2

Twitter’s own app is… okay, yet iOS isn’t short of alternatives to it. Tweetbot is on the very short list of those that can be called excellent. Now Tapbots has refined it in ways big and small, and unified its iPhone and iPad editions. A longstanding complaint about third-party Twitter clients, Tweetbot included, is that they don’t have an aggregate view of who retweeted you, who favourited your tweets, new followers, and so on. Twitter keeps much of this data close to its chest, leaving third parties’ hands tied. Tweetbot 4’s Activity view solves this complaint, and it’s better than

Twitter’s own take. It shows your day’s accomplishments and a list of when tweets get attention. If an old tweet gets favourited again, it’ll jump to the top of the list with updated retweet and favourite counts. Other big additions include support for 3D Touch, replying to a tweet or direct message from a notification, and the use of iOS 9’s Safari View Controller. That last one is a big deal because the in-app browser now works with content blockers, and you don’t need to log in to known sites, saving time. There’s also a two-column view in landscape on iPad and Plus-size iPhones, and support for Split View means you

Your profile summary is complemented by a new overview of favouites and retweets. can check Twitter while in another app. More granular mute settings help when a friend is obnoxiously tweeting the latest sports game but you don’t want to unfollow. It’s difficult to find something to complain about. Tweetbot 4 would be a steal at even twice the price. David Chartier

Meaningful improvements make Tweetbot 4 a great new version of the best Twitter app for iOS. Full-featured and polished Supports more Twitter features Activity view is a home run Better view of web pages

DUET DISPLAY Alan marvels at maximising the pixels on his mobile desktop Duet Display (£11.99, duetdisplay.com) turns your iOS device into a secondary display for your Mac. You only have to install its Mac and iOS apps and then connect the two devices using a USB cable. We’ve tried it out before with a 9.7-inch iPad, but it’s only since we got our hands on the iPad Pro that we’ve really fallen in love with it. That particular iPad’s screen size gives you a fairly large secondary display on which to place some windows, rather than having to depend on Mission Control to juggle apps on a MacBook’s screen when you’re away from your desk. Rather than using the

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iPad Pro’s screen resolution to its full effect, we’ve set Duet Display to render at the non-Retina resolution of 1366x1024 pixels (half as many pixels in height and width). However, the iPad Pro’s extra inches of screen over a 9.7-inch iPad makes a difference in comfort. Duet Display lets you interact with the Mac desktop using your fingers, and Split View is supported on the iOS side (though we encountered a display glitch). Even so, we’re delighted with it as a way to turn an iPad Pro into a practical enhancement for a MacBook.

An iPad Pro and a 15-inch MacBook Pro combine to give you over 6.5 million pixels of desktop space.

Mac Apps | RATED

Solar Walk 2 An App Store star returns, but does it better its forebear? +++++ £2.29 Developer Vito Technology, vitotechnology.com Works with iPhone, iPod touch, iPad Version 1.0.1

Solar Walk 2 is a touchscreen take on an orrery. You drag your finger around to reorient the solar system, pinching to zoom in and out, and then tap celestial bodies to focus on them. A button provides you with access to infographics, relevant space missions, visuals of a body’s internal structure, important dates, photos, and the relevant Wikipedia entry. The app offers options to switch between an exaggerated view (larger planets that are closer together) or a more realistically

proportioned take on the heavens. You can also toggle visual effects and an ambient soundtrack. Using the calendar, you can jump to important celestial dates. Alternatively, you can just hit play and muck about with time, running it forwards and backwards – at speed, if you feel the need. As a solar system at your fingertips, Solar Walk 2 largely impresses, but as an upgrade, this version feels more like a step sideways than forwards. Space missions, satellites, extended solar system objects, and a history of

space exploration hide behind subscription in-app purchases. Like its predecessor, Solar Walk 2 has a kind of zoom-happy navigation between celestial bodies that’s sometimes choppy and often dizzying. The writing is peppered with errors; most are grammatical, but the result is an app that feels rushed. These things don’t stop it being a good app, but it should have been a great one. Craig Grannell

Belt around the solar system, but be prepared for lots of zooming effects.

A decent buy for newcomers looking for an educational astronomy app, but it’s only a so-so upgrade.

Launch Center Pro Save time on complex actions +++++ £3.99 Developer Contrast, contrast.co Works with iPhone, iPod touch, iPad Version 2.6.1

This app lets you create your own shortcuts for doing things on iOS – it can simply launch apps for you, but it can also perform complex actions within those apps, queueing up common tasks for you, essentially. (Compatible apps and actions are listed at http://actions.contrast.co) You can access these shortcuts either within the app itself, where they’re presented in a grid; or you can trigger them through the app’s widget in Today view; or using 3D Touch on compatible iPhones. Some can also be activated by location or through other triggers.

Launch Center Pro is also massively expandable thanks to integration with IFTTT (http://bit.ly/MFLCPro). Basically, it’s there to make certain tasks easier to do on iOS. At least, that’s the plan. Launch Center Pro can be very daunting – you might have an action in mind for it to perform, but finding the right set of options isn’t easy. There’s a huge number of possible actions, and their categorisation is only helpful half the time. You also don’t build complex tasks in easy-to-follow workflows, but rather just by choosing actions from a list to see the app build a URL that represents the task you specify.

Still, the possibilities are huge – though the app is great even for something a little smaller. We were able to add a button to Today view to get directions back to our home using Maps, and another to lock brightness to 100% for correctly exposing video. Both are helpful, and took seconds to create. Matt Bolton

Launch Center Pro saves a lot of time once you’re proficient with it.

Though it could be friendlier (guides are available), you may find it invaluable once you get to grips with it.

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 103

RATED | iOS Apps

TEAM TALK Bézier curves are fine to work with once you’ve practised for a bit, but they can be an obstacle for new digital artists. If that sounds familiar, this app may restore your confidence at creating vector art.

Assembly Digital drawing that’s as easy as 1, 2, 3 +++++ Free Developer Pixite, assemblyapp.co Works with iPhone, iPod touch, iPad Version 1.0

Vector drawing is a powerful technique, but learning the tools is a right pain in the Bézier. Not with this app: you just arrange shapes like fuzzy felt. Unlike fuzzy felt, shapes in Assembly snap and align. You can flip and rotate them, and move them ‘forward’ or ‘backward’ to manage overlaps. Neat pictures emerge in minutes. In the Styles tab, you set the colour and stroke for each shape and an

104 | MacFormat.com | January 2016

optional soft shadow. Plenty of essential shapes are provided, including polygons, arcs and a moose. If you’re the kind of person who prefers Star Wars Lego to the proper kind, you can buy more shapes in themed packs (79p each, or £8.49 for the set). The app is very thoughtfully designed to make everything simple, so building up pictures is gratifyingly easy. There are some limitations, though. Resizing objects is always

proportional; you can’t stretch a square into a rectangle or a circle into an ellipse. You can group shapes, but you can’t cut out one from another, which is a big miss. The dotted stroke options are a hidden gem, advanced enough to create some nice geometric patterns. It’s lovely that colours come in preset palettes, but we kept losing track of those we’d already used; you can’t copy them from existing shapes. You can export your artwork as a high-resolution JPG or PNG image or, if you don’t mind sacrificing shadows, a scalable SVG. Editable projects can be emailed, which is good for backup as well as sharing. Adam Banks

It’s fun and easy to build up your own drawings from the preset shapes.

Assembly is a bit fiddly for small children, but creatively rewarding for the rest of us, even on iPhone. Easy to get started Snapping keeps it all neat Get as complex as you like Limited shape manipulation

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MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 106

The Apple kit we’re most excited about

The introduction of the iPad Pro has seen Apple change its stance somewhat on input devices for its tablets: witness the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard (reviewed on page 87). The key difference between Apple and its rivals is that where companies like Microsoft see a stylus as an integral part of the user experience, Apple’s take is that the Pencil is an enhancement of, not a replacement for, other types of user input.

The iPad mini and iPad Air 2 have a Split View mode, so you can work in two apps side by side iPad Pro This incredible 12.9-inch tablet answered a lot of prayers when Apple launched it last autumn, and now we’ve got our hands on one it’s proved to be just as powerful and as capable as we had hoped. Go buy one!

iPad

CHOOSE AN iPAD

Apple surprised and delighted us DAYS SINCE all when it announced the iPad REFRESH Pro last September, but it has left the rest of its line-up largely unchanged apart from the introduction of the iPad mini 4, which finally put the small, but perfectly formed 7.9-inch iPad on par with the full-size model again. That’s good news in iOS 9, because UPDATE LIKELY? both sizes of iPad can take advantage 9.7-inch in 2016? of its new (iPad-only) multitasking features, enabling you to slide a second BUY OR WAIT? app into view (say, to check email) Buy now without leaving the one you’re working in. The iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4 and iPad Pro have a Split View mode, so you can work in two apps side by side. Those three models also feature Touch ID, Apple’s fingerprint sensor. Rumours suggest that Apple will update the iPad Air soon, possibly with an A9 processor and 4GB of RAM. The Days Since Refresh box shows you when an Apple product was last updated at the time we went to press, and whether it’s safe to buy now or wait. Please remember this advice is just our best guess – Apple can update any product line at any time.

Model

Key specifications

Price

iPad mini 2 Wi-Fi (add £100 for 4G)

Resolution: 2048x1536 pixels Processor: 64-bit A7+M7 Video recording: 1080p HD

16GB: £219 32GB: £259

iPad mini 4 Wi-Fi (add £100 for 4G)

Resolution: 2048x1536 pixels Processor: 64-bit A8+M8 Video recording: 1080p HD

16GB: £319 64GB: £399 128GB: £479

iPad Air Wi-Fi (add £100 for 4G)

Resolution: 2048x1536 pixels Processor: 64-bit A7+M7 Video recording: 1080p HD

16GB: £319 32GB: £359

iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi (add £100 for 4G)

Resolution: 2048x1536 pixels Processor: 64-bit A8X+M8 Video recording: 1080p HD

16GB: £399 64GB: £479 128GB: £559

iPad Pro Wi-Fi (add £100 for 4G

Resolution: 2732x2048 pixels Processor: 64-bit A9X+M9 Video recording: 1080p HD

32GB: £679 128GB: £799

= Retina display

MacFormat.com | January 2016 | 107

UPGRADE!

MacBook

MacBook Air

The newest member of the Mac family sports a 12-inch Retina display with a pixel density of 226ppi – almost identical to the MacBook Pro. It’s available in the same silver colour as other MacBooks, as well as Gold and Space Grey variants. Only this and the MacBook Pro feature a Force Touch trackpad, which detects UPDATE LIKELY? and responds differently to levels of Early 2016? pressure. The backlit keys are larger than on other Macs, and run almost from BUY OR WAIT? edge to edge of the MacBook’s body. Wait if you can The MacBook is powered by Intel’s new Core M processors (up to 1.3GHz), which are designed to stay cool without needing a fan, making this the quietest portable Mac. All models come with 8GB of RAM – double the amount that’s standard on the MacBook Air – but can’t be upgraded any further than that. They also include fast flash storage that starts at a comfortable capacity of 256GB, rising to 512GB in the more expensive version. The 1.3GHz processor upgrade is available on both models for between £120 and £200.

The 2015 MacBook Air refresh is a mere speed bump, yet even with the announcement of a new, lighter MacBook, the Air remains Apple’s most affordable portable Mac. The MacBook Air uses Broadwell processors, which are designed to use very little power. The 2015 range’s UPDATE LIKELY? updated graphics chipset is a small amount faster than its predecessor, and Early 2016? its flash storage can reach speeds in excess of 1,000 megabytes per second, BUY OR WAIT? which is in the same league as the Wait if you can Mac Pro. The MacBook Air is equipped with 802.11ac Wi-Fi, which is up to three times quicker than 802.11n, although you will need a compatible router to get that speed. Battery life is awesome, with the 13-inch models lasting up to 12 hours, and the 11-inch Airs running for up to nine hours on a single charge.

DAYS SINCE REFRESH

CHOOSE A MACBOOK

CHOOSE A MACBOOK AIR Model

Key specifications

Price

11” 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5

RAM: 4GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 6000 Solid-State Drive: 128GB

£749

Model

Key specifications

12” 1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core M

RAM: 8GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 R Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5300 Solid-State Drive: 256GB

£1,049

11” 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5

RAM: 4GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 6000 Solid-State Drive: 256GB

£899

12” 1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core M

RAM: 8GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 R Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5300 Solid-State Drive: 512GB

£1,299

13” 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5

RAM: 4GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 6000 Solid-State Drive: 128GB

£849

12” 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core M

RAM: 8GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 R Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5300 Solid-State Drive: 256GB or 512GB

£1,249 or £1,419

13” 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5

RAM: 4GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 6000 Solid-State Drive: 256GB

£999

= Retina display

108 | MacFormat.com | January 2016

Price

DAYS SINCE REFRESH

UPGRADE!

iMac

MacBook Pro Apple last updated the Retina MacBook Pro in May 2015 with a Force Touch trackpad, small boosts to its Intel processors, and upgraded graphics capabilities. The most expensive model is the only one with a discrete graphics processor, which is now an AMD Radeon R9 M370X. Since October 2013, all but one UPDATE LIKELY? model of MacBook Pro has offered Recently updated a Retina display, Thunderbolt 2, flash storage and a lightweight chassis, BUY OR WAIT? though the £899 non-Retina model Buy now persists. Power savings afforded by the latest Intel processors give the Retina MacBook Pros a long battery life. The 13-inch model now lasts for 10 hours, and the 15-inch versions for nine hours.

DAYS SINCE REFRESH

UPDATE LIKELY?