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INSIDE: WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR MAC WON’T WORK

SEPTEMBER 2021

YO U R

G U I D E

D E V I C E S

TO

W I T H

U S I N G YO U R

H O M E K I T i P H O N E

TURN YOUR HOUSE INTO A

SMART HOME

#Dadication

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I N C O R P O R AT I N G M A C U S E R

SEPTEMBER 2021 CONTENTS MACUSER Three reasons to buy the M1 Mac mini instead of the 24-inch iMac 7 Apple goes retro with free downloads of OS X Lion and Mountain Lion 11 3 super-cool ways to control your Mac with your Apple Watch 13 How to connect an Apple LED Cinema Display to a new MacBook 16 MacUser Reviews 21 Hot Stuff 35

Essential guide to Apple HomeKit 54

iOSCENTRAL Forget RCS: Here’s how Apple can make iMessage better for iPhone users now 39 Pegasus spyware: iOS 14.7.1 reportedly plugs security hole 43 Apple may be the privacy leader, but it’s not doing enough 45 Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack will boost your iPhone 12—but for how long? 48 How to erase your iPhone, iPad, or Mac remotely after a theft 50

WORKINGMAC How to make use of typographic tools in Pages and other macOS software 81

Troubleshooting your Mac 64

How to start up your M1 Mac from an external drive 90 How to fix the wrong permissions on several files in macOS 93 Tripp Lite AVR900U UPS review 95

PLAYLIST Astell&Kern KANN Alpha review 99 Eoz Audio Arc ANC wireless headphones review 108 Rocksteady Stadium 2-Pack review 115 iLive Bluetooth Party speaker review 118

HELPDESK

5 Apple TV+ originals to watch 74 COVER IMAGE BY PROSTOCKSTUDIO / SHUTTERSTOCK

Mac 911: How to figure out if a MacBook power adapter or battery has gone bad 123

SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 3

MASTHEAD

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Matt Egan EDITOR IN CHIEF, CONSUMER BRANDS Jon Phillips DESIGN DIRECTOR Robert Schultz EXECUTIVE EDITOR Michael Simon

Editorial SENIOR EDITOR Roman Loyola STAFF WRITER Jason Cross SENIOR CONTRIBUTORS Glenn Fleishman, Rob Griffiths, Joe Kissell, Kirk McElhearn, John Moltz, Dan Moren, Jason Snell

COPY EDITOR Gail Nelson-Bonebrake

Design DESIGNER Rob Woodcock

Advertising SALES INQUIRIES www.idg.com/contact-us/

INTERNATIONAL DATA GROUP CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Walter Boyd IDG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. CEO

Kumaran Ramanathan

4 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

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PUBLICATION INFORMATION September 2021, Volume 38, Issue 9 Macworld is a publication of IDG Communications, Inc., and International Data Group, Inc. Macworld is an independent journal not affiliated with Apple, Inc. Copyright © 2021, IDG Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Create, Playlist, Mac User, Macworld, and the Macworld logo are registered trademarks of International Data Group, Inc., and used under license by IDG Communications, Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple, Inc.

SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 5

Remember the last time your family visited the forest? It’s a place of wonder and imagination for the whole family—where stories come to life. And it’s closer than you think. Sounds like it’s time to plan your next visit. Make the forest part of your story today at a local park near you or nd one at iscover2he orest.org.

MACUSER

News and analysis about Macs, macOS, and Apple

Three reasons to buy the M1 Mac mini instead of the 24-inch iMac The 24-inch iMac is tempting, but you can spend your money smarter.

BY KAREN HASLAM

A

fter more than a decade with the same design (fave. co/3rIvBJe), the iMac finally has a brand-new look, and it’s stunning (fave.co/3AvIV7y). The 2021 IMAGE: APPLE

iMac also has Apple’s super-fast M1 processor, a bigger display with even more pixels, a much-needed update to the FaceTime camera, and some pretty awesome audio capabilities. But is this SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 7

MACUSER

3 R EASO NS TO BUY AN M1 MAC MIN I

enough, or would you be better off spending your money elsewhere?

GEEKBENCH 5 Single-core

1. PERFORMANCE AND PRICE One thing is clear: The M1 chip is far superior to the 8th-generation Intel quadcore and 6-core options in the iMacs it replaces. If you are just seeking a new iMac to replace an older generation of iMac, then you won’t be disappointed in the speed boost.

There is little to distinguish the iMac from the other M1 Macs, though. We have tested all the M1 Macs and found their Geekbench scores to be similar— it’s the same chip after all—even when you consider that the MacBook Air lacks a fan, which could theoretically mean that machine is throttled when the going gets tough. The lack of fan is probably why MacBook Air lags behind a bit in terms of graphics tests, even when you compare the 8-core GPU against the same 8-core GPU. So, what of the 24-inch iMac, which benefits from even better cooling than that offered by the MacBook Pro? We’ve run benchmarks and they have pretty much proven the theory. Here’s how those speed tests compare: While the 24-inch iMac is obviously superfast, there is one huge problem: Its performance is practically the same as that of the other M1 Macs, all of which 8 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

iMac (2021) M1 8-core

Multicore

1,755 7,681

MacBook Air (2020)

1,731

M1 8-core

13-inch MacBook Pro (2020)

7,584 1,724 7,569

M1 8-core

Mac mini (2020)

1,793

M1 8-core

7,725 HIGHER SCORES ARE BETTER

offer significantly better value for money.

And even if you’re just looking for the most speed, the M1 iMac is better than nearly all the other M1 Macs except for one: the Mac mini.

Take the entry-level iMac, which costs $1,299 for an 8-core GPU/7-core CPU and 256GB storage. You could get these exact same specs for the MacBook Air at a fraction of the price: That’s $300 less than the iMac, more than enough to buy an additional external display to use with your MacBook Air. But the savings get even bigger if you look elsewhere in Apple’s range. The Mac mini is, in our opinion, the best-value Mac you can buy. Here’s what you get for your money: The entry-level M1 Mac mini costs $699 for an 8-core GPU/8-core CPU and 256GB storage. That’s a savings of $600 over the entry-level iMac, so you can practically get two Mac minis for the price

of one iMac, and you’d get an extra graphics core to boot.

2. DISPLAY

on the M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. In many ways, this is a feature that makes more sense on a laptop, which you might move from room to room or use outside.

One point in favor of the iMac is the fact that the screen is bigger than those of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, while the Mac mini ships without a screen.

In each of those cases, though, you could plug in an external display—and you could choose one that’s bigger than 24 inches for less than $150, while a 4K monitor will cost a bit more. With the savings you’re getting with the Mac mini, you can buy a very nice monitor that will be at least as good as the one you’re getting in the iMac, and since it’s not connected to your Mac, you’ll be able to position it exactly how and where you want it.

Surely the display is an area where the 4.5K 24-inch iMac (actually 23.5 inches) can trump the other M1 Macs. There is no doubt that this is a superb screen that is vastly superior to the predecessor’s 21.5-inch display: The 24-inch display is bigger, has more pixels (4,480 by 2,520 versus 4,096 by 2,304) and benefits from True Tone.

True Tone, which the old models lacked, is Apple’s technology that adjusts the color and intensity of the display to match the ambient light. It means that your perception of the colors you see on the screen will be the same regardless of the lighting in your surroundings. This is a particular benefit to those who work in the creative industries because it means that the lighting conditions shouldn’t affect any color-related work they are doing.

True Tone is not unique to the iMac, though. It’s The 24-inch display benefits from True Tone. also a feature

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3 R EASO NS TO BUY AN M1 MAC MIN I

So that glorious purple iMac has a lavender front, and the deep red is pink on the front. You may never see the bold colors if your iMac is sitting against a wall.

Plus, if it’s colors you want, you might want to consider There couldn’t be a better time to buy an iMac for your home. waiting a little longer 3. DESIGN to see if the rumors bear out that the new None of the above will matter is what you MacBook Air will come in a similar really want is a computer that looks as selection of tones. elegant and fun as the 2021 24in iMac. If In contrast, the Mac mini is (currently) a your heart is set on a pink, green, or blue small silver box that takes up hardly any iMac, then it’s unlikely that any other M1 space on your desk. It might not have Mac will light up your life in quite the same the lively appearance of the extrovert way. Plus after just over a year of spending iMac, but the simple and subdued Mac more time than ever at home, and with mini gets our vote. ■ people starting to think seriously about working from home for good, there couldn’t be a better time to buy an iMac for your home.

But—and there is always a but—you should be aware of something about the seven colors it comes in: blue, green, pink, yellow, orange, purple, and a sober silver option. While they are vibrant on the back of the display, The Mac mini takes up hardly any space on your desk. they’re quite muted on the front.

10 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

Apple goes retro with free downloads of OS X Lion and Mountain Lion You no longer have to pay a $20 upgrade fee to get older download codes— but you can if you want.

BY ROMAN LOYOLA

W

hile macOS is currently on version 11 (otherwise known as Big Sur) and macOS 12 Monterey (fave.co/3ikjzTg) is coming later this year, there are plenty of folks who use old versions of the Mac operating system. Some people are still using OS X 10.7 Lion and OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, and until recently, you had to pay Apple $19.99 to get download codes for those OSes. But there’s good news: Apple is now offering Lion and Mountain IMAGE: APPLE

Lion for free for anyone who wants them. To get Lion and Mountain Lion for free, you can visit the support documents for those OSes on Apple’s website: > Mac OS X Lion installer free download (fave.co/3A57KX5) (4.72GB) > Mac OS X Mountain Lion installer free download (fave.co/3ifzpOU) (4.45GB) Strangely, Apple still sells Lion (fave. co/2VsvepN) and Mountain Lion (fave. co/3lmZVrG) for $19.99 each. Apple stopped charging for macOS updates with SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 11

MACUSER

FR EE O S X LIO N A ND MOUN TAIN L ION DOWN LOADS

The oldest OS an M1 Mac can run is Big Sur.

Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks.

IS MY MAC COMPATIBLE WITH LION AND MOUNTAIN LION? Lion runs on Macs that came prior to the launch of Mountain Lion in 2012. Mountain Lion runs on the Macs below, but you may not be able to downgrade to it unless you completely reformat the drive. You can’t install an old OS on top of a newer one. Also, the oldest OS an M1 Mac can run is Big Sur. > MacBook (late 2008 to 2010) > MacBook Air (late 2008 to mid 2012) > MacBook Pro (mid or late 2007 to mid 2012) > Mac mini (early 2009 to 2011) > iMac (mid 2007 to 2011) > Mac Pro (early 2008 and 2010) If you want to know whether your specific Mac can run OS X Lion or Mountain Lion, you 12 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

can use our complete list of versions of macOS that each Mac model can run (fave. co/3C6f32t). We have instructions on how to make a bootable Lion drive (fave.co/3ltEGEi) or a bootable Mountain Lion drive (fave. co/3rRfg50), in case you want to start from scratch on the Macs you’re working on.

CAN I GET SNOW LEOPARD? Mac OS X 10. 6 Snow Leopard, which was released in 2009, introduced the Mac App Store. Apple used to sell Snow Leopard for $19.99, but the company no longer offers it. You can find downloadable copies of Snow Leopard (fave.co/3rPET6g) and Leopard (fave. co/3xec4RL) on the Internet Archive, and the reviews on the Internet Archive pages have tips on how to create USB installers from the downloads. ■

3 supercool ways to control your Mac with your Apple Watch Play music, switch slides, and unlock your Mac without touching the keyboard.

BY LANCE WHITNEY

Y

ou already know your Apple Watch has awesome health and fitness features, but you might not know that it can also help you use and control your Mac. From unlocking the Mac to controlling apps and music, you can enlist the aid of your watch when your mouse isn’t within reach.

IMAGE: IDG

UNLOCK YOUR MAC To unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch, your devices must meet certain hardware and software requirements (fave. co/2TNk0fc). To check whether your system is compatible, hold down the Option key, click the Apple menu icon in the top left corner, and select System SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 13

MACUSER

C O N TR OL A MAC WITH AN APPL E WATCH

Information. Select the Wi-Fi tab under Network. Then find Interfaces and make sure it says that Auto Unlock is supported.

Next, make sure that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are enabled on your Mac, that your Mac and Apple Watch are both signed into iCloud with the same Apple ID, and that your watch is set up with a passcode. Then click the Apple menu icon again (don’t hold down Option this time), open System Preferences, and select Security & Privacy. Open System Preferences, and select Security & Privacy.

Under the General tab, you’ll see “Use your Apple Watch to unlock apps does when you’re wearing a mask with Face and your Mac.” Make sure it’s checked.

ID on your iPhone (fave.co/3ln6gmY). You’ll The next time your Mac asks you to enter feel a buzz on your wrist and see a message your password to confirm an app installation, that your Mac was unlocked. change a setting in System Preferences, or CONTROL MUSIC wake from sleep, your watch will To control music on your Mac with your automatically unlock your Mac just like it watch, open the Remote app on your Apple Watch (the icon is a white triangle in a blue circle), tap Add Device, and take note of the four-digit 1 number that 14 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

appears. Then open Music on your Mac and select your Apple Watch under Devices. (On pre-Catalina Macs, click the 2 Remote button near the top left of the iTunes window.) When prompted, type the four-digit number from your Apple Watch, and you’ll see a message telling you that the Remote app is now able to control iTunes or Music. Click OK (1).

Then all you need to do is start playing a song on your Mac. You’ll see a playback screen on your watch where you can pause, restart, skip to the previous song, or jump to the next song (2).

USE A MOBILE APP With a little help, you can control more than Music on your Mac. For example, you can download Mobile Mouse ($1.99, fave.

3.

co/3jcdNCi), which will let you open any app on your Mac and control music or a presentation from your wrist (3).

Here’s how it works. First download the correct version of Mobile Mouse Server (fave.co/3rLQi6O) for your Mac. Follow the steps to grant the necessary access. Then download the Mobile Mouse app (fave.co/2WCrcf8) for your iPhone and install it on your Apple Watch.

Open the app on your Watch and select the items that you want to control— Media, Presentation, or App Switcher— and you’ll be able to control the coordinating thing on your Mac. Unfortunately, you can only control one thing at a time, so you can’t play music and a presentation simultaneously, but it’s easy enough to switch between the options. ■ SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 15

MACUSER

How to connect an Apple LED Cinema Display to a new MacBook With a small investment, you can connect a Mini-DisplayPort Apple monitor over USB-C to a MacBook or MacBook Pro.

BY GLENN FLEISHMAN

A

pple rarely releases sales figures on particular models of products it offers, but I have to imagine it shipped at least hundreds of thousands of its two Apple LED Cinema Displays (24-inch, fave. co/2VneYqb, 2008 to 2010, and 27-inch, fave.co/3ikyXyZ, 2010 to 2013) based on 16 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

the number of people who have reached out and want to connect them to a USB-C– equipped MacBook.

I purchased several adapters and cables that can take the LED Cinema Display’s Mini DisplayPort (not Thunderbolt) and convert it into something that passes over USB-C in a compatible IMAGE: APPLE

chain that allows you to connect to a USB-C equipped MacBook. My testing shows three affordable and viable options, plus a reasonable option for a full-featured USB-C dock that requires just a simple adapter.

Apple made multiple generations of its displays: the first used DVI (in single-link and dual-link flavors); the second, Mini DisplayPort; the third, Thunderbolt 2. I’m interested here in the second connector type, Mini DisplayPort, which is distinct from Thunderbolt 2, even though both standards use the same connector type.

(You can find some options for DVI, but we opted not to test them given the smaller number, display quality, and age of those that remain usable.)

Note that Apple says its Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter (fave.co/3fhyDPx) does not work with DisplayPort and Mini DisplayPort displays, including the Apple LED Cinema Display.

While there are a variety of USB-C docks on the market that accept external video, nearly all of them only have an HDMI jack, and there is not, say, a female Mini-DisplayPort to male HDMI adapter available. (Don’t make a mistake and order one of the male Mini-DisplayPort to female HDMI adapters on the market.)

I searched across Amazon, product manufacturers’ sites, and other retailers for potential adapters, read reviews, and

settled on four adapters to test. Some of the adapters tested go in and out of stock rapidly, which is why I provide a few different alternatives.

To cut to the chase, the clear winner on features is the UPTab USB-C to MiniDisplayPort adapter (fave.co/37b8n4W; $35). Its secret weapon? A pass-through USB-C power jack.

If you’re looking for a full-scale USB-C dock, look for one like the CalDigit USB-C Dock (fave.co/2TMrkro). I discuss it below and in a separate review (fave. co/3rNEgtA), but it has both HDMI and full-sized DisplayPort jacks, and requires just a sub-$10 Mini-DisplayPort female to full-sized DisplayPort male adapter to work with an LED Cinema Display.

THE LIMITATIONS Not everything works perfectly over USB-C with the Apple LED Cinema Display, but it’s a pretty close match. I tested on a 27-inch model (fave.co/3AePKJZ).

Plugging in just a Mini DisplayPort adapter gets you the following with the products tested: > External 1440p (2560×1440 pixel resolution) display > External audio via the display’s speakers and control of audio volume from the laptop > Power (but not data) to the USB 2.0 ports in the display’s back SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 17

MACUSER

C O N NEC T AN APPL E L ED CIN EMA DISPL AY TO A MACBOOK

The only glitch seems to be a small line of missing pixels in the upper right corner of the display when connected through the CalDigit dock, but that’s nearly unnoticeable.

The missing piece, however, is brightness and USB 2.0 data passthrough.

I didn’t find the default brightness level distracting or glaring, but that’s a very individual judgment.

You need to use a USB-C to Type-A adapter to connect the monitor’s USB Type-A plug, and then you can control brightness via a keyboard, Touch Bar, or Displays system preference pane, as well as plug in a keyboard, mouse, and other low-data-speed devices.

Plugging in USB also enables a built-in iSight (640×480-pixel resolution) camera and microphone, which are redundant to a Mac laptop’s mic and FaceTime support.

For a MacBook Pro, using USB 2.0 means giving up two ports to get brightness and other features: one for the Mini-DisplayPort adapter

UPTab USB-C to Mini-DisplayPort adapter.

18 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

and one to connect a USB plug. However, if you’re using a USB-C hub or dock with multiple Type-A ports, that can take care of that problem.

WHAT TO BUY I found four distinct options that worked perfectly well.

UPTab USB-C to Mini-DisplayPort adapter. This UPTab adapter (fave. co/3xiuh0J) has great advantage of supporting pass-through USB-C power. It’s attractively made and seems solidly constructed. The $35 price tag may seem excessive compared to adapters and cables that cost $10 to $15, but the engineering and components for power pass-through of the wattage level used to charge a Mac laptop comes with a cost.

For a MacBook owner, the power port is supremely useful, letting you use the adapter without draining power. However, with the laptop’s single USB-C jack in use, you’re stuck if you need to connect other USB devices, like a wired keyboard or mouse, an external drive, or an SD Card reader.

Itanda Type-C adapter. The robustly made, attractive $20 Itanda (fave.co/37bXuzK) is probably the best choice for a MacBook Pro owner. It’s

inexpensive and occupies a port compactly.

A pair of adapters. If a direct adapter, like the Itanda, isn’t available and you want an alternative that works just as well in my testing, you can pair two adapters.

I tried both the Cable Matters DisplayPort to MiniStarTech DisplayPort to Mini-DisplayPort adapter.

DisplayPort Male to Female Adapter ($9 from fave. co/37cmeYP) and the StarTech Why not HDMI? You might ask why I DisplayPort to Mini-DisplayPort adapter didn’t try some kind of HDMI situation, ($6.50 from fave.co/3lm4sKP) with the where I converted Mini DisplayPort to an Benfei USB-C to DisplayPort 4K Adapter HDMI plug or adapter jack, and then ($15 when I purchased it from fave. plugged that into the HDMI port available co/3iiYQix). The Cable Matters and in several USB-C docks. I tried a few StarTech adapters both accept the male variations of this, and it didn’t work, Mini-DisplayPort connector from the although others have had different luck.

Apple display, and have a male full-sized DisplayPort is a video standard that DisplayPort plug. That plugs into the works over its own proprietary connector Benfei’s female DisplayPort jack, and styles (DisplayPort and Mini DisplayPort), then the Benfei plugs into a MacBook or and can be embedded as a data standard MacBook Pro via USB-C. inside Thunderbolt 2, Thunderbolt 3, and At $21.50 or $24 together, both are USB-C. Although DisplayPort can also be more expensive than the Itanda, but I had routed via an HDMI cable—HDMI being its no trouble getting the same crisp own set of standards—it doesn’t seem to performance and support. survive the passage with multiple adapters Some readers tried more complicated and an Apple LED Cinema Display. options, involving a female-to-female inline The only reason to want this option is if Mini DisplayPort adapter, but given the you have a dock without a spare USB-C two-adapter option, it’s no longer data port that might allow DisplayPort necessary to go that route. passage and that has an HDMI jack. ■ SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 19

The sooner you recognize the signs, the sooner you can help your child.

ScreenForAutism.org

MACUSER

The Latest Mac Products Reviewed & Rated

DISK SPACE MANAGER

DAISYDISK 4: AN ELEGANT AND FUN WAY TO FREE UP STORAGE SPACE

BY CHRIS BARYLICK

IMAGE: SOFTWARE AMBIENCE

REVIEWS

Some file optimization and application removal programs on the Mac reach for the stars, trying to perform every possible task of optimization, file cleanup, operating system customization, and malware removal the developers can think of as part of an overarching package.

Other apps have been more streamlined, seeking to perform fewer functions and executing them well.

DaisyDisk (fave.co/3Cw0l5d), the brainchild of developers Taras Brizitsky (who programmed the original idea, interaction, and graphic design) and Oleg Krupnov (who now handles the code and technical support), as well as a large group SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 21

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REVIEW: DA ISY DISK 4

of translators and contributors, belongs to the latter group. The application (version 4.20.3 reviewed here) focuses on locating file clusters, groups them by size, and offers a quick and easy means of dragging them to a delete icon and getting rid of them forever, bypassing the Finder’s Trash.

The result is an application that quickly scans your Mac’s volumes after you’ve entered an administrator password, and then shows you which files and folders are taking up the most space, helping you quickly prune things down to size.

DaisyDisk also keeps a running count of how much space you’ve cleaned up recently, providing an even more

entertaining incentive to dig in and clean up those forgotten project folders that once gobbled up dozens of gigabytes of hard drive space.

HOW IT WORKS

DaisyDisk’s premise is simple enough, and a bevy of new features keeps it fresh, interesting, and handy. After scanning a partition, move the cursor over the image map that DaisyDisk creates to get an idea of what’s taking up the most space and how this relates to the overall drive.

Previews of files can also be brought up by clicking the file name to better remind you what something is and whether it’s worth keeping.

Quick access to the macOS Disk Utility program proves handy for quick repairs, and it’s simple to access cloud-based accounts such as Dropbox and Google Drive to see what’s gobbling up space and quickly remove old files and projects on the fly. Upon telling DaisyDisk to delete files, you’re given a DaisyDisk’s map of a file system on an external drive. The image five-second breaks down how much space is available, how much is in use, and which files and folders are consuming the most space. countdown to abort, 22 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

chart, which doesn’t immediately make sense and takes a little getting used to.

This is currently the only view available, and though it’s impressive, it’d be nice to have a selection of views. A quick visit to the DaisyDisk website and its 59-second tutorial video (fave.co/2X0X8Kx) can answer a lot of questions and offers a clear idea what you’re in for.

A quick view of a Google drive account via DaisyDisk.

Debatable user interface lest you delete something you didn’t want foibles aside, there’s a lot going for to that is gone forever and requires data DaisyDisk. In a week of reviewing the recovery software to retrieve. application, there were two version If nothing else, DaisyDisk wins in terms updates, and the developers keep a good of its elegance and simplicity. It isn’t trying eye on bug fixes and changes. The to be a catch-all that can do everything at program also hits a perfect $9.99 price once, but it’s focused on file management, point, which realizes its value as a useful presenting what’s taking up third-party application from a mmmmh invaluable disk space, and good developer without asking DaisyDisk 4 allowing you to work with it. for an arm and a leg in return.

PROS

A DIFFERENT WAY TO LOOK AT STORAGE If there are caveats with this program, it’s that its ultramodern user interface may be a little ahead of what users might expect to see. It presents your file groups as something between a scatterplot and a pie

• Quickly scans storage and finds large files.

• Graphical representation of storage.

• File name previews.

• Can check cloud storage.

CONS

• Some user-interface quirks.

PRICE

$9.99 COMPANY

Software Ambience

BOTTOM LINE No one ever said tracking down and eliminating all the stuff that was devouring space on your Mac would be pleasant, but DaisyDisk succeeds in making it pretty simple and actually somewhat fun. ■ SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 23

MACUSER

DIGITAL AUDIO WORKSTATION

ABLETON LIVE 11 SUITE: AUDIO WORKSTATION BUILT FOR THE CREATIVE MUSICIAN

BY JON L. JACOBI

24 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

Apple’s feature-packed Logic Pro software (fave.co/3j3f9Ps) gets the lion’s share of attention from the musically oriented Mac media—and with a gigantic feature set and comparatively affordable $200 price, that’s rightfully so. However, Logic, like nearly all Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs), follows a design bent more on accommodating studios and audio engineers than creatives. Ableton Live (fave.co/3C3ozn4), on the other hand, is a DAW that was designed by musicians for musicians, and is likely a better fit for the average Macwielding musical type.

Programs such as Logic, Pro Tools, and Cubase trace their lineage back to the 1980s. Ableton Live is a relative newcomer,

IMAGE: ABLETON

Some love it, while for others it’s an acquired taste.

With version 11, Live has matured into a DAW that could reasonably be employed in a recording studio. But first and foremost, it remains a tool created for and by artists (fave.co/3l6sSYH).

FEATURES AND INTERFACE Live’s once-unique aspect is how it compartmentalizes musical material into “clips”— anything from instrument samples, to MIDI sequences, to full songs. Other DAWs have since copied this aspect.

An early version of Live on OS X. It’s still easily recognizable by its interface to this day where others are not.

appearing around 2000. As its name implies, Ableton (the company) designed Live at the outset for live performances and quick composition using audio samples.

To Ableton’s credit, the initial keep-itfocused design was spot-on, and it has maintained much of its unique and original flavor, even with two decades of improvements and new features. The look has evolved in restrained Ableton Live 11 in Session mode. Clockwise from upper left: the fashion, but remains media browser, the clip launcher, the mixer, and the detail view containing instruments and effects. instantly recognizable.

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A closeup of Live 11’s clip launcher in Session view. Notice the play buttons and the scene button for launching an entire row of clips.

In Live’s Session mode (shown above), you can launch clips individually (one per track) or in groups across tracks. This is great for DJing or live performance (you can edit and create while clips play), and as a quick-and-dirty arrangement tool for composers. Competing DAWs have similar features, but by my lights, Live’s implementation remains the most focused of them all.

Live has also featured a traditional, track-based timeline (Arrangement view) since day one. It’s a bit nonstandard with the track headers positioned to the right

(footers?), but it’s nothing users from other DAWs won’t settle into quickly.

You can switch between Session and Arrangement views (which share the same track layout) using the Tab key. Clips are exclusive to each view for playback, but may easily be copied between them via drag and drop, Command-C, and so on.

Live was the first DAW to ditch the once prevalent Multi-Document Interface, a stack of child windows for “panes” that fit into the main window with no overlapping. If you’ve ever had to hunt through a pile of virtual (software) instruments, you’ll appreciate that.

A closeup of Live’s Arrangement view.

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Ableton Live’s MIDI editor.

There are a number of normally hidden panes accessible from both views: a content browser (files, FX, sounds, samples, tracks, and so on); a groove pool for applying MIDI grooves to MIDI or audio clips; a help pane that’s an overview of the content along the timeline; a file and project manager; and, of course, audio and MIDI editors.

The audio and MIDI editors, instruments and effects share the bottom pane. When clips are selected, the appropriate editor appears, and when a track is selected, you get the instruments and FX. Live is especially flexible when it comes to combining instruments and effects into drum, instrument, and effects

“racks.” Combine them, stack them, switch between them using “chains,” and assign various parameters to macro controls for use in real time. The sound creation (inventing your own unique noises) possibilities are endless. The whole deal interfaces with Ableton’s own hardware Push controllers (fave.co/3l6ZjpI).

As for audio editing, Live has featured audio stretching since the early days, and it’s easily the most facile implementation of it among the major DAWs. Command-A/ Command-I/Command-U and your audio file is quantized to the current value (1/4 notes, 1/16 notes, and so on).

You can also simply drop a Groove onto the clip to quantize it. The transient markers are large and obvious for easy

Ableton Live’s detail view displays editors when clips are selected, and instruments and FX when tracks are selected.

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Live 11’s audio clip editor. The mustard-colored markers are for stretching or time-aligning audio events under the difficult lighting conditions you sometimes find in clubs. Each marker resides where the program detects a transient, or the loudest portion of a note, chord, or sound.

recognition under the challenging lighting which is seamlessly integrated into the conditions you might find at a gig. Markers software interface. are also easy to manipulate manually if you just want to correct that one egregiously late note, and in bulk if you need to adjust the entirety of a timeaskew performance.

There’s no ARA/ARA2 (Audio Random Access) integration so you can’t employ Melodyne for pitch manipulation. Pitch manipulation is possible by splitting clips in the Arrangement view and using a detune function that works in cents (a hundredth of a semitone).

Not ideal, but good for the odd correction here and there.

Ableton supports third-party instruments and effects (such as AU and VST2/3), but also ships Live 11 at 100 percent scaling and 200 percent scaling with a host of its own (depending with the same song. You can also run the program fullscreen to recapture the space taken up by the menu. on the version—see below), 28 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

SCALABLE, SCHEME-ABLE

NEWS AT 11

Live’s scalable interface was another A huge new feature for cutting-edge groundbreaking feature. Everything is keyboard performers is vastly improved rendered and/or a simple stretchable support for MIDI Polyphonic expression bitmap, so you can make elements and (MPE). MIDI, the digital communications text as small or large as you wish. Bitwig protocol for musical equipment, originally (fave.co/2WyW5kP), Tracktion (fave. followed a strict one channel, one co/3la8JRh), and others also do this, but instrument model. MPE took the original 16 Live was the first. channels and retasked them for use on a In general, everything is created with single instrument, allowing each note to use quick and easy recognition in mind—a real the corresponding channel’s expression blessing if, as I’ve mentioned, you’re data (pitch bend, modulation, pressure née gigging in a difficult environment such as a after-touch, and so on). Where Live formerly dance club. Scaling is also great for required recording on the 16 different tracks anyone with eyesight issues. to capture and edit MPE, it now only Notably, you can run Live full-screen to requires one. See the image below. recapture the space normally used by the MPE opened up huge performance main menu. Moving your mouse to the top possibilities for solo keyboard players; of the screen reveals said menu when you need it.

Live also supports different color schemes and a third-party online scheme/ theme generator is available at Live Themes 2.0 (fave.

Ableton Live 11’s MPE editing. If you’re rocking a Seaboard or similar, Live now has you covered. co/3f82lqe).

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hence my reference to cutting edge. As it’s better heard than told, you should take a gander at this excellent demonstration video (fave.co/3iXn4y1).

Note that MPE is now part of the latest MIDI 2.0 specification.

Two new features in Live make the software truly studio-viable: comping lanes and linked track editing. Comping is creating a “perfect” performance by combining the best parts of several takes.

Formerly in Live, you had to use different tracks or a rather clever but click-intensive workaround to comp. Now you have lanes, or subtracks that you can just swipe parts of to create the “perfect” take in the playback track. For a multiple-microphone recording, you can link the separate tracks and lanes so that the most common edits

Ableton Live 11’s audio comping.

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are performed across all the linked material. Edits are phase-locked as well, meaning they are extremely precise.

Rather unusually, you can comp the same way with MIDI tracks. It’s a bit like Logic’s track versions, but without the extra fuss.

Nice touch, Ableton!

Live 11 now supports tempo matching to external sources: that is, you can have Ableton Live play along in time with a real drummer. Formerly, you could only use the tempo track or define an existing track as a master.

New content packs as also available— including brass and string quartets from sample library heavyweight Spitfire—and other content packs have been updated and improved. A number of improved or new FXs—including my favorite, Hybrid Reverb— combines convolution (using models of real spaces or devices) and classic artificial reverb.

Spectral display is a big deal for version 11 and is present on several effects including a

new delay and resonator. Macro controls double from 8 to 16 and can be saved as instantly switchable presets.

The MIDI editor now has the ability to collapse to a scale with highlighting, so Ableton Live 11’s multiclip editing now allows you to edit notes from all you can easily selected clips at the same time. The colored bars at the top of the editing pane indicate which track and clip the notes are from. paint notes without straying outside the basic harmonic structure of a combined contents, but you could edit clip. You can also now paint notes of only one clip’s notes at a time. Now you differing pitches rather than just a row of can edit notes from all selected clips the same pitch. simultaneously. Oddly, however, note Live has always had a small amount of velocities (how hard a key is struck) are still random that you could apply via MIDI edited on a per-clip basis. Here’s hoping grooves, but the company has gone all in that changes in 11.1. on the concept with version 11. Not only is Some users are also hoping you’ll one there a new random function for velocity day be able to can edit MIDI and audio in MIDI clip, there’s note probability— clips together. That may sound odd, but it whether or not a note will be played at all. can be very handy for syncing virtual These two additions help alleviate instruments (MIDI) with audio recordings. robotic-sounding MIDI clips. There are The major new features are very other manifestations of random sprinkled good, but two small tweaks actually throughout Ableton Live 11. convinced me to dump Live 10 for 11.

With multiclip editing, you used to be Pressing the “C” key now arms or disarms able to select multiple clips and view the the current track for recording, and if you SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 31

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start typing a number while a note is selected in the MIDI editor, it will change its velocity. The latter, combined with the randomize velocity function, is a colossal timesaver when I tweak my weak keyboard or drum performances.

Command-Up/Down to change the note selection is a cool add as well.

PERFORMANCE ON INTEL Live is a bit of a CPU hog. Audio warping is basically always-on (you can enable or disable it for individual clips) and allows you to speed up and slow down songs without so much a how-do-you-do. Also, for live performance Live must play back glitch-free while other operations are being performed. Given those constraints, Live does quite well, thank you.

Indeed, I can manage with Live on a 2011 MacBook Air if the project is mostly comprised of audio. If you’re the type that has to have 43 instruments and effects on every channel, err…well, then use Return tracks (busses in Logic), or consider simplifying your approach.

In my experience, Live sounds as good as other DAWs. I’ve blind-tested every major DAW, and, given the same plug-ins, they all sound fantastic, not to mention nearly identical. There must be some correlation between Live’s unusual appearance and the perception of sound quality, because Live’s sound quality is 32 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

often questioned. Put bluntly, worrying about the audio quality produced by any modern DAW is a waste of time.

M1 SUPPORT? I tried Live 11 via Rosetta 2 on an M1 Mac mini, and the interface and load times are super quick—a real joy. However, during playback, CPU usage sat at around 30 to 35 percent for the Live Demo song, while it was only 25 percent or so on my older 2015 Core i5 iMac. That’s a lot better than Live 10 (until the most recent beta), and quite the accomplishment, but hardly showing off what the M1 can do.

I inquired of Ableton if there were plans to recompile (and recode if necessary) Live to support the M1 natively. The company largely avoided comment.

However, I opined to them that any company selling programs for the Mac would have to be insane not to port, and Ableton assured me that it is quite sane.

Basically, you can dye my body hair green and call me Kermit if an ARM port doesn’t transpire in the relatively near future. I give it a year at most. Likely much sooner.

RTFM AND NITS If you’re used to other DAWs, Live may not always seem intuitive. It goes about a lot of things differently. If you think of it in the context of live performance, most of it makes sense and some of the methods

I’m quite often holding an instrument and don’t want to contort my hands to accommodate compound keystrokes such as ShiftCommand-L, so I define my own single-key As most of the screens in this article show lots of stuff, I thought I’d include shortcuts using one that shows how clean Live can actually be. This is how I keep the Keyboard interface looking most of the time. Tip: You hide the vertical grid lines by Maestro (fave. upping the snap value to more bars than are visible on screen, such as 32/1. I wish you could just turn them off, along with the horizontal lines. co/3BVb2hi) as well as are insanely clever. Other times they’re AutoHotKey (fave.co/3ypUg7X) on just clever. Occasionally, they’re odd for Windows. Hint: Make good use of the no apparent reason. numeric keypad and function keys, as The sooner you stop trying to make neither program recognizes when you’re Live conform to the methodology of other trying to rename a track or enter data.

DAWs, the sooner you’ll begin to There are also tiny behavioral appreciate the method behind the inconsistencies throughout the program, madness and be productive. I highly such as the use of the Shift rather than the recommend a thorough perusing of the Command modifier key for selecting user’s guide before starting. multiple noncontiguous notes in the MIDI I do have a few gripes. For instance, editor, double-clicks that open but don’t Ableton is very particular in its keyboard close items, and so on. shortcuts; there aren’t enough of them and My primary concern, however, is they’re only partially user-definable— increasing complexity and visual clutter. hence my delight at the new track arm/ With a burgeoning feature set, menus are disarm and note selection shortcuts. growing longer, and visual feedback for SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 33

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various functions is piling up. The interface is still a gem, but these are slippery slopes.

My hope is for deeper user configuration options. Ableton walks its own path. Kudos for that. We’ll see.

price differential between the different flavors, so you can start low and work your way up without a surcharge.

BOTTOM LINE

Ableton Live is by far the best DAW for NOT EXACTLY CHEAP artists and performers—once you get a Where Logic, at a mere $200, is far and handle on it. It can be a visual and away the best DAW value on the planet, operational challenge initially, especially Live is, uh…a more considered purchase. if you’re coming from a traditional DAW There’s a tantalizing $99 Intro version, but such as Logic, Cubase, or Pro Tools. It the 16-track, 16-scene limitation is just took me about three attempts before I that—limiting. I’ve engineered with 16-track got a feeling for it. recorders, and 24 tracks opened up It’s ace for live performance and worlds, if you catch my drift. The pricier quickly laying down ideas, and the only $449 Standard version is the likely entry DAW that can match it for sound creation point for most users, as it has no limits and and mangling is Bitwig (fave.co/2WyW5kP). contains an abundance of While version 11 is perfectly effects and instruments. workable for studio use, it’s mmmmh The full $749 Suite adds probably not going to be the Ableton Live 11 Suite another boatload of stuff, first choice for most engineers.

PROS including attractive additions Happily, you don’t have to • Clean and super-efficient workflow. such as a full multisampler; the take my word for any of this—a • Excellent for live DJ/EDM Max for Live programming and 90-day trial (fave.co/3zNiQzQ) performance and sound creation. plug-in development is currently available. I • Offers a vast array of environment and its recommend that you take a effects, sounds, and instruments. instruments and effects; and long hard look, no matter what CONS CV (Constant Voltage) support your musical bent or current • Steep learning curve. for the modular synth crowd.

DAW preference. But before • Could use more configuration options.

Ableton’s comparison chart you do, again, read the • Expensive. (fave.co/3BSrWNj) will help you user’s guide. Live is different.

PRICE $200 determine which version is the And it’s full of stuff even COMPANY right one for you. Upgrade experienced users sometimes Ableton costs are generally only the don’t know about. ■ 34 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

Hot Stuff

What we’re raving about this month

T-MOBILE HOME INTERNET t-mobile.com

T-Mobile’s new 5G home broadband gateway/wireless router matters for one big reason: It’s an alternative to the cable monopolies that dominate most major markets in the United States. For a small household that streams video, checks email, and downloads software updates in the background, T-Mobile’s router is absolutely worth checking out.

The pricing is on par with or lower than even the cheapest cable contracts, and T-Mobile promises unlimited internet with no data caps or throttling. Still, the service is “not intended for unattended use,” so if you frequently download large files on BitTorrent, this isn’t for you.—MARK HACHMAN

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Hot Stuff VILO MESH WI-FI SYSTEM viloliving.com

Vilo’s new budget Wi-Fi wireless mesh network costs $70 for a pack of three wireless routers. Many competing systems cost hundreds more. So is there a catch? Vilo’s mesh routers aren’t predicated on the latest Wi-Fi 6 or bleeding-edge Wi-Fi 6e technology. Instead, Vilo selected Wi-Fi 5 (aka 802.11ac), which uses radio spectrum in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands to transfer data throughout the home.

From what we’ve seen, the performance is good enough. If you have an older network and are seeking a quick, cheap upgrade, Vilo is definitely worth a look.—MARK HACHMAN 36 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

DYSON V15 DETECT dyson.com

The V15 Detect is a hyperpolished, ultrahelpful housemate; premium-priced at $699.99 but arguably worth it over the long run. Weighing just 6.8 pounds yet lion strong, this vacuum is extra-easy to assemble and use in stick or hand-vac modes, making home cleaning not just more convenient, but almost effortless—even fun.

Dealing with a sudden spill or doing a daily touch-up is a no-brainer when you have this slim thing hanging on its wall-charging station or stashed in a closet. The V15 Detect’s fresh features include an innovative display and a helpful laser light to detect microscopic dust.—JONATHAN TAKIFF

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G N I V I R D K IS DRUN

iOSCENTRAL

The latest on iOS, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and App Store

Forget RCS: Here’s how Apple can make iMessage better for iPhone users now iMessage is great but it could be better.

BY DAN MOREN

M

essages is likely the most used app on Apple’s platforms—especially iOS— and with our inability over the past year and a half to meet up with IMAGE: IDG

people in person, it’s probably become even more popular. iMessage, the Apple-created system that powers the modern day Messages app, is coming up on its tenth birthday this SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 39

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HOW APPLE CAN MAKE iMESSAGE BETTER

fall and it’s had quite the decade. In 2016, Apple said users sent roughly 200,000 iMessages per second; it’s not hard to imagine that, five years later, in a world more technologically connected than ever, that number has grown immensely.

But for all of the popularity of iMessage, and the company’s repeated addition of new features and capabilities, there are some places where Apple’s messaging system remains somewhat frustrating or even lackluster. For obvious reasons, Apple has a lot of vested interest in keeping the program stable and simple, and it can’t implement every possible feature, but a few pop out as things that can be improved, or even just more useful.

expansion of its own Messages app with carrier RCS support next year.

While I don’t subscribe to the idea that Apple’s refusal to develop an Android version is anticompetitive, I do think there are places where the lack of compatibility hurts Apple’s own users.

Just this past week, I was in a lengthy family message thread, populated mostly with Apple device users, but with a few Android owners in the mix. And there I encountered the problem that has annoyed every iMessage user at some point: You respond to a message with a tapback (the handy thumbs up, thumbs down, heart, and so on), and the message thread spits out “Dan liked”

THE ANDROIDiMESSAGE DIVIDE The truth is: It’s a dual-platform world and we’re just living in it.

That Apple hasn’t made its messaging system work better with Android isn’t really a surprise. The Google-backed smartphone platform is Apple’s biggest competitor in the market, and iMessage is a competitive advantage that Apple sees as providing an experience that can lure customers to switch, even with Google planning a major 40 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

Using Tapback in a group chat that includes Android users results in a clumsy experience.

followed by the entire text of the original message.

That’s nominally for the benefit of those on the text chain who aren’t using Apple devices, but does it really help anybody? It’s unsightly and it clutters up the conversation with these responses for all users. Either iMessage should be smart enough to only display those reactions to compatible devices, or it should stop offering the feature altogether outside of threads that include recipients of non-Apple devices. (If iMessage can detect recipients for the purposes of emblazoning them with the dreaded green bubble, it can probably handle that.)

The other option would, of course, be to find some common ground with Android to make tapbacks and other iMessage features work across platforms, but I’m not exactly going to sit around waiting for that one, any more than I would expect Apple to port Messages over to the Android platform.

TAPBACK WITH EMOJI: WHY NOT? While we’re on the subject of tapbacks, why are they so limited? Apple launched the feature in iOS 10, and it’s become—as the above anecdote will attest—quite popular among users of all kinds. But since their launch, tapbacks have allowed only the same half-dozen options: heart,

Why aren’t emojis part of the Tapback system?

thumbs up, thumbs down, ha ha, exclamation points, and question mark.

That hardly covers every emotion a human being can conceivably have.

Meanwhile, Slack—from which Apple probably drew inspiration for the tapback feature—allows you to respond to a message with any emoji at all. So if you need to drop a vampire or a woozyfaced smiley, you can. Given Apple’s touting of its emoji design over the year, I’m a little surprised that it doesn’t offer the option to use any emoji you want in a tapback. One could imagine the company might argue that you can SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 41

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HOW APPLE CAN MAKE iMESSAGE BETTER

always just respond by typing an emoji, but if that’s the case, why even have tapbacks as a separate thing in the first place?

It’d be great if the tapback interface added an extra button that would let you summon an emoji picker, and perhaps even let you pin some of your favorite (and most frequently used) emoji as well. If you’re going to implement this kind of feature, why stop halfway?

ADDRESS CONFLICTS As good as iMessage is, it has some longstanding underpinnings that are kind of clunky: specifically, its addressing system. To maintain compatibility with traditional text messages sent via SMS, iMessage allows you to send and receive messages to both phone numbers and email addresses.

While that’s had its upsides, it’s also led to a variety of issues over time, including duplicate threads (when your “Start New Conversations from” address gets out of sync between different devices) and messages ending up on the wrong devices (when you have more than one phone number attached to an account, for example). All in all, this system has proved to be more confusing than helpful and has created lots of annoying unintended consequences.

Unfortunately, it’s not necessarily an 42 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

easy problem to fix. There are good reasons for having either an email address or a phone number as your Sent ID, as well as being able to accept messages sent to a variety of addresses. But this is one place where it feels like an abstraction layer over the top might actually simplify matters and cause fewer problems in the long run.

That said, having kept it consistent for so long, I have to imagine the company feels pretty wary about messing with it— approaching it much like a kitchen cabinet with a hastily scrawled “open carefully” note taped to it. ■

iMessage lets you send and receive messages to both phone numbers and email addresses.

Pegasus spyware: iOS 14.7.1 reportedly plugs security hole Apple has likely fixed the hole that allowed the Pegasus spyware infiltration.

BY MICHAEL SIMON

I

f you’re concerned about recent reports of the Pegasus spyware (fave. co/37hC1W2) reportedly installed by the Israeli NSO Group to hack journalists and world leaders, there’s a tool to check if it’s hidden on your iPhone (fave. co/3lo3eyS). But you probably have nothing to worry about (fave.co/3jdT5lr).

IMAGE: PXHERE

According to a report in the Washington Post, in conjunction with nonprofit groups Forbidden Stories, Amnesty International, and several others, military-grade spyware developed by an Israeli firm was used to hack some 40 smartphones “belonging to journalists, human rights activists, business executives SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 43

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PEGASUS SPYWARE

and two women close to murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.”

The phones appeared on a list of more than 50,000 phone numbers, according to the Post. NSO has denied the allegations.

There’s a good chance your iPhone isn’t on that list. While the legality of the operation may be in question, reports say the NSO seemingly targeted high-level politicians, government officials, and journalists in the operation and were only successful less than half the time. For example, Amnesty International examined 67 phones and found that “23 were successfully infected and 14 showed signs

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of attempted penetration.” Of those, nearly all were iPhones, according to the investigation.

Apple has reportedly fixed the vulnerability in iOS 14.7.1 (fave.co/3CapiCL).

The security notes don’t specifically mention Pegasus, but they refer to “a memory corruption issue” that “may have been actively exploited.”

If you’re still concerned, there’s a way to test whether your iPhone has been targeted. It’s not an easy test, mind you, but if you’re using a Mac or Linux PC and have backed up your iPhone using it, Amnesty International’s Mobile Verification Toolkit (fave.co/3lo3eyS) will be able to detect whether your phone has the Pegasus spyware installed on it. The tool, which TechCrunch tested, works using the macOS Terminal app and searches your latest iPhone backup on your Mac. It “is not a refined and polished user experience and requires some basic knowledge of how to navigate the terminal.” You’ll need to install libusb as well as Python 3 using Homebrew. (You can learn more about the installation here.) TechCrunch says the check only takes “about a minute or two to run” once it’s been set up.

On Twitter, @rayredacted (fave. co/3C748Fz) detailed the process in a lengthy thread with additional resources and explanations. ■

Apple may be the privacy leader, but it’s not doing enough The App Store and Mail still have glaring holes.

BY JASON SNELL

F

or years now, Apple has trumpeted its commitment to the privacy of its customers. Unlike most of its competitors, Apple’s business model (primarily selling products and services, not advertising) allows it to succeed without relying on collecting personal information from its customers.

It’s a big advantage, and Apple knows it.

But when I look at Apple’s product strategy, I’m surprised at all the ways that the company has failed to take advantage IMAGE: APPLE

of its unique position. From operatingsystem features to new services, the company should double down on privacy—and widen the lead it has over its competitors.

GET AGGRESSIVE IN OTHER APPLE APPS Apple has done a pretty good job of managing privacy inside Safari. Using the web leaks information in some fundamental ways, but Apple has done a SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 45

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lot to reduce the amount of tracking and profiling that can be done when you’re using Safari. And of course, Apple’s new tracking policies (fave.co/3A2zDil) have made Facebook very, very angry.

But the company can do more. Last week, Daring Fireball’s John Gruber pointed out the privacy issues in Mail (fave. co/3A4WDgu). Messages can have embedded trackers in the form of invisible images, and by default Apple Mail loads those images.

Yes, you can turn off the automatic loading of images—but that means most email messages you get look broken.

Apple gives you a way to load images with a single tap—but then all of the images get loaded. And you can’t set messages from people and services you trust to automatically load all images, so you have to do it every time.

Apple could do so much better. At the very least, it should be more active in blocking invisible tracking images from loading at all. But since even a legitimate image can be used as a tracker, it might be worth considering a proxy system that allows Mail to load remote images via an Apple server, concealing your identity. For now, there are third-party solutions to turn to.

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STOP SCAMS AND SPAM In recent weeks, developer Kosta Eleftheriou (fave.co/3cGFFwr) has been a one-man “bunco squad” (fave. co/37eNgyD), exposing fraudulent iOS apps with ridiculous subscription policies, pornographic apps targeted at kids, and endless streams of phony App Store reviews. This isn’t news. Developers have been reporting about the endless stream of scams on the App Store for ages.

I get that patrolling something as huge as the App Store is a difficult task. But whatever Apple is doing, it’s simply not enough. Apple needs to protect all of its customers by making the App Store a safer place, and that means spending more money and hiring more people to remove scammy garbage from the App Store. It’s not worth the hit to Apple’s reputation to have this sort of thing operating in the App Store, even if Apple’s taking a percentage of every scammy sale.

The last few years, Apple has given apps the ability to filter incoming phone calls for spam. I’ve tried some of those services, and they work—to varying degrees. But the right approach is not to

force iPhone users to figure out what subscription app will do a good job of blocking bogus calls—it’s for Apple to do this itself. (I will say, this is also the job of phone carriers—and some of them do offer spam-blocking services…for an extra fee. What a racket.)

But let’s extend this further. I’ve been getting an endless stream of text-message spam lately. And Apple offers essentially no tools to filter out those messages (fave. co/3xks6cM). Even blocking numbers is harder than it should be.

Finally, what about adding junk-mail filtering in Mail on iOS? We’ve had it on the Mac for years.

PRIVACY AS A SERVICE Most of my suggestions will cost Apple a lot of money to implement. In the case of something like App Store integrity, the company needs to pay up and do the right thing. But since Apple has built an impressive business on selling services to its users, perhaps there’s an opportunity here to increase privacy by providing a subscription service.

A year ago, while writing about Apple’s (still) adrift smart-home strategy, I

suggested that Apple could make a router with a built-in VPN (fave. co/3lBafwn). If you don’t know what a VPN is, it’s essentially a secure tunnel that encrypts all your internet traffic, obscuring your address and making it harder for people to track you.

But who needs a router? After all, macOS and iOS already support VPNs. Apple could build its own VPN, and make it a preferred, easy-to-use choice—like Apple Card is within Apple Pay. Running a VPN for every Apple device in existence would cost a fortune, and I’m sure Apple would be loath to do it—but what if was connected to a new privacy-focused Apple service? The company could include a VPN and some of the other features I’ve mentioned here—proxying image loading in email, spam call and spam voicemail filtering— and ones I haven’t even mentioned into a simple, easy-to-enable service that would maximize security across all your Apple devices, no matter where you are, no matter what app you’re using.

If there’s any big tech company that could get away with selling privacy as a service, it’s Apple. ■ SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 47

iOSCENTRAL

Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack will boost your iPhone 12—but for how long?

Magnetically connected charger for the iPhone.

BY ROMAN LOYOLA

G

ot an iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro and always seem to be running out of battery? Apple has a new accessory to help you out: The MagSafe Battery Pack (fave. co/2WGFueK) is available for $99.

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As the name of the product implies, the battery connects to the iPhone 12 via MagSafe, the magnetic connector located on the back of the phone.

According to the product description on Apple’s website, the MagSafe Battery IMAGE: APPLE

Pack “automatically charges, so there’s The MagSafe Battery Pack requires no need to turn it on or off.” However, iOS 14.7. When using the MagSafe you can’t use two MagSafe products at Battery Pack, you can check the once, so if you’re using the wallet, you charging status within the Batteries will need to swap it out. widget. You can add this widget to your Apple does not list the capacity of Home screen or see the status in the the battery in the specs—though the Today View. image says 1460mAh with a 7.62 voltage The support document from Apple and Wh rating of 11.13—and it does not also notes that if you use a leather come with the items you need to charge iPhone case, using the MagSafe Battery the battery pack itself: a USB-C to Pack could leave an imprint on it. Apple Lightning Cable and a power adapter. says this is “normal” and suggests that if Apple recommends using a 20W or you are concerned about it, you should higher adapter; you can use a lowerconsider opting for a non-leather case rated adapter, but it will take longer to instead. ■ charge. Apple’s 20W power adapter (fave.co/3jgwEw2) and a 1-meter USB-C to Lightning cable (fave.co/3xn9c54) are $19 each.

According to an Apple support document (fave. co/3xmmChY), the MagSafe Battery Pack needs to be fully charged before using it, and it has status lights to indicate when the pack is charging and fully charged. With just the pack attached to the iPhone, it charges at a rate of 5W. When the pack is connected to the power adapter and an iPhone The MagSafe Battery Pack has a Lightning connector but at the same time, the rate goes does not come with a Lightning cable or power adapater for charging. up to 15W. SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 49

iOSCENTRAL

How to erase your iPhone, iPad, or Mac remotely after a theft You can ensure your data remains safe through erasure.

BY GLENN FLEISHMAN

O

ne of the most powerful features Apple added years ago to macOS and iOS was Find My iPhone—and iPad and Mac. The iCloud-connected service lets you track an accidentally misplaced

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item and potentially recover one that has been stolen.

With the service active on a device, you can use Find My for macOS, iOS, or iPadOS or via iCloud.com to erase your computer, phone, or tablet or to queue an IMAGE: APPLE

erasure signal for the next time the device is on the Internet. iPhones and iPads with a Secure Enclave and Macs with FileVault enabled simply delete the encryption keys for storage. This renders the data irretrievable.

(It doesn’t affect your local or iCloud backups, so don’t worry.) On a Mac with a T2 Security Chip or M1 Apple silicon, disk encryption is always enabled even if FileVault isn’t, allowing Secure Enclave to destroy the disk encryption keys instantly even with FileVault disabled.

Pre-Secure Enclave iPhones and iPads and Macs that predate the T2 Security chip and have FileVault disabled take longer to delete files, as each byte of data has to be overwritten.

If you’re not sure whether your iPhone, iPad, or Intel Mac has a Secure Enclave, consult the list Apple provides (fave. co/2Vv01ST). You can determine if FileVault is enabled by going to the Security & Privacy preference pane’s FileVault tab.

HOW TO ERASE A DEVICE Apple has tweaked the process slightly for its native apps, but it has left iCloud.com virtually untouched for years.

In macOS, iOS, or iPadOS, launch the Find My app. Tap the Devices tab, and then tap your hardware. (If you have Family Sharing enabled, you can also see the devices of family members.) On an iPhone

Apple warns you about the consequences when you’re about to erase your Mac remotely.

or iPad, tap Erase This Device and follow the prompts. On a Mac, right-click the device and select Erase This Device.

With iCloud.com, log in to your account and click the Find iPhone link—no “My” in there. Enter your iCloud password again if prompted. Click the All Devices menu and select your hardware: > For a Mac, click Erase Mac and follow prompts; you’ll note that the text says it “may take up to a day to complete,” which is the worst-case example for a hard-drive– equipped Mac without FileVault enabled and with neither a T2 nor an M1 chip.

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iOSCENTRAL

R EM OTE LY ER ASE AN i PHON E, iPAD, OR M AC

command. But for iPhones, iPads, and Macs with a Secure Enclave, the stored data can’t be interacted with unless someone also obtained the password. (For a running Mac, there might be cracks that work, but if the device is powered down and FileVault is enabled, Find My lets you see all your devices and select them for several purposes—including erasure. it’s effectively impossible.) > For an iPhone or iPad, just click The device can be wiped, securely Erase iPhone or Erase iPad. removing your data—and then Activation If the device is connected to the internet Lock, a part of Find My, kicks in. (Macs via whatever method it has at its disposal— have a few additional requirements [fave.

Wi-Fi, cellular, tethering, or even a dial-up co/3ynFxu7].) Activation Lock prevents an modem—erasure begins immediately after erased device from being set up again the Mac receives the signal relayed via without the iCloud password associated Apple’s servers. In the cases noted above, with the account that turned on Find My. the drive or flash storage almost instantly Criminal groups have apparently becomes irretrievable. figured out ways to bypass Activation Lock Apple queues the erase command, so in at least some cases, but those methods if the device ever appears briefly back on still require erasing the device, so your the internet, it erases itself. Once your data remains inaccessible. device starts wiping its data, finding its A FUTURE OF location via Find My is no longer possible.

REMOTE ERASURE? For devices that ne’er-do-wells have I can imagine a future in which the Find My taken offline or put in a metal box, they may Network could be used to trigger erasure, never return online to receive an erase 52 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

too. Right now, the system is used entirely signals emitted for Find My Network by as a passive relay: An AirTag tracker and Apple devices. most Apple devices can broadcast their If someone who had been near you position over Bluetooth in a carefully receives a COVID-19 diagnosis and enters encrypted manner. Nearby Macs, iPhones, a code provided by their healthcare and iPads with Find My Network enabled provider into their smartphone, the relay this data via Apple so encrypted Bluetooth IDs you can get updates about associated would then be location without the party uploaded to a database that relaying it knowing who all devices in your region or you are or which device is country regularly download transmitting the information. and compare to stored IDs. But AirTags point the Now consider this: What way to a potential two-way if you could report your process. If Apple device as stolen and determines that an AirTag indicate that you wanted it has been traveling with you erased? That signal would and you’re not the owner of then be distributed in it, you’re presented with a encrypted form across all dialog on an iPhone or iPad Apple hardware in your that lets you play a sound. area or an expanded That command is passed region. If any of those along via Bluetooth. devices picked up an The COVID-19 exposure encrypted Bluetooth signal notification system points that matched, they could An iPhone that spots an to a more complicated unknown AirTag traveling with transmit a similarly system that preserves encrypted erasure it over time can send a signal to prompt an action on the privacy and yet could be instruction. Thieves try to AirTag. turned to device erasure as disable all the wireless on well. In Apple and Google’s a device, but Bluetooth is joint notification system, your smartphone often harder to block than Wi-Fi or cellular. recorded all specially formatted Bluetooth The safeguards around this would signals around you and retained for those have to be strong, but it’s not far-fetched— a period of time; this is quite similar to the just far-reaching! ■ SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 53

APPLE’S SMART HOME EFFORT GOT OFF TO A SLOW START, BUT IT’S RAPIDLY GAINING MOMENTUM.

BY CHRISTOPHER NULL

54 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

IMAGE: APPLE

SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 55

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G UI DE TO APPL E HOMEK IT

HomeKit can control any aspect of your smart home: lighting, security cams, motorized window shades, thermostats, and more.

A

pple launched HomeKit in 2014, and for many users it remains a bit of a mystery—an outlier in the smart home space that is wound up with the iPhone, Siri, and an unintuitive corner of the smart home universe. What is HomeKit, and is it appropriate for your home? Let’s dig in and break down what it is and how it works today.

WHAT IS HOMEKIT? While HomeKit is exclusive to Apple and its licensees, it is really just a communications protocol, a framework of technologies that lets your iOS device 56 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

work with any number of smart home products. Apple currently claims that more than 100 brands of products (fave. co/3yrUhrG) are now included in the HomeKit universe, including all the usual smart home suspects, such as smart plugs and switches, light bulbs, thermostats, motorized window shades, and more.

The centerpiece of HomeKit is its centralized control through the iOS Home app, which is now standard on all iPhones and iPads (and is now part of MacOS as well). Through Home, you have access to all your HomeKit-compatible devices (Accessories), which can be separated by

room and assigned to Scenes (in which a number of devices are controlled simultaneously with a single tap) or controlled via Automations (for basic scheduling or as responses to trigger events). Devices that appear in the Home can also be controlled via Siri voice commands, either through an iOS device or a newer Apple TV (third-generation or later) or HomePod smart speaker.

In a nutshell, Home works a lot like any other smart home control app, except that it is not tied to a specific vendor’s product.

If your devices are set up through HomeKit, they’ll appear in the Home app.

You can also add compatible devices to your HomeKit network after the fact, and that won’t prevent you from using those same devices in other smart home ecosystems.

to work on making the necessary connections. This process has changed a bit over the years, but now it is generally quite streamlined, and I’ve found that HomeKit devices—for the most part—set up quickly and seamlessly.

HomeKit devices can connect to your phone for setup via either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. You don’t necessarily need an internet connection to get a HomeKit device up and running, but it certainly helps smooth out the process.

HomeKit setup can often be confusing to novices because nearly every smart home device maker also makes its own app that can be used to set up the device.

Instructions vary—wildly—from brand to brand on this front. Some will direct you to

HOW DOES HOMEKIT SETUP WORK? HomeKit setup is easily its biggest strength. For most products, setup involves using your iPhone to scan a QR code printed on the smart device (or affixed via a sticker).

Sometimes the QR code appears on the device’s packaging or manual. Once the device is scanned and powered up, your phone gets

A best practice is to create rooms and assign your smart home devices to them, so you can see and control everything at a glance.

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start with the brand’s app, then switch over to Home at some point, and then switch back to the brand’s app to complete setup.

Most of the time you can ignore the brand’s app altogether and just set things up in Home directly. Or you can ignore Home and just use the official app. Once setup is complete, you can generally use both apps to control the device, although that can present new challenges.

HOW DO I INTERACT WITH HOMEKIT DEVICES?

apps for things like firmware updates on some devices, and many of these apps offer added features that the iOS Home app lacks (such as the ability to dynamically tune smart-bulb color temperature over the course of a day).

While you can interact directly with a device via your phone, the real value of HomeKit comes from having a hub inside your house. Today, lots of devices can serve as a hub, including an AppleTV (fourth-generation or later), either of the HomePod speaker models, or an old iPad you have lying around (provided it doesn’t leave the house and is never turned off). A few other devices (fave.co/3CfRYdx), including the Lutron Caséta Smart Bridge and the Insteon Hub Pro, can bridge the gap between smart home device and

As noted above, the big idea is that you interact with your HomeKit devices in the iOS Home app, but you can also use the device’s sanctioned app to do the same thing. In fact, in most brand-developed apps, you will not only find that brand’s devices, but HomeKit-compatible devices developed by other brands as well. This can quickly get confusing if you have a complicated, multivendor setup, and it can create challenges if, say, you set up automations or schedules in both apps. When those schedules conflict, results can be unpredictable, so it’s best to stick to one app for controlling operations whenever possible.

Note that the official vendor apps for your devices should still For smart bulbs, you can adjust brightness, color, and color temperature for each scene you wish to set up. be installed: You’ll need these 58 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

HomeKit, but they won’t allow you to control your HomeKit devices when you’re away from home. So if you’re intent on building a HomeKitenabled home today, you’re best off sticking with an Apple device as the hub.

Without a HomeKit hub, you can control your devices only when your phone is on the same local network (or within Bluetooth range, if the device supports it). The hub The $99 HomePod mini was an important addition to the works by bridging your HomeKit ecosystem, but Apple’s least-expensive smart speaker still costs twice as much as the competition.

HomeKit devices to your router, then on to the Google Home. You can create some internet. With a hub you can interact version of rooms, scenes, and directly with devices when you’re away, as automations with each of these platforms, well as enable geofencing features such too. And as with those other platforms, as turning on the lights automatically when products that support HomeKit are you get home. If you don’t have a hub and increasingly advertised as such, with a you launch the Home app on your phone “Works with Apple HomeKit” logo when you’re not home, your devices will appearing on the packaging. appear as unresponsive.

The primary difference to consider is HOW DOES HOMEKIT DIFFER support: All four platforms support FROM ALEXA, GOOGLE different vendors’ products, so you’ll ASSISTANT, SMARTTHINGS, need to consider carefully which devices AND OTHER ECOSYSTEMS? you already own or intend to purchase if HomeKit has several similarities with you’re interested in building your smart these platforms, including support for the home around one of these platforms. For products of multiple vendors and the example, SmartThings is the only platform voice control features of Alexa and that supports Z-Wave devices. Alexa and SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 59

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SmartThings both support Zigbee devices.

All four platforms support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices—but again, compatibility is determined on a product-by-product basis, not just the wireless standard it uses. (You’ll also find that some vendors sell one version of a product with HomeKit support and one Each of your smart home devices is represented by an appropriate control interface. without, adding even more to the confusion.)

IS HOMEKIT COMPATIBLE As well, Alexa and Google Home WITH OTHER PLATFORMS? products are more than just smart home For the most part, yes. You can have platforms, built primarily around their HomeKit, Alexa, and Google Home all voice-enabled smart speakers. You can operating in the same household and all ask Siri to set a timer or play music for interacting with the same devices, you, but these are features of iOS, not presuming they have the necessary HomeKit. Similarly, Alexa’s Skills system is support. (And remember, almost all nowhere to be found in HomeKit. HomeKit devices will come with their own Increasingly, HomeKit has been moving in brand-created app as well.) this direction with the launch of the Problems can arise if you use different HomePod, but that device is hardly as an platforms to do the same thing. Theoretically essential part of the HomeKit ecosystem you could connect one device to four or five the way an Amazon Echo is to Alexa. different apps and use each of them to Another major difference is, of course, create a control schedule for that device.

HomeKit’s reliance on Apple products. If But this would of course be a catastrophic you’re a diehard Android user, HomeKit’s mess and is not recommended. probably not for you.

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That said, it’s common for busier smart homes to include more than one of these platforms to control products that are not compatible with the others. But, increasingly and thankfully, broad compatibility with multiple platforms is becoming commonplace.

DO I NEED AN iOS DEVICE TO USE HOMEKIT? Yes. And to take advantage of all of HomeKit’s features, you need more than just an iPhone or iPad. If you want to use your HomeKit device away from your home, you need a hub as described above.

Again, while you need an iOS device to use the features of HomeKit, you can still use a HomeKit device without an iPhone.

You simply must use the vendor’s official

app to interact with the device—or another third-party platform, such as Alexa, Google Home, or SmartThings if the device is compatible with one of those systems.

I’M AN ANDROID USER. WHAT CAN I DO WITH HOMEKIT? In a word: Nothing—at least not with your smartphone. HomeKit works only with the Home app, and the Home app is only available on iOS devices. And there’s probably no hope that this situation will change anytime soon.

Now, as described above, if you use Android and a device supports HomeKit, that does not mean you can’t use the device with your phone. You simply won’t be able to use HomeKit to set it up and manage it—unless you do so on an iPad. Instead, Android users should have no problem using the brand’s official smartphone app to set up and manage the product.

HOW SECURE IS HOMEKIT?

You’ll want an Apple product that can act as a HomeKit hub, such as the Apple TV 4K shown here. A fourth-gen Apple TV will also work, as will an Apple HomePod or a spare iPad.

HomeKit data is fully encrypted both at rest and in transit, and since Apple must approve every device that’s in the HomeKit ecosystem, the platform is as secure as SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 61

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any other smart home platform. (Alexa and Google Home both encrypt data in a similar fashion.)

In 2019, Apple announced a new feature called HomeKit Secure Video (fave.co/3Ci1n4i), which allows HomeKitenabled cameras to use iCloud for video storage. Naturally, there are heightened security concerns regarding cloud-based video storage and streaming as compared with, say, controlling a light switch or thermostat over the internet, so Apple has been careful to ensure that HomeKit Secure Video streams are encrypted from end to end. Ring just introduced the same capability for its security cameras (fave.co/3jl8h0j), but Apple offers the privacy advantage of performing any video analysis on your local HomeKit hub.

Additional security measures are also available in HomeKit Secure Video, such as the ability to restrict access to streams based on user and time of day. Apple has pointed out that even the company doesn’t have access to view your recordings.

HOW RELIABLE IS HOMEKIT?

Although the setup process is usually amazing, in this reviewer’s experience, HomeKit reliability during day-to-day use is actually fairly middling, and it’s my least favorite platform to use for control and automations. I encounter more problems with HomeKit losing its connection to devices, failing to start or stop automations, and generally not working as expected than I do on other platforms.

I’ve found the geofencing features on HomeKit to be particularly erratic, and the interface isn’t terribly friendly, either. That said, no smart home platform has come up with a perfect interface or flawless operational record yet, so many of these criticisms also apply to other platforms. But while HomeKit and all products in this industry continue to evolve and improve, at present my interactions with HomeKit HomeKit now supports several brands of motorized smart shades, including the Lutron Serena shades shown here. have been a bit lacking. ■ 62 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

for some, feeling

LEFT OUT lasts more than a moment.

We can change that.

We’ve all had moments where we’ve felt we didn’t belong. But for people who moved to this country, that feeling lasts more than a moment. Together, we can build a better community.

Learn how at BelongingBeginsWithUs.org

FEATURE

HELP!

TROUBLESHOOTIN FOR WHEN

64 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

IMAGE: PEXELS

NG TIPS YOUR MAC WON’T WORK

BY ROMAN LOYOLA

SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 65

FEATURE

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T

he Mac is one of the most reliable PCs you can buy, which is probably why there’s a heightened sense of anxiety when you press the power button and nothing happens. But take a deep breath.

When your Mac won’t start, there are a number of reasons why, and most likely it’s an easy fix. Apple has a support document (fave.co/3jntdDD) with advice on what to do when your Mac won’t turn on, but we’re going to give you a little more detail and a few more things to check. So be sure to hold onto this article for when it inevitably happens again.

66 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

Before we start, let this be a lesson to keep a backup. Whether you use a cloud service, store important files on iCloud Drive, or use Time Machine with an external drive, you’ll want to make sure you’ve backed up your personal stuff that isn’t already in a cloud—local documents, files, movies, music, and so on. That way you won’t lose it even if you need to wipe your Mac and start over.

YOUR MAC WON’T POWER UP Make sure it’s not actually on If you press the power button and nothing happens, it might actually already be on. It

sounds silly, but when the battery is drained, the Mac goes into a hibernation mode, and it can be tough to tell if it’s actually on or not. Listen for fan noise (though even Macs with fans are pretty quiet when they aren’t doing anything), and check for light indicators, such as the backlighting on a MacBook keyboard or the Touch Bar on a MacBook Pro. Also look at the display. If it’s a deep black, the screen is definitely off, but if the color is more like an extremely dark gray that’s close to black but not quite, it’s on.

You can tell by checking the contrast between the black bezel and the display on a MacBook or iMac—it should blend seamlessly if it’s powered down. If you’re using an external display, look for a power indicator LED on the front, and check that the cable connection is secure.

If you’ve determined that your Mac is actually on and not responding, you can try the old panacea: a restart. If you don’t know how to do that, see below.

have a MacBook that you move around a lot. When I use my MacBook Pro on my lap while it is charging, sometimes the Thunderbolt power adapter becomes slightly unplugged and I don’t even realize it. If it’s been unplugged and the battery is dead, see above.

The power adapter in the wall. If you’re not using an extension cable, the weight of the MacBook power adapter could cause it to fall out of a power socket.

Also, the power adapter brick can somehow get disconnected from the prong module—that happened to me recently while moving things around for the cable guy. If you have a desktop Mac, it may have become unplugged while moving your desk.

The power strip or UPS. If your Mac is plugged in to a power strip or UPS, check

Check your connections Beyond asking, “Is it plugged in?” we have a few more obvious issues that can often fix startup problems.

The USB cable to the Mac. This can sometimes get knocked loose, especially if you

Modules generally stay well on the power adapter, but it is possible for them to slide out of place.

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to make sure that it hasn’t been switched off or unplugged.

The outlet. It seems too obvious to mention, but blackouts and blown fuses can happen, and during daylight hours you may not notice. As I write this on an unplugged MacBook Pro, the TV LED light is the only clear and immediate indication I can find in the room that the power is on, so if the power went out, I wouldn’t know until I looked at the TV. You could check your circuit breaker or fuse box. Also, check the power outlet itself by plugging in something else.

Check the cables and peripherals If you’ve determined that power is available and everything is plugged in, try to isolate the problem.

Try a different power cable or adapter.

Cables can get tweaked, and power adapters can be rendered useless after a power surge. If you don’t have a spare, ask a friend.

Disconnect peripherals. It’s possible that something attached to your Mac is disrupting the boot process. Disconnect anything that’s not needed to run your Mac: printers, external nonboot storage, cameras, and so on. (You can leave your mouse and keyboard connected, as well as the display on desktop Macs.) If you’re using a Mac Pro, make sure the internal components are seated properly.

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Plug in your MacBook and wait a few minutes. If you’re trying to boot a MacBook using battery power, maybe the battery is drained. Let it charge for a few minutes, then try booting again.

Cycle the power You have power and all the connections are good. You can try performing a power cycle, which essentially forces your Mac to restart the boot process. Here’s how to do a power cycle.

MacBook: Press and hold down the power button for 10 seconds. The MacBook might make a squeal, and then it will shut down if it’s on. Press the power button again to turn it on.

Desktop Mac: Hold down the power button for 10 seconds. Then unplug the Mac for another 10 seconds before plugging it back in. Press the power button to turn it back on.

YOUR MAC TURNS ON BUT WON’T BOOT If a normal startup is unsuccessful, you need to restart in Safe Mode again and see if you can check for any macOS and software updates, since there’s likely an issue with the OS. If everything’s up to date, there are a few more fixes to try.

Reset the NVRAM/PRAM. This is for Intel Macs only; NVRAM on M1 Macs (fave. co/2WTGnAV) works differently and

Reset the SMC. This is also for Intel Macs only; M1 Macs do not have system management controllers (SMCs).

And the way to reset the SMC depends on the type of Intel Mac you have. > Intel MacBooks with a T2: Turn off the If the icon on the left appears during Mac startup, that means the laptop. For 7 operating system on the startup device isn’t compatible. The icon seconds, hold on the right means the startup device has not been detected or the installed system software is no longer working. down the Control and Option keys on doesn’t have an easy way for resetting. the left side of the keyboard, plus the Shift The Mac uses NVRAM and PRAM for quick key on the right side. (The Mac may turn access to system settings. It’s possible that on.) After those 7 seconds have elapsed, a setting here got corrupted, so a reset keep those keys pressed, and press and may help fix things. hold the power button for another 7 To reset the NVRAM and PRAM, turn seconds. (The Mac may turn off.) Release off your Mac. Then, as you turn the Mac the keys and then turn on the Mac if it’s off. on, hold down Command+Option+P+R. > Intel MacBooks without a T2: Turn off Keep holding down those keys until you the laptop. On the left side of the notice that the Mac restarts and the Apple keyboard, hold down the Shift, Control, logo appears. and Option keys, and then press and hold After the Mac completes its startup, down the power button for 10 seconds. you’ll need to go into System Preferences Turn on the laptop. and make some adjustments to the sound > Intel desktop Mac with or without a volume, screen resolution, and other T2: Turn off the Mac and then unplug the settings until they’re to your liking. power cable. After 15 seconds, plug the SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 69

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cable in, and then wait 5 seconds. Power up the Mac.

Fix the firmware If you’ve followed all of the steps here and your Mac still won’t start up, the problem could lie within the firmware. If you have another Mac, you can try connecting the two together and performing a revive or restore. We have complete instructions (fave.co/3AaZPHK) for both Intel and M1 Macs in a separate article, but all you’ll need is a USB-C data cable.

Boot into Safe Mode

activating Safe Mode depends on the Mac you are using: > Intel-based Macs: Turn off the Mac. Then power it on while holding down the Shift key. You can release Shift when the login window appears (you may have to log in twice). At the login window, you should see Safe Boot in the upper right corner of the screen. > M1-based Macs: Turn off the Mac. Hold down the power button for 10 seconds when you power it on, and the release the button when the startup options window appears. Select your startup disk (usually your storage device on the left), then hold down the Shift key while you click Continue in Safe Mode.

You can release the Shift key when the

You’re able to turn on your Mac. Progress!

But if your Mac won’t start up all the way, you’ll still need to do some work to get it working again.

Safe Mode (fave. co/3fxn9aD) is a boot process where the Mac uses only what’s necessary to start up—it doesn’t load login items, optional system extensions, and nonmacOS fonts. It also clears out system caches and checks your startup disk for problems. The If the Mac successfully boots into Safe Mode, you can try immediately restarting the Mac again and see if it will start up normally. method for 70 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

login window appears. Log in to the Mac (you might have to perform this process twice).

If the Mac successfully boots into Safe Mode, you can try immediately restarting the Mac again and see if it will startup normally. If it does, the problem might only be temporarily fixed. We recommend checking your login items—the apps and services that automatically launch at startup.

To check your software login items, go to System Preferences → Users & Groups → Login Items. You’ll need to go through the process of isolating These are the main tools you can access when you boot into macOS Recovery. what software is problematic by unchecking items, restarting, startup disk and a gear icon called checking an item, restarting, and repeating.

Options. Click Options.

Boot into macOS Recovery After performing the boot procedure Disk Utility. If you’ve reached this step, above, the Mac will ask for a password, there’s likely a fairly large problem with and after you enter it, you’ll see a window your Mac, but it’s not hopeless yet. When with four options. Click Disk Utility, which you boot into Recovery mode, you can will launch the Disk Utility app. Now follow access Disk Utility, among other things. In the instructions below to repair your this situation, you use Disk Utility to repair startup disk. any issues with your startup drive. Here 1. Press Command+2 to Show All are the instructions.

Devices. The left column shows all the > Intel Macs: Turn off the Mac. Hold storage devices connected to your Mac, down Command+R and turn on the Mac, starting with the startup device. and keep holding down those keys.

Underneath each device you’ll see > M1 Macs: Turn off the Mac. Press and submenus for each volume it has. hold down the power button until you see 2. Select the last volume that appears your startup options, which will be your for the startup device. Then click the First SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 71

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erase your disk entirely to install macOS. On M1 Macs you’ll be using Big Sur, but Intel Macs might be a little trickier. Instead of the Command-R keystroke above, you can boot into macOS Recovery over the Internet using two methods. If you haven’t Clicking the First Aid button in Disk Utility will help repair your Mac’s startup disk. updated the OS, use Shift-Option-Command-R Aid button at the top. You’ll need to during startup to find the version of macOS confirm the task by clicking Run in the that came with your Mac, or the closest pop-up that appears. You’ll also need to one still available. You can also press enter a password.

Option-Command-R during startup to get 3. When the task is done, select the the latest macOS that is compatible with next volume above, and run First Aid your Mac, assuming you’ve been keeping again. Keep doing this up the chain until up with updates. you’ve done the whole device.

CALL APPLE SUPPORT 4. Restart your Mac. If, after all that, the Mac still won’t Reinstall macOS complete its startup process, it’s time to You’ve reached the nuclear option, which contact Apple support. Before you do so, is to reinstall macOS. Boot into macOS note any key points of behavior the Recovery (as described above) and select Mac exhibits while trying to start up, such Reinstall macOS, which will launch the as when pauses occur, when the startup macOS installer that leads you through stalls, any unusual things that show up the process. It’ll take about an hour or so, on the screen, and so forth. This and you should be able to reinstall the information can help Apple support Library and important bits without losing diagnose your problem. You can either any of your data. However, if the system call, chat online, or make an appointment can’t read your disk, you may need to at an Apple retail store. ■ 72 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

My kid would never vape.

More than 5 million American kids vape.

Which means, they’re being set up for a lifetime of addiction.

Good students. Athletes.

Kids who’d never smoke regular cigarettes.

All types of kids.

Maybe even yours.

Talk to your kid about vaping.

Start by getting the facts at

TalkAboutVaping.org

FEATURE

FIVE APPLE T ORIGINALS TO

AFTER THE ‘TED LASSO 74 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

IMAGE: APPLE

TV+ O WATCH

APPLE TV+ IS DEEPER THAN YOU MIGHT THINK.

BY JASON CROSS

O’ SEASON 2 PREMIERE SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 75

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W

hen Apple TV+ (fave. co/3yklaxM) launched in the fall of 2019, Apple really tried to generate a breakout hit for its streaming TV service. It loaded up the premiere with big-budget shows featuring big-name talent. The opening slate was solid, but nothing really caught fire with the public.

Then along came Ted. Ted Lasso, which seemed like a “second-tier” show, is headlined by Jason Sudeikis (not exactly a huge star). It’s all about a popular Midwestern football coach who goes to the U.K. to serve as head coach for a Premier League soccer team. You know, the other kind of football. The one Coach Lasso knows nothing at all about.

It’s a pretty standard fish-out-of-water concept that had plenty going against it.

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“American in Britain” tropes are old and stale. Feel-good sports dramas are sort of hackneyed. And nobody in the U.S. knows or cares about soccer. Oh, and the show is relentlessly optimistic and positive. Ew! So it caught everyone by surprise when it turned out to be good. Really good. “I dare you not to like this show” good. “You don’t have to care about sports” good. Suddenly Apple TV+ has its first real breakout hit, and the second season of it premiered on July 23.

At only $4.99 a month, you may have signed up for Apple TV+ just to watch this Ted Lasso show everyone keeps mentioning. Or maybe you let your trial lapse and are coming back for Coach Lasso and the boys of AFC Richmond. Whether you’re done with Ted Lasso or are looking for other things to watch while you wait for

1. the next episode to drop, we have some suggestions for Apple TV+ content that is worth your time (in alphabetical order).

1. THE BANKER This film, based on a true story, tells the tale of Bernard Garrett and Joe Morris, who hatched a plan to circumvent redlining (fave.co/3ftSWtd) in the 1960s by hiring a white man to pose as the face of their real-estate and banking empire, so that they could help African Americans get loans and own property.

It’s a little timid with its subject matter, but the performances by Anthony Mackie, Samuel L. Jackson, and Nicholas Hoult are strong enough to make the movie shine. It’s also 2. beautifully shot and

briskly paced, the very definition of “an easy watch.” This film is about a practice in recent American history that more people should know about, and it’s a very entertaining way to do that.

Watch The Banker here: fave. co/3fu3QPz.

2. FOR ALL MANKIND The concept is simple and compelling: In 1969, the Soviet Union successfully lands a cosmonaut on the moon, before the United States does. This bolsters the

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U.S.S.R. space program and puts the U.S. on its back foot, resulting in a continued space race that runs for decades and greatly impacts world history. The first season of For All Mankind follows NASA throughout the 1970s, and ends with the establishment of a permanent base on the moon. The second season picks up a decade later in the 1980s, and is even better than the first.

This series has great special effects and high-stakes drama, with a top-notch ensemble cast. It’s the kind of thing you don’t have to be a space buff to appreciate, but fans of space, alternate history, and hard sci-fi will love it.

Watch For All Mankind here: fave. co/3xsDfbz.

morning news show and the seismic changes it undergoes when its beloved anchor gets caught up in a sexual misconduct scandal and is replaced by an impulsive reporter.

It has by far the most star power of any Apple TV+ show. Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell all deliver fantastic performances, and Billy Crudup won an Emmy for his supporting role.

The Morning Show is gripping, smart, fast-paced, and very timely. Production of the second season was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but now its premiere is just around the corner on September 17.

Watch The Morning Show here: fave. co/3Cd1XQV.

4. MYTHIC QUEST 3. THE MORNING SHOW This was the marquee show for the launch of Apple TV+: a hard-hitting drama about a

3.

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A workplace comedy about a game development studio? Frankly, it sounds like it’s the kind of thing you have to be a bit of a nerd to appreciate. But while it helps to at least have a passing familiarity with video games or gamer culture, it’s definitely not required. At its heart, Mythic Quest is what all good workplace

5. TRYING

4 comedies are: a group of extreme personalities under pressure to work together.

The series starts off pretty well, but gets very good around episode 5 of the first season. The second season can’t quite keep up the quality of the first, but is still worth watching.

Ted Lasso is a half-hour comedy with heart, one where you can root for almost everyone. Mythic Quest isn’t quite on Ted Lasso’s level, but it fills that same role.

It also deserves mention as the only TV show we’ve seen that has made a good remote-shot pandemic episode.

Watch Mythic Quest here: fave.

5. co/3lujDBz.

Ted Lasso is an upbeat comedy about an American in the U.K. If you prefer your comedy a little bit darker and down-to-earth, and your British series a little more British, check out Trying. In it, Nikki and Jason decide to give up on a long-shot IVF treatment and adopt.

They have to navigate the complex and difficult adoption process, and their lives are sometimes a bit of a mess.

It’s another “comedy with heart” that, while completely different than Ted Lasso, can easily scratch that itch until another season arrives. There are two seasons of Trying already, with a third on the way.

Watch Trying here: fave.co/3ftTH5x. ■

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“ Everything was always very tidy.

Then my family noticed how disorganized I had become.”

—Theresa, living with Alzheimer’s

When something feels different, it could be Alzheimer’s.

Now is the time to talk.

Visit

alz.org/ourstories to learn more

WORKINGMAC

Tips, tricks, and tools to make you and your Mac or iOS device more productive

How to make use of typographic refinement in Pages and other macOS software Apple has built in many features for tweaking type and adding flourishes—but they’re a bit hard to find and understand.

BY GLENN FLEISHMAN

W

ell-drawn type has been integral to the Mac since the very start. Steve Jobs, who famously adored a calligraphy course in college, insisted that

IMAGE: FLORIAN PIRCHER FROM PIXABAY

the Mac use “real” fonts, something made possible by the company’s early partnership with Adobe Systems. From 1984 through the present day, Mac operating systems have always let you use SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 81

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characters meant to work together across all its weights and styles, like Roman, oblique, italic, bold, extralight, condensed, and so on. A font is the part of a typeface that you act on, whether it’s metal type from the letterpress era gone by or a font file that contains the digital outlines used to draw type onscreen and on printers.)

Not all fonts include OpenType extras, but many do. On sites that sell or offer high-quality typefaces, you can often find more detail about what features they include. Google has released its own free typefaces and distributes others through Google Fonts (fave.co/2RR98fm), where the description usually makes it clear how built out the face is.

Some font foundries provide even more insight. P22 Type Foundry (fave. co/3lvaMQb), for example, has a Glyphs tab for each font that lets you examine every character—known as a “glyph”—in each weight and style of its faces. But it also has an OpenType Features drop-down menu that appears if the typeface or particular font has any P22 Type Foundry calls out OpenType features in some detail, as well as showing all glyphs in its fonts. special features.

typefaces that look great—as well as those designed poorly, to be fair—but the features associated with type aren’t always well exposed.

Apple has over several years gradually and quietly added support for refinement available by accessing features in OpenType, the standard way in which font files are created for digital use. Cracking open the Fonts palette in Pages and other Apple software (as well as some third-party apps or their alternative controls) can let you make routine documents look a little spiffier and more legible, and add flourishes to ones that could use some pizzazz.

(By the way, a typeface is generally defined in modern days as the general appearance and characteristics of a set of

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You can use macOS’s built-in Font Book app to see all the glyphs in installed fonts.

Launch Applications → Font Book, click All Fonts in the upper-left corner, select the font you want to view, You can see all the glyphs in a font using Font Book, built into macOS. and then choose reveal or hide it) and select Typography View → Repertoire. This reveals all the from its gear menu in the upper-left corner characters, including any alternative ones. should display the same results.

Use the Size field (upper-right corner) or The Typography items are all based on slider (right side) to see the glyphs at a the current selection of text. Make a larger or smaller size. change to any setting in the palette, and it THE TYPOGRAPHY TOOL IN applies to the range. In some cases, you MAC APPS will want to select individual characters or The examples below rely on the later small ranges—for instance, to apply small version of Pages for macOS. However, caps. In others, you can select your entire nearly any app in macOS that lets you use text run or make the change before you the Fonts selector (press Command-T to start typing to affect what follows—that’s

Various kinds of letters and figures in typefaces are drawn against invisible lines, with curves dropping a little below and above them to correct for tricks of perception.

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useful if you want to use old-style figures throughout a document, as that setting only affects the digits zero through nine.

bowls (the rounded part of the letters b, d, and h, for instance). > The cap height is where the top of capital letters reach.

LINING FIGURES VERSUS > The ascender is often slightly higher OLD-STYLE FIGURES than the cap height, and it’s where the Before charts and tables were common, “ascenders,” or long vertical strokes of nearly all numerals—called “figures” in some lowercase letters, as in f, h, and l, typography—were uppercase, lowercase, top out. and proportional. That requires a little Figures were designed originally to fit unpacking (see figure above). Type into text-like letters, and had a sort of appears on an invisible set of what are lowercase look about them. The zero was typically five horizontal lines: a circle, like an o, though distinct; an 8 had > The baseline is where capital or its top bowl up at cap height; the 4 dipped uppercase letters “sit,” as well as the its leg below the baseline. These are now bottom of most lowercase or small letters known as “old-style” figures. and numbers.

When you start using a lot of numbers > Descenders drop below that for financial and statistical data, they need baseline—as in the letters p, q, and y—to a to line up to be understandable; otherwise common point. your eye running down a column might > The x-height is a midpoint, the height mistake the 1,000s column in one line for of the lowercase letter x and roughly the the 10,000s in another. Thus came “lining” top of most lowercase letters or their figures, which each take an equal amount of space to line up (monospaced) and all of which are “uppercase” —that is, occupying the same distance from the Old-style figures (and small caps for acronyms) fit the flow and “color” of text better (left) than lining figures do (right). baseline to 84 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

When to use old-style figures: Use them in the middle of mixed-case typing, where there are relatively few numbers and they don’t need to line up.

When to use lining figures: Use them in tables and charts, and anywhere people need to take in numbers at a glance for financial or Columns of numbers are far easier to parse if you use lining statistical purposes. In figures with monospacing (top) rather than old-style figures with all-caps text, lining figures proportional spacing (bottom). look better, too, as oldcap height. (There were and are old-style style figures seem as if you’d just mixed in figures that are monospaced, too, but they lowercase letters. seem fussy and aren’t as legible for SMALL CAPITALS OR scanning numbers.)

SMALL CAPS Old-style figures became hard to find in While you certainly know lowercase and the transition from metal to phototype and uppercase, or capital, letters, you may then into digital, because of the complexity never have heard of “small capitals” or of including them in limited fonts and “small caps,” which occupy a space accessing them on dedicated typesetting between the two. Small caps were often hardware and early desktop-publishing used as a way to set off or emphasize software. They eventually came roaring text, including at the start of sections in back when fonts could contain arbitrarily books and articles, as well as to set large amounts of glyphs. acronyms without the awkwardness of a How to apply old-style figures: You run of capital letters in the middle of can either select a range or select all the mixed-case writing. text in your document and use the Number Historically, small caps were drawn Case section of the Typography menu: separately, just like the upper- and choose Old-Style Figures. This setting lowercase letters. However, optical and applies only to figures.

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then digital typesetting allowed capital letters to be shrunk and used as “fake” small caps, and most desktop-publishing and word-processing software let you select “small capitals” and would duly shrink the uppercase a bit.

But it never looked quite right, as the thicks and thins of these fake small caps didn’t resemble those of the upper- and lowercase letters surrounding them. As digital typefaces added small caps to their repertoires starting decades ago (often in typefaces labeled as “pro” versions, and now in most complete fonts), software didn’t entirely catch up.

For instance, in Pages, you can select text, click the Format button and then the Style tab, click the gear icon in the Font area, and then select Small Caps from the Capitalization menu. This creates fake small caps, even if the font contains drawn ones.

How to apply small capitals: Select a range of text and, from the Typography menu’s Lower Case section, select Small

Capitals. Any uppercase letters in the range will remain as full capitals.

When to use small capitals: To replace acronyms, including things like ATM, US-CERT, a.m., CD-ROM, and state abbreviations such as WA or CA. Traditionally, small caps were frequently used in lieu of lowercase in the first line of chapters in books.

When to avoid small capitals: Don’t use them in long runs of text, as they’re not designed to be read at length, just as it’s hard to read long spans of uppercase.

LIGATURES

You know that Johannes Gutenberg likely printed the first book with letters that could be moved around and reused—so-called movable type. But you might not know that his studio produced over 200 different pieces of metal type to set his remarkable Bible. Beyond the 24 or so letters used in Latin at the time, punctuation marks, and numbers, what else did Gutenberg require? Ligatures!

A ligature is a combination of two or more letters that fixes ugly overlaps between them or takes up less space. Gutenberg needed a pile of these Drawn or “true” small caps are noticeably better than the “faked” ones created by scaling uppercase letters. to produce even left 86 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

particular contexts, but often distracting for modern readers.

How to apply ligatures: With a range or the whole text selected, select Common Ligatures or Rare Ligatures (or both) from the Typography menu’s Ligatures section. You can also select ranges of letters Ligatures change the flow of text and reduce awkward character and deselect ligatures if collisions. From top to bottom: no ligatures, modern ligatures (ffi), you need a particular historic ligatures (sh and ct), and ligatures containing letters that are obsolete for modern prose (the long s). effect. Text with character spacing and right margins, and to imitate the applies—as in Pages under the gear menu calligraphic writing of the hand-scribed in the Font section of the Format palette— Bibles of the day. Metal typesetters will typically override ligatures. needed ff, fl, ffi, ffl, and others to keep When to use common ligatures: In adjacent characters from crushing the passages of text, always. In headlines or metal “kerns”—the overhanging bits of other forms, you may want to disable them. otherwise narrow letters.

When to use historic ligatures: They’re But there’s still a reason to use them useful for particular projects, headlines, or today: They avoid extra white spaces other texts in which the extra flourish between letters and keep an even flow of makes sense. text that aids in legibility.

SWASHES AND ALTERNATIVE OpenType lets designers separate out LETTERS common ligatures, like ff and the like, and For display uses, like headlines and larger historic ones, like sh and ct, that were used text, as well as drop caps, you might like to frequently in the past but appear a little find an alternate to the regular characters atavistic today. The former are generally in a font that are designed for legibility useful; the historical ones are neat in SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 87

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when reading passages of text. These swash and Swashes, particularly on capitals like Q, can add variety and zest. alternate characters can add a little zest, though they attract > Alternatives: Selecting a character or attention. If that’s what you’re looking for, range and then picking one of a number of they’re great! It’s tempting to use these different numbered alternatives may reveal everywhere, but that will turn your text into exciting options. eye-piercing mush that your intended > Alternative Stylistic Sets (checkboxes audience will ignore or find illegible. by character): In Monotype Sachsenwald, One of the absolute best alternate a typeface designed for German Fraktur (a capitals is Q, because it can be drawn in style that has much in common with several styles, particularly in italic, and “Gothic” or Old English faces), specific some typefaces like to offer a Q with an alternatives are called out by character. extra long tail stroke that will pass under One or more options can be checked. one, two, or even more lowercase letters. > Alternative Stylistic Sets (checkboxes Because designers can choose to by number): Many typefaces list one or incorporate and label features in different more items by number, which can be ways, you may see different controls or checked to overlay multiple different have to experiment with the Typography variations into the same range of text. menu to find what you want: How to apply swashes and pick > Contextual Alternates: Some faces alternatives: The many options listed offer specific checkboxes. Adobe above will help. You can select as little Garamond Pro lists Swash Alternatives and as a character or as much as an entire Contextual Swash Alternatives. chunk of text.

When to use swashes and alternatives: Use them for particular effect, such as in a headline or drop capital at the start of a Some fonts call out which letters have alternatives, making it easier to select those options. paragraph.

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SUBSCRIPTS, SUPERSCRIPTS, AND FRACTIONS Just like with small capitals, fonts built out for use in setting books or text typically include numbers drawn for use at small sizes in superscripts (like exponents or footnotes), subscripts (as in chemical notations), and fractions for the numerator (top) and denominator (bottom). These figures are all drawn slightly smaller than the x-height of the font they’re part of.

Fractions also require a fraction bar, which resembles a forward-pointing slash, but is also separately drawn.

What’s the difference among those number types, which are all identical but in different vertical positions? In most fonts, these are how they look: > Superscripts descend from the cap height line and hang down over the x-height. > Subscripts hang about half above and below. > The denominator sits on the baseline and rises to a bit below the x-height.

Pages, among other apps, will automatically replace common fractions as you type—like 1/2, 1/3, 3/8, and so on—with single drawn characters that are part of the

font, if they exist. In other cases, you can construct your own if the font contains OpenType alternatives for fractions.

Pages and other software also offer a way to create fake smaller figures for all these purposes; in Pages, that’s in the gear menu under Baseline in the Font section. As with small caps, these resized figures will look out of place, typically too thin and gawky compared with true drawn smaller figures.

How to use smaller figures: If fractions are not automatically formatted, select the entire fraction and then select Diagonal from the Contextual Fractional Forms section in the Typography menu. If that doesn’t exist, try various numbered alternates in the Alternate section. One should create proper drawn fractions and the fraction bar. For setting superscripts and subscripts, select the range you want to affect and then select the corresponding item in the Vertical Position section.

When to use smaller figures: For most uses in which you would use an exponent, footnote, scientific subscript, or fraction, you should use these smaller drawn numbers, as they take up less space and look correct in the flow of text. ■

Drawn fractions look terrific when the right numbers are used.

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How to start up your M1 Mac from an external drive It’s not as easy as it used to be, as it likely requires that you purchase new hardware.

BY GLENN FLEISHMAN

A

pple’s relatively new M1 Macs that rely on Apple silicon have a number of usability differences from previous Intel-based Macs. One difference that’s tripped up some readers is how to start up or boot the M1 Mac from an external drive.

Intel Macs generally make this easy.

You might want to use a bootable external drive to have a higher-capacity SSD than is offered or affordable via 90 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

Apple’s pricing. Or you may want one for backup in case something goes very pear shaped with your M1 Mac. Testing indicates that the following are required to start up from an external volume: > A Thunderbolt 3 drive. That’s not just one that uses the USB-C connector, but one that is a native USB 3.1 or 3.2 drive.

Nor can you use a Type A adapter for a USB 3.0 or later drive. Success appears to require a native Thunderbolt 3 drive.

IMAGE: PEXELS

> Erasing the drive completely, and then formatting it as APFS. > Obtaining a Big Sur installer, and then installing Big Sur from your M1 Mac directly onto the external drive. (This will allow only an M1 Mac to boot from the drive; Intel Macs will be unable to start up from your M1-prepared external drive.)

Let’s expand on each point.

THUNDERBOLT 3 DRIVE Most inexpensive external drives use a flavor of USB 3 to connect over USB-C. Thunderbolt 3 is generally reserved for high-performance drives and arrays of drives used for graphics and video purposes. However, One World Computing offers a specific line of lower-cost, buspowered Thunderbolt 3 SSDs. (Some people have apparently been able to get a USB 3 drive to work for this, but no one has narrowed down which ones or why, so it’s impossible to recommend this as a course of action.)

With an SSD inside, OWC charges $199 for 480GB (fave.co/37l7GpL) and $299.75 for 1TB (fave.co/3rOjfPH). You can purchase higher capacities, or just get its Envoy Express enclosure (fave. co/3loCazp), which runs $79 (fave. co/3loCazp), to which you can add any SSD that’s designed for the 2280 M.2 NVMe standard. (That sounds like a mouthful, but you can search on that to

find compatible SSDs.) OWC says it supports current capacities up to 4TB, and is designed to support future higher capacities, too. I opted to buy a relatively inexpensive 500GB SSD for now (about $75) so I could have a bootable option.

ERASE AND FORMAT AS APFS To use Big Sur, the drive has to be formatted as APFS. But reports indicate that you may not be able to just change the formatting on an existing drive, as invisible partitions used for purposes related to booting from an Intel drive from a previous macOS installation on the drive could cause issues. To avoid that, select the drive in Disk Utility, click Erase, and follow prompts to create a single APFS container. This should wipe out any conflicting data structures.

OBTAIN THE BIG SUR INSTALLER You have to be running Big Sur on an M1 Mac. You should be able to download the installer directly from the Mac App Store via this link (fave.co/3lrNZF8). Big Sur 11.1 or later is required.

INSTALL BIG SUR ON THE EXTERNAL DRIVE Launch the Big Sur installer and select the external drive as the target. Follow the prompts and steps. When your Mac SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 91

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(Catalina and Big Sur invisibly divide a macOS into a volume containing system files and a volume with your user data; the data volume may not unmount correctly.) You might prefer to shut down at that point in the process, unplug the external drive, and start up again.

You can also use recovery mode to change the startup The startup screen for recovery mode on an M1 Mac lets disk. This is a bit more you pick an alternative startup drive. complicated with an M1 Mac. restarts, it will boot from the external drive With an Intel one, you could to complete the installation. simply hold down the Option key while If you want to make this drive a restarting and select a drive (unless you bootable clone, Bombich Software, maker had turned on certain security settings, in of Carbon Copy Cloner (fave.co/2VuKEtD), which case you had to use recovery recommends you first clone your data mode to disable them). volume (which its software can do), and Here’s how you change the startup then install Big Sur after that. drive from recovery mode with an M1 Mac: 1. If macOS is running, you need to RESTART FROM YOUR shut down. A restart doesn’t work. Select INTERNAL DRIVE OR Ð → Shut Down.

SWITCH BETWEEN 2. When you see your Mac has To get back to your internal drive as the powered down, hold down the power startup volume, you can open the Startup button until you see a prompt that says Disk preference pane while macOS is “Loading startup options.” running on the external drive and select 3. When the Options icon appears, you the internal drive. Then click Restart. will also see a list of volumes next to it that You’ll have to unmount the external you can select. Select the volume that you drive after the restart is complete, and want to start up from. some people have reported that Big Sur 4. Click Continue, and the Mac restarts says one of its partitions remains in use. from that volume. ■ 92 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

How to fix the wrong permissions on several files in macOS If the way in which a bunch of files can be handled on your Mac has gone astray, there’s an easy fix.

BY GLENN FLEISHMAN

M

acOS is Unix at its heart, and Unix thrives on “ownership” and “permissions.” These are attributes attached to every file and folder that describe which users and groups have the right to perform what actions on them: read or view, modify, delete, or, in the case of folders, also see the contents, remove items, and add items.

The Finder mediates access to permission (it calls them Privileges in IMAGE: APPLE

some places), and manages a number of Apple-specific attributes we rarely need to know about. But sometimes things go out of joint, and the Finder can help set them right. One reader noted that after several transitions, they had a mass of files marked as “Read only.” Even though their user account “owned” these files, it was still a one-at-a-time override situation for them to interact with those files—and a constant hassle. Fortunately, the solution is very straightforward.

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Get Info lets you change permissions recursively for folders (every nested item) or for groups of items.

For files organized in a folder or set of nested folders: 1. In the Finder, select the top folder in the set of files and folders that you want to modify.

2. Choose File → Get Info or press Command-I. 3. In the Sharing & Permissions section, click the lock icon located in the lowerright corner and then enter the appropriate account password.

4. Change permissions as you wish, such as turning the owner’s Privilege—here labeled “glenn (Me)”—to Read & Write from the popup menu to the right of the name.

5. From the gear menu below that list, select Apply to Enclosed Items and then confirm your choice.

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6. macOS recursively applies this new permission, which means it sets every file and folder nested within the select folder to the new permission.

For files and folders that are scattered: You can change their permissions as a group, but only by selecting either files or folders in a pass.

If you have both files and folders, you have to select first all the files and then all the folders.

Follow these steps: 1. In the Finder, select all the disparate files or folders (but not both) using Finder selection tools. (Shift-click adds files to selection and Command-click toggles in from your selection.)

2. While holding the Option key, select File → Get Info or press CommandOption-I. This brings up the special contextual Get Info dialog that reflects the current Finder selection. (With multiple items selected, it has the very literal title Multiple Item Info.)

3. In the Sharing & Permissions section, click the lock icon at the lowerright corner and enter the appropriate account password.

4. Change permissions as you wish.

If the permission changes require access to folders outside your user account, you will be prompted for an administrator password. Otherwise, they are immediately applied. ■

Tripp Lite AVR900U UPS: This uninterruptible power supply has the wrong set of features It’s a quality product, but not the right choice for computers or home network gear.

BY GLENN FLEISHMAN

T

he 12-outlet Tripp Lite AVR900U is the wrong intersection of perfectly fine separate features in an otherwise well-made model. Its reasonable battery size could support a tricked-out computer system with multiple displays and peripherals for a

IMAGE: TRIPP LITE

few to several minutes during a power outage. The line-interactive approach incorporated in its design provides fast power switchover (as quick as a few milliseconds), along with constant power conditioning to correct for minor fluctuations without wearing out the internal battery.

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REVIEW: TRIPP LITE AVR9 00U U PS

On the other hand, the AVR900U relies on simulated power switching instead of a “pure” sine wave. That means it’s not the right choice for computers with active power factor correction (PFC).

A simulated, or stepped, sine wave fed into an active PFC power supply can cause a high-pitched whine and prematurely wear its components or The Tripp Lite AVR900U has a generous number of even cause it to fail. outlets: six that provide both battery backup and surge protection, and six that provide surge protection only.

Active PFC power supplies are more efficient than previous designs, your broadband modem, Wi-Fi gateway, and also allow voltage adaptive for and other solid-state communications gear worldwide sales. But they’re finicky about power specs to figure total power the smoothness of the alternating current required.) Its generous 12 outlets are split fed into them, and it’s not worth the price of into one set of six backed by surge repairing your computer rather than buying protection only and another six that are a better-suited UPS with a pure sine-wave additionally shored up by line conditioning output that’s as smooth as utility power. and the battery. Two outlets on either side For about $40 more, you can instead are 1.75 inches apart from four grouped purchase the CyberPower CP850PFCLCD tightly in the center, the better to add (fave.co/3ClGhCq), a line-interactive UPS DC-adapter “wall warts.” that also has a pure sine-wave output and But for the AVR900U’s price, the similar power capacity. (We reviewed the line-interactive power conditioning that slightly higher-capacity CyberPower comes at a premium isn’t worth it. Instead, CP1000PFCLCD [fave.co/2WEYXfR], which consider a UPS with a standby design, is in same series of UPS models.) which is perfectly fine for networking gear The AVR900U might be right to power that doesn’t have spinning drives or picky home-networking gear in the event of power supplies. A standby UPS might tap power outages, as its battery could its battery more frequently if local power is support about a combined 20W of routinely erratic, dipping below or above equipment power draw for up to two hours standard voltage. If you have those issues and 100W for up to 30 minutes. (Check 96 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

Java. You can, however, use automatic in your area and want to use a UPS to restart, scheduled, and other built-in UPS solve them while backing up network features found in Windows and macOS hardware, the price premium is worthwhile. without installing the software.

I don’t recommend the AVR900U in Tripp Lite doesn’t include warranty any use case, not because of any flaw in information in the box, but the packaging the product itself, but because it doesn’t says a $100,000 and 3-year warranty is scratch the right itch. Other products from included. The manual has a link to product Tripp Lite and other UPS makers have a registration and generic warranty details; better mix of features that intersect you apparently don’t get the specifics of usefully. For instance, we like the Tripp Lite the warranty for your unit until you register.

SmartPro SMC1000T (fave.co/3lww6oF), a Only the original purchaser is 600W unit ideal for computer-system covered, and claims must be filed with 30 power conditioning and support. days of an incident. Tripp Lite’s insurance The AVR900U has a variety of other notes that it could offer to repair up to minor flaws. It lacks a fairly standard $100,000 of damaged equipment, but it multipurpose electrical fault detector for might replace it on a “pro rata” basis, grounds, shorts, and other issues which I interpret to mean its depreciated indicating an electrical wiring problem that current value instead of its actual should have you on the phone to an replacement cost. electrician immediately. It’s a good feature for installing a mmm BOTTOM LINE new UPS or noticing if there’s a Tripp Lite AVR900U PROS Tripp Lite turned the dials on its problem over time.

• Affordable for product matrix incorrectly It also lacks programmable line-interactive power backup. to come up with the features via buttons. You must • Twelve outlets, with some AVR900U, but don’t let that use downloadable software widely spaced.

CONS discourage you from when connected to a • No Mac control software. examining the company’s computer by USB with an • Windows software requires other products. The care of included cable. The software Java.

• Lacks pure sine-wave manufacture and quality of is mentioned in the manual, output. design aren’t at issue, only its and you have to hunt the site PRICE $98 suitability for the purpose here to find it—only to discover the COMPANY and cost per watt for potential control software only works Tripp Lite appropriate uses. ■ under Windows and requires SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 97

Remember the last time your family visited the forest? It’s a place of wonder and imagination for the whole family—where stories come to life. And it’s closer than you think. Sounds like it’s time to plan your next visit. Make the forest part of your story today at a local park near you or nd one at iscover2he orest.org.

PLAYLIST

Everything you need to know about Apple Music, Apple TV, and Mac or iOS-based entertainment

Astell&Kern KANN Alpha: This digital audio player delivers the high-res goods With pristine sound, support for every major high-res wireless codec, power to drive any headphone, and elegant industrial design, A&K’s Kann Alpha delivers sonic bliss.

BY THEO NICOLAKIS

The KANN Alpha is the third model in Astell&Kern’s acclaimed KANN (fave. co/37k7V4e) series, following the KANN (reviewed in 2018) and the KANN Cube (fave.co/3ihbnmC; IMAGE: ASTELL&KERN

reviewed in 2019). These are high-end, high-resolution digital audio players (DAP) designed to deliver pristine audio to just about any set of headphones you might decide to pair it with—regardless of impedance.

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The Alpha continues the KANN line’s superlative pedigree, but only a select audience will be willing to hand over $1,099 to attain its drool-worthy feature set and very high performance.

This player is perfect for owners of difficultThe KANN Alpha uses USB-C for all digital connectivity and charging. to-drive headphones; music lovers who welcome sight given the original KANN’s demand the latest advancements in wireless dual-personality with both micro-USB and audio, including Bluetooth 5.0; people who USB-C connectors—each with different demand broad high-res codec support; purposes. Connect the USB-C to your audiophiles who want to take full advantage computer and you can use the KANN of 4.4mm balanced audio support.

Alpha as an all-in-one headphone amp CUTTING-EDGE FEATURES, and DAC. UNRIVALED CODEC SUPPORT The heart of the Alpha is an ESS Sabre Having reviewed Astell&Kern’s previous ES9066AS DAC. The ES9066AS is a 32-bit two KANN models, it’s clear that each stereo DAC with MQA rendering. The DAC model has a specific focus. Whereas the will decode MQA, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, WAV, KANN Cube was geared towards the and every major legacy audio format, audiophile demanding no-compromise including native DSD256 decoding. performance and balanced audio The KANN Alpha’s wireless codec connections to high-end audio gear, the support is unrivaled. The Alpha supports KANN Alpha seems targeted towards the LDAC, MQA, aptX HD, aptX, AAC, and—of audiophile who demands the latest high course—SBC Bluetooth codecs. The Alpha tech features and wireless standards. even supports MQA-CD playback when The KANN Alpha uses USB-C for all playing MQA-CD’s via Astell&Kern’s digital connectivity and charging. That’s a CD-Ripper.

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Codec support doesn’t stop there. The reason. I sometimes found myself clicking Alpha’s settings menu allows you to select things two or three times, unsure if the a preferred codec for all your wireless player had registered my input. While the connections. When it comes to LDAC, you lag is nowhere near the dog-awful have a choice between audio quality performance of the now defunct AK Jr optimization or connection quality (fave.co/3xoUoTH), for a player in this optimization. If one of the Alpha’s onboard price range, performance should be codecs isn’t supported by your snappy and precise. headphones or other Bluetooth receiver, It’s worth noting that the KANN Alpha then the Alpha will switch to a mutually retains the rich feature set of all supported codec.

Astell&Kern players, including DLNA Bluetooth 5.0 is on board, giving you a network streaming. I’ll point you to my huge advantage in wireless operating AK70 review (fave.co/3jblhoU) for a more range, speed, low power consumption, in-depth discussion of all those features. and security features. You’ll see a INTRODUCING 4.4MM theoretical maximum of 800 feet in open BALANCED AUDIO OUTPUT spaces and about 130 feet in typical indoor The KANN Alpha sports familiar 3.5mm spaces—that’s a far cry from the 33 or so unbalanced and 2.5mm balanced outputs. feet in Bluetooth 4.2. Likewise, Bluetooth The Alpha is the first Astell&Kern DAP to 5.0 delivers twice the speed of Bluetooth sport a 4.4mm balanced headphone 4.2: 2Mbps vs. 1Mbps.

Astell&Kern touts the KANN Alpha’s quad-core CPU. In my testing, Astell&Kern either needs to bump the processor’s performance or optimize the underlying operating system a bit more. While the KANN Alpha is generally responsive, there were times where the player would just lag. I couldn’t find Detailed view of the KANN Alpha’s 2.5mm, 3.5mm, and 4.4mm headphone outputs. a consistent rhyme or SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 101

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connection. Astell&Kern says its 4.4mm implementation is unique and noise-free because the Alpha physically separates the 2.5mm and 4.4mm outputs using microrelays. The Alpha’s design prevents noise and interference from outputs that aren’t in use by switching them off. Smart.

POWER AND BATTERY LIFE

hours. In real-world use, I sometimes went days without needing to recharge the KANN Alpha.

PROTECTING YOUR HEARING Hearing is a precious gift. Thankfully, protecting our hearing is getting easier.

For the first time, an Astell&Kern DAP gave me a loudness warning. If I set the player above 50 with the 2.5mm balanced connection, or 60 with the 3.5mm output, the player warned me I could permanently damage my hearing. I had the option to defeat that warning message or enable volume limits in settings.

Clean power is the measure of any highperformance audio system, and the Alpha’s amplifiaction is superb. The Alpha’s internal amplifier has three gain settings—low, medium, and high—so you can match the amplifier’s output to your headphone’s impedance. Setting the DOUBLES AS AN ARTISTIC amplifier to high and using the KANN’s STATEMENT balanced output, you’ll be able to take The KANN Alpha’s gorgeous design advantage of the Alpha’s 12Vrms output, continues Astell&Kern’s seemingly endless which is the same output as the massive play with geometric design and textures.

KANN Cube. Setting the amplifier to high When you buy an Astell&Kern high-res will drain the battery quickly and Astell&Kern recommends connecting the USB-C charging cable if you use the amplifier in the high gain setting.

Draining the battery quickly is a relative term and will depend on several factors including the types of audio files you’re playing and volume levels you’re playing them at. Battery life is rate at 14.5 hours of continuous playback. You can The back has a black, brushed-aluminum finish. get a full charge in about 3.5 102 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

player, you’re buying a work of art as much as you are a DAP. To me, the KANN Alpha’s design is a synthesis of the KANN Cube (fave. co/3ihbnmC) and elements of the SA700 (fave.co/2Vqi9gP).

The player’s all-aluminum casing has different finishes on each side. The back sports a black, brushedaluminum finish with the Top view of the KANN Alpha’s high gloss ceramic finish. words KANN machine engraved into the player’s body. The name Astell&Kern, with model around the three heapdhone inputs and power requirements, are laser complement the black mirrored finish. The engraved. That lettering, however, only gold color pallet reminded me of the becomes visible when you shine a light on similar black and gold color pallet on it, much like the One Ring’s Tengwar script legendary high-end audio gear from from the Fellowship of the Ring, which Nakamichi and Pioneer Elite. appeared only when heated in fire.

Astell&Kern says there is a special The player’s sides and bottom are coating applied to the ceramic surface to matte-finished and untextured. This time prevent fingerprints and smudging, but I around, Astell&Kern chose to protrude the didn’t find it to be effective. In my hands, front glass ever so slightly from the the KANN Alpha’s high gloss ceramic finish player’s body and round the glass sides and front glass were far from oleophobic. and edges. The tactile experience is They both collected fingerprints easily and amazing and the rounded edges create a at a far higher rate than my iPhone 12. I singular line of light that complements the found myself wiping the high gloss finish player’s beveled, aluminum edge. and glass every now and then.

Astell&Kern seems to be joining the The KANN Alpha maintains the same 1980s throwback party by including a mesmerizing LED illumination around the ceramic black, mirrored finish along the player’s volume knob that I first KANN Alpha’s top. Gold circular accents experienced in my review of Astell&Kern’s SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 103

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SA700 DAP (fave.co/2Vqi9gP). Unlike the SA700, where the LED ring took center stage, Astell&Kern has given it a more subdued role, recessing the LED ring almost inside the player’s casing. You’ll notice it if you look at the KANN Alpha from the side, but the LED ring is largely shielded from view when you look at the player head on.

As with the SA700, the LED ring isn’t just a design element, it gives you a visual indication of the file format you’re playing.

Red indicates you’re playing a 16-bit file; green, 24-bit; blue, 32-bit, and purple indicates DSD. If you don’t like the LED feature, you can turn it off through the settings menu. The LED temporarily

changes to a red color pallet when you adjust the volume. The LED increases saturation to a light-saber red as you turn the volume louder, and it de-saturates towards a light rose color as you turn the volume down.

The LEDs worked as expected with local files and the Open APP version of Tidal, but I encountered an anomaly with Quobuz. With that service, both CD-quality and all high-res files up to 24-bit/192kHz showed only a red LED. Either Quobuz wasn’t streaming the high-res files advertised, or there’s a bug in the Quobuz app that isn’t registering properly with the Alpha.

Three rectangular buttons on the left side (in contrast to the KANN Cube, where the buttons sit below the volume knob on the right) are unmarked. By now, Astell&Kern assumes everyone knows the top button is previous track, the middle is play/pause, and the bottom is next track.

OPEN APP SERVICE

A recessed LED illuminates to tell you the resolution of the file you’re playing.

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A valid criticism of Astell&Kern players over the years would have rightly been the dearth of apps and supported music services. In the past, I would have been paying more careful attention to the KANN Alpha’s 64GB internal storage and 1TB micro SD card support. But now, with the introduction of Astell&Kern’s Open APP feature and support for streaming services

with high-res audio files, that’s less of a pressing issue.

Astell&Kern’s Open APP lets you install just about any major streaming service onto the player. I first experienced Open App in my Astell&Kern SR15 review (fave.co/2VmJwbD). As of this writing, 10 Astell&Kern players support Open APP. I have a serious love-hate conflict with Open APP. The good news about Open APP is Rear view of the KANN Alpha’s multi-angled, multithat you can install Apple Music, textured aluminum body and physical button controls.

Tidal, Qobuz, Amazon Music, Spotify, and a dozen more streaming make it easier for the user to get the music services to suit your taste or current services they want. While I’m truly thankful subscription. The downside is that the that Astell&Kern has Open APP, its clunky Open APP installation process remains implementation sticks out like a sore clunky and requires a computer. You can thumb against the meticulous detail A&K indulge yourself in the step-by-step pays to the rest of the user experience. installation process here (fave.co/3A5Xii2).

EFFORTLESS, MUSICAL BLISS I’m sure you’ll agree that you shouldn’t I used Focal Clear, Bowers & Wilkins P9 have to go through a nine-step installation Signature, Oppo PM-2, and Beyerdynamic process on a $1,000+ DAP. At some point Amiron Home headphones with the KANN in Open APP’s evolution, Astell&Kern Alpha. I used a Kimber Cable Axios 2.5mm should pre-load all these apps into the balanced cable with the Focal Clear. player as “ready to install,” and then Though I also paired the KANN Alpha with provide the end user the ability to perform a pair of Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless an over-the-air (OTA) installation over headphones, my comments below pertain Wi-Fi. The other approach would be to to my wired listening. pre-install a dozen or so of the most The KANN Alpha’s effortlessness is popular and allow the end user to turn astonishing. The Alpha’s firm, unrelenting them on or off. Astell&Kern just needs to SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 105

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sonic grip on every single headphone was completely insane. The KANN Alpha’s control revealed ripples and textures on the classic bass lines in James Blake’s “Limit to your Love.” The Alpha articulated the details and decay of bass strings on Ingrid Michaelson’s “The Way I Am.” I noted deep, controlled, pulsating bass on Katie Melua’s “Sailing Ships from Heaven.” No matter the track, there was no smearing and no muddiness. It goes without saying that to get the most of the KANN Alpha’s bass performance, you’ll want to use closedback headphones. The Focal Clear and Oppo PM-2 open-back headphones couldn’t deliver the deep bass performance their closed-back counterparts were capable of.

That sonic grip comes at a price: The KANN Alpha is a brutally honest customer.

It won’t cuddle you or euphonize sub-par headphones. It will lay bare any shortcomings in your headphones and your source material.

I shook my head again and again, track after track at the attack, detail, and bass control on anything I threw at it. Music seems to emanate from a velvety black background with this player. The noise floor and channel separation are superb, allowing you to peer deeply into the music.

Rebecca Pidgeon’s “Spanish Harlem,” by Chesky Records, is a reference-grade recording. It was easy to follow the subtlest decays of Ms. Pidgeon’s vocals through the KANN Alpha.

In fact, the KANN Alpha’s sound is so clean and distortion-free that you’ll be tempted to bathe yourself in sound for hours. You can easily lose track of how loud you’re listening to it.

The KANN Alpha’s presentation is consistent with other ESS Sabre-based players I’ve reviewed. The presentation won’t woo you with warmth; rather, the music is clean, transparent, and detailed with airy highs and tight, controlled bass.

Astell&Kern hasn’t added any artificial bumps or overemphasis.

I will note that during my review period, the KANN Alpha’s Detailed view of the KANN’s knurled volume and multiangled industrial design. body had a tendency to get warm 106 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

If you’re an audiophile who wants the freedom to connect any high-end headphone, you also want to connect your high-res DAP to your stand-alone setup, you might find the KANN Cube a better fit. If portability in a slimmer form factor is a higher priority, then you should add the SA700 (fave.co/2Vqi9gP) to your shortlist.

But if you’re looking for a middle ground, something that can drive any headphone, fit in the palm of your hand, and deliver cutting-edge wireless audio tech, the Alpha is your ticket.

The Alpha’s gorgeous design; highpowered amplification; 40-meter wireless The KANN Alpha’s display is bright, but it’s UI range with Bluetooth 5.0; unparalleled exhibited some lag at times. high-res wireless codec to quite warm. How warm will support; generous battery life; mmmmh depend on your headphone’s 2.5 and 4.4mm balanced audio Astell&Kern impedance and if you’re connections; and effortless KANN Alpha decoding DSD and high-res sound with dual ESS PROS • 2.5- and 4.4mm balanced files.

ES9068AS DACs are just the audio outputs, with 12Vrms output in the high-gain introduction to a long list of setting.

BOTTOM LINE specs and features that truly • Bluetooth 5.0 with both LDAC and aptX-HD 24-bit Astell&Kern’s KANN Alpha hits make this the “Alpha” player codec support. a grand slam—though not among its peers. Its occasional CONS • Occasionally sluggish UI without a few stumbles around sluggishness, clunky Open APP performance. the bases. The Alpha earns its architecture, and fingerprint• Front display and polished ceramic surfaces subject so place among the finest highprone surfaces are minor fingerprint smear. res audio players I’ve annoyances; they certainly PRICE $1,099 reviewed. By any measure, the aren’t enough to dampen my COMPANY KANN Alpha is a superlative spirits about this superlativeAstell&Kern high-res DAP. sounding high-res DAP. ■ SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 107

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Eoz Audio Arc ANC wireless headphones: Superior comfort with mediocre sound quality This headphone emphasizes the lows and highs at the expense of the mids, which is seductive at first but ultimately unsatisfying.

BY SCOTT WILKENSON

E

oz Audio was founded on the belief that style and technology are not mutually exclusive. As the company website proclaims, “We design our earphones to be as stylish and elegant as they sound...We don’t manufac108 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

ture, we craft them. We use premium materials because we want our products to last, because we want them to be an expression of our personality and style.”

The company’s latest offering is the Arc wireless Bluetooth headphone. While the IMAGE: EOZ AUDIO

build quality and comfort are top notch, I’m afraid the sound quality is not.

This review is part of TechHive’s coverage of the best noise-cancelling headphones, where you’ll find reviews of the competition’s offerings, plus a buyer’s guide to the features you Eoz Audio’s Arc ANC headphone is very comfortable to wear for long should consider listening sessions, but we didn’t find it enjoyable to listen to for very long. when shopping for this type of product. design allows the headphones to be The Eoz Arc is a closed-back, over-ear folded to fit in a small hard-shell case. The headphone that certainly lives up to the Arc cannot be folded, and it comes with a company’s vision in terms of build materisoft carrying bag, which is not as protecals. The elegant, minimalist earcups and tive as a hard-shell case. headband are made from stainless steel In another nod to quality materials, the and aluminum, which makes them far more earpads consist of high-density, adaptive durable and long-lasting than plastic. memory foam covered in soft “protein The earcups slide along the sinleather” that’s actually plant-based—pergle-piece headband to adjust them for fect for vegan music lovers! According to your head size. On most other headEoz, this synthetic leather looks and feels phones, the earcups are attached to a just like the real thing while being twice as separate piece that slides in and out of the durable. And unlike the more commonly top of the headband, which is often someused polyurethane “leather,” it won’t peel what awkward and more prone to breakoff after six months or a year. age. On the other hand, the more common Each aluminum earpiece houses a SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 109

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40mm, graphene-coated diaphragm that is specified to deliver a frequency response from 20Hz to 20kHz (±3 dB). In a gesture of uncharacteristic candor, however, the company sent me a frequency-response graph, which clearly shows the response to be -3dB at 20Hz, -1dB at 40Hz, -6dB at 300Hz, +4dB at 5kHz, and -5dB at 20kHz—the classic “smiley” curve that emphasizes the bass and treble at the expense of the midrange. Other specs include a maximum SPL of about 102dB at 1kHz and THD of about 0.1% at 1kHz. As a wireless headphone, the primary input is Bluetooth 5.0 with support for the SBC, AAC, aptX, and aptX Low Latency codecs. Onboard microphones let you make and take phone calls and utilize the voice assistant of a paired phone as well. You can also connect the

Arc to a hardware headphone output with the included 3.5mm cable connected to the input at the bottom of the right earcup; in this case, it presents an impedance of 160 ohms.

Most Bluetooth headphones include active noise cancellation (ANC), and the Arc is no exception. It does not offer a “transparency mode” that temporarily disables ANC and feeds the mic signal to the headphone so you can hear things like a flight attendant’s instructions.

The battery is said to provide up to 25 hours of play time at moderate volume with Bluetooth on and ANC off, or 15 hours with ANC on. It takes around 60 minutes to fully charge the battery by connecting the USB-C port at the bottom of the left earcup to a 5V/1A USB power source.

A USB-C charging port is found at the bottom of the left earcup flanked by two LEDs that indicate power/ charging and Bluetooth status.

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USER INTERFACE In addition to the USB-C charging port, the lower portion of the left earcup holds three buttons: power on/off/Bluetooth pairing, volume up/skip to next track, and volume down/skip to previous track. These buttons are raised and well separated, making them easy to find by feel. Two LEDs indicate power/charging and Bluetooth-pairing status.

As mentioned earlier, Three well-separated buttons are along the lower back of the left earcup: power on/off/Bluetooth pairing flanked by volume there’s a 3.5mm audio up/skip to next track and volume down/skip to previous track. jack at the bottom of the right earcup, along with a testing. When I tried it with ANC off, the slider switch that turns ANC on and off. sound was quite thin and restrained, so I PERFORMANCE turned it on and left it there.

The Arc is exceedingly comfortable. The For my evaluations, I listened to high-res protein-leather earpads are very soft, they tracks from Qobuz on my iPhone XS. First up are large enough for my ears, and the was “What About Us” (24/44.1) from Pink’s clamping pressure is not bad at all. album Beautiful Trauma. This is a full-on pop/ When I turned on ANC without music, I rock track with lots of bass, which was quite heard a lot of hiss, which disappeared prominent and somewhat boomy on the Arc. when I turned ANC off. I could even hear Also, things like cymbals were pretty zingy. the hiss during quiet passages of music, That “smile” curve is seductive, but I prefer a which is not good. more tonally balanced sound.

Eoz informed me that the company Next, I cued up “Taliat” by Mdou Moctar tuned the Arc for use with ANC on, so from Afrique Victime (24/96). African pop that’s how I listened to it for most of my uses lots of electric guitar, which is front SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 111

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and center here, accompanied by bass, drums, and vocals. The Arc was pretty heavy on the bass, while the guitar was sharp and crispy.

For some solo guitar, I listened to “Spring Ain’t Here,” a Pat Metheny tune played by John Pizzarelli on his Major style points to Eos for its industrial design, but the Eos Arc ANC headphones just don’t deliver the performance we demand. album Better Days Ahead (24/44.1).

Once again, the Arc was bass-heavy with Language (24/48). As I had come to expect some congestion in the low midrange. Also, by now, the Arc overemphasized the bass there seemed to be a smooth veneer over while the vocal was a bit recessed and the the entire sound. steel guitar was quite crisp.

Turning to jazz, I played “Gettin’ To It” by On the classical front, I was delighted the Christian McBride Big Band on Bringin’ It to find La Lyre Amoureuse (24/88.2) by (24/96). As before, the Arc emphasized the Les Sacqueboutiers (The Sackbut Players). bass, which was a bit boomy as well, while I play sackbut (renaissance trombone), so the horn sections sounded crisp and natural. this is right up my alley. I listened to Sonata I really dig Jon Batiste’s new album We “La Augustana” by Giovanni Martino Are, so I listened to “Show Me the Way” Cesare (1621), which is scored for cornetto (24/44.1), which beautifully channels Marvin (a recorder-like instrument with a brass-like Gaye and Earth, Wind, and Fire. The Arc mouthpiece), sackbut, organ, and gamba sounded quite bass-heavy, while the (renaissance fretted cello), and the perforrhythm guitar was super-crispy, and the mance here is amazing. On the Arc, the vocal was a bit recessed. cornetto and sackbut were nice and Moving on to country, I played “Happy natural sounding, but the low organ and Anywhere” from Blake Shelton’s Body gamba were somewhat ill-defined.

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Finally, I cued up the fourth movement of Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73, as recorded by the Tonkünstler Orchester under the direction of Yutaka Sado. The Arc rendered the wide dynamic range well, though as before, the low frequencies were overemphasized, and the basses and timpani were somewhat clouded. Meanwhile, the high woodwinds were too bright.

To test the Arc’s active noise cancelling, I took it into my laundry room and fired up the clothes dryer. Unfortunately, its ANC was not very effective. It cut low-frequency noise somewhat, but not nearly as much as other ANC headphones I’ve tried.

Also, the passive isolation with ANC off

Eoz Audio’s Arc headphone looks and feels beautifully crafted, but its audio performance leaves much to be desired.

was not good at all.

During my listening, I compared the Eoz Arc with the Cleer Flow II (fave. co/3yuMEkp), which I found to perform extremely well. The Flow II lists for $199.99, though the Cleer website and other retailers have it for $149.99 as of this writing, which makes it almost exactly price comparable to the Arc. Because the Arc is designed to be used with ANC on, I engaged ANC on the Flow II during my comparisons. Unlike the Arc, the Flow II sounds virtually identical with ANC on or off.

In terms of comfort, the Arc wins hands down; the Flow II’s earcups are too small for my large ears. Also, the Arc seems to be sturdier. In my review of the Flow II, I commented on its good build quality, but since then, the padding has started to separate from the headband, and it doesn’t seem to be replaceable.

Audio quality, however, is an entirely different matter. Without exception, the Flow II’s sound is much better—clearer and cleaner with a better tonal balance. The low frequencies were tighter and in their rightful place, the midrange was more present, and highs were not overly crisp. In general, vocals were more forward than they were on the Arc. On Pink’s “What About Us,” the vocal was a bit sharper—my notes include the word “astringent”—and on “Gettin’ To It”

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REVIEW: EOZ AUDIO AR C

sounded slightly closed in.

The same was true of the cornetto and sackbut on Sonata “La Augustana,” though in both cases, the effect was minor.

With the dryer running in the laundry room, the Flow II’s ANC was far more effective than the Arc’s. It greatly reduced the low frequencies and midrange, and even Eoz Audio’s Arc ANC headphone is more pleasurable to look reduced higher frequencies at than it is to listen to. to some extent as well. curve” might be seductive to some, but its When you turn off ANC on the Flow II, it appeal will likely wear off quickly. Also, the engages ambient mode, which pipes bass and low midrange tend toward some ambient sound through the onboard congestion. microphones into the headphones; it has Then there’s the ANC, which no entirely passive mode. So, I is not very effective at reducing turned off the power to see mmh ambient noise levels. In addition, how much passive isolation it Eoz Audio Arc it produces a hiss that is audible provides—and it provides a lot PROS during quiet passages. more isolation than the Arc. • Sturdy build quality • Super comfortable At $139, the Eoz Arc isn’t CONS BOTTOM LINE terribly expensive. But for not • Sound is bass-heavy with recessed midrange and The build quality and comfort much more, the Cleer Flow II too-bright highs of the Eoz Arc are impressive, sounds a lot better, and its ANC • ANC not very effective and produces clearly audible but they cannot rescue this is far more effective. Granted, hiss headphone from mediocre the Flow II’s earpads are not as • Earpieces can’t be folded into a compact shape for audio performance. In general, comfortable, at least on my travel the bass and treble are overlarge ears, and its build quality PRICE $139 emphasized, while the middoesn’t seem to match the Arc, COMPANY range is recessed by comparibut in terms of audio quality, it Eoz Audio son. This so-called “smiley beats the Arc hands down. ■ 114 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

Rocksteady Stadium 2-Pack: You could fill an arena with these portable Bluetooth speakers They sound great, but “AI-powered” audio smells like hype to us.

BY CHRISTOPHER NULL

R

ocksteady Audio aims for the higher end of the inexpensive Bluetooth speaker market with its new Stadium line. This speaker doesn’t compete with high-fidelity

IMAGE: ROCKSTEADY

multiroom audio systems such as the Sonos Move or the Bluesound Pulse Mini 2i, but it mostly hits its mark.

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REVIEW: ROCKSTEADY STADIUM 2-PACK

An unlimited number of Rocksteady Stadium speakers can operate in sync, with each one producing the left or right channel of stereo content or both channels together.

inches tall with a 4.25-inch square base.

Designed with Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, each 30-watt speaker contains two drivers: a 28mm tweeter that gets 10 watts of power, and a 70mm mid/bass driven by 20 watts of amplification. These active drivers are augmented by a pair of 72mm passive bass radiators. The specified frequency response is 60Hz to 20kHz (no tolerance given).

The bigger story, Rocksteady says, is that the Stadium is “powered by Bambu Tech’s AWSM (fave.co/37itum0), an AI-powered audio authoring platform,” a platform said to be so amazing you’ll be able to “hear your favorite music again as if for the first time.”

I wouldn’t go that far, but the Rocksteady Stadium speakers were indeed loud, clear, and clean in my testing, with plenty of bass and some juicy mids and trebles. While the clarity of sound was excellent, I found the 116 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

speakers more attuned to pumping out bigger, busier party-style jams than delicate classical piano. When I bumped up the volume, I found that just about everything sounded great.

One of the big selling points with the Stadium is that you can pair an unlimited number of units to play in unison—in a process similar to Anker’s Soundcore Flare (fave.co/3jjhia3)—so one speaker serves as the “host,” relaying audio to as many other Stadium speakers as you’d like to deploy within Bluetooth range (about 100 feet).

To that end, the Stadium is sold as a single unit, in pairs, or in a bundle of four. I tested the system with two Stadiums and found the experience impressive—in part because each speaker has a switch that allows you to use it to play the right channel only, the left channel only, or both together. You can make this decision

independently for each speaker in your USB-C connection used for charging collection, so you can mix and match (cables and an A/C adapter are included) however you see fit. and a 3.5mm Aux port. The 5000mAh Pairing the host speaker to a source via battery inside each unit boasts a 16-hour Bluetooth is a simple process, but the running time, and there’s a quick-charge Stadium Mode feature was a little finicky in mode that can juice the battery to 75 my testing, and it took me a few tries at percent capacity in just an hour. (I did not power-cycling the satellite speaker to get intensively test the running time, but in things synced up. Once I had them hours of testing I never managed to get connected, the system never stuttered— the system below 50 percent capacity, though note that volume is controlled on according to the quartet of LED indicators each speaker independently, which might on the device.) be a bonus feature for some and a mild At $130 each or $250 for a pair, nuisance for others if you’re using the Rocksteady Stadium speakers are speakers in a single area or outdoors. If decidedly not cheap, considering that you want to control volume big-name-brand speakers in globally, you’ll need to do so the 30-watt range can be from the source. readily found for less than mmmm Each Stadium has a $100. Also note that while the Rocksteady Stadium collection of mercifully intuitive speakers are advertised as 2-Pack touch-sensitive controls on top being “outdoor speakers,” they PROS • Excellent sound quality. within easy reach, letting you do not have any significant • You can synchronize an control volume as well as weatherproofing features, so if unlimited number of like speakers (within Bluetooth pause, play, and forward/rewind you want something you can range). tracks. These controls are easy use poolside these may not be • Compact and versatile, with easy onboard controls. to work with, and the power the best fit. That said, the CONS button located on the rear multispeaker synchronization • Not particularly weatherproof. ensures you won’t accidentally feature and some solid • Syncing speakers can be a shut the speaker down. Note quality may make them worth little tricky.

• The leather carry handle is that track controls only work on the investment. nice, but it’s a $15 option. the host speaker and are But I’d suggest giving them PRICE $189 disabled on any satellites. a listen first to ensure they’re to COMPANY A covered panel on the your liking before you shell out Rocksteady back of the speaker includes a for multiple units. ■ SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 117

PLAYLIST

iLive Bluetooth Tailgate Party speaker (model ISB380B): Cheap, light, and fun With USB and SD card playback, as well as a microphone input, this Bluetooth speaker is a versatile party animal. It’s also surprisingly light. Just don’t expect audiophile sound.

BY JON L. JACOBI

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he iLive Tailgate Party speaker (model number ISB380B) looks heavy but is startlingly light. In fact, it looks so much heavier than it is that I almost launched it the first

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time I picked it up. Knowing that heavy magnets generally mean better sound, it was a bit of an uh-oh moment. Learning it goes for a street price of just 50 bucks didn’t do much to dispel that notion.

IMAGE: IDG

But you know what? While the sound is strictly mediocre (it’s no Mackie Freeplay Live [fave.co/3fqUrbB]), it’s workable for casual occasions and because of the look, it’s fun. Okay, camp might be a better word, but it’s also decent low-cost, low-volume, superportable party speaker and PA.

DESIGN AND SPECS Basically, the model ISB380B (iLive has a whole series of Tailgate speakers [fave. co/3Cel1hS]) is the guts of a normal Bluetooth speaker transplanted into a largish body made of lightweight plastic.

Its enclosure measures a little less than 10 inches at its widest point, around 9 inches at its deepest, and just under 17 inches at its tallest.

The ISB380B looks like a bling-laden (active RGB lighting), eighties-style boombox crossed with carry-on luggage.

The latter effect is due to the retractable handle and wheels that allow you to pull the speaker around. It’s so over the top that it makes me smile.

Appearances aside, if you need the wheels, you really need to start working out. If this speaker weighs three pounds I’d be surprised. iLive doesn’t list the weight on the product page, and I didn’t have a scale accurate enough, but I was able to lift the ISB380B easily using just two fingers.

The retractable handle and wheels allow you to pull the speaker around.

Besides the lightweight materials, there are two other likely reasons for this: a small battery that delivers only 6 hours of run time at half volume, and a small or superlightweight magnet on the 8-inch full-range speaker. As I mentioned, magnets are important when it comes to speakers.

Despite all that, the iLive Tailgate Party is significantly more versatile than the average Bluetooth speaker. It will play back tunes via Bluetooth, from a USB stick, or from an SD card, and it also has a 3.5mm auxiliary input. There’s a high-impedance 1/4-inch microphone jack as well. It even has an echo effect so that you can pretend you’re in a larger venue.

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REVIEW: iLIVE BLUETOOTH TAILGATE PARTY SPEAKER

to begin with, the sound drops from okay to a bit dull in a hurry.

Compared to cheap stuff in the past, the iLive Tailgate sounds surprisingly good.

Compared to modern speakers? Meh. Put another way, forget wine and cheese while listening to Bach; beer and people The front panel has a wide selection of controls. conversing over the top of microphone level, volume, and echo rotary the tunes is more its target scenario, or controls. There’s a single-line LCD display, occasional use as a lightweight small-group so you know what track is playing.

PA. I was actually impressed with the way it cut through background noise.

SOUND The ISB380B produces quite a bit of volume, though it distorts a wee bit when you crank it all the way up. But it doesn’t really pump the bass. There is some— this is an 8-inch driver, after all—but perhaps not as much as most people might expect given the size and depth of the box.

There’s enough to know it exists, but not enough to impel, if you know what I mean.

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BOTTOM LINE mmmh iLive Bluetooth Tailgate Party speaker PROS

• Amazingly lightweight.

• Super affordable.

• USB, SD card, Bluetooth 5.0, auxiliary, and microphone playback.

CONS

• Mediocre sound.

• Distorts at high volume.

• Anemic bass given the size of its driver.

PRICE

$49 COMPANY

iLive

The iLive Tailgate Party Speaker (model ISB380B) sounds mediocre at best—there’s a reason you find this and other iLive products for sale at Home Depot (fave.co/2VxEEkc). But the iLive Tailgate ISB380B is easy to tote around, fun, versatile, and good enough for a good time at small gatherings.

As a mini PA in particular, that’s more than expected for a $70 list price—and much more for a street price less than $50. Party on, guys. ■

Getting back to these moments we miss starts with getting informed.

Get the latest information about COVID-19 vaccines at GetVaccineAnswers.org

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Answering Your Questions and Sharing Your Tips About Getting the Most From Your Mac

Mac 911 Solutions to your most vexing Mac problems.

BY GLENN FLEISHMAN

HOW TO FIGURE OUT IF A MACBOOK POWER ADAPTER OR BATTERY HAS GONE BAD You plug in your adapter to your laptop, and the battery doesn’t charge reliably.

Sometimes, your Mac dings to let you know it’s plugged in to power; other times, you have to plug and unplug or even restart your computer. What’s up?

IMAGE: APPLE

Battery charging involves three separate elements, so you have to go through a process of troubleshooting to identify which one is faulty.

The battery For several releases of macOS, Apple has provided alerts and information about the health and status of a laptop’s battery.

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more urgency, as the operating system has deemed the battery holds a charge poorly, or even doesn’t hold a charge at all. If the battery dies entirely, an X appears through the battery icon, and the message reads No Battery Available.

In Big Sur through many earlier releases, you can hold down the Option key, select Ð → System Information, and click the Power item under Hardware in the left-hand navigation bar. Look for Condition there, where you can also see Cycle Count (fave.co/3yBUsB7) and, on certain models and versions of macOS, Maximum Capacity. The Cycle Count isn’t the number of times you’ve charged, but rather the total capacity of the battery divided by the total energy every used.

The more cycles, the lower total capacity the battery has remaining, though it should be both years and hundreds of cycles before you see degradation below 80 percent. (A cycle measures 100 percent of the capacity discharged, not the time between being unplugged and plugged back in. If you deplete to 50 percent on two successive days and recharge to 100 percent, that counts as one cycle.)

In Big Sur, you can also Big Sur shows the current battery parameters but not battery health. Click Battery Preferences for that. use the Battery preference

macOS warns you if something’s actively wrong with a battery when it determines this.

In macOS Catalina and earlier, you can Option-click the battery icon in the menu bar, and get a little more insight about the state of the battery. In macOS Big Sur, there’s a lot more detail about the battery available by default, but the condition is nested more deeply: Go to the Battery preference pane, click Battery, and click Battery Health.

The condition should be listed as Normal, but if the battery’s maximum capacity has dropped below a certain point (which Apple doesn’t specify), it might say Service Battery. You may also see one of a number of other messages that Apple doesn’t document, such as Service Recommended, Replace Soon, or Replace Now, all of which have a little

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pane’s Usage History view to examine how and when your battery has been in use and when it’s been recharged.

Starting in Big Sur, Apple automatically throttles and adjusts your charging pattern to reduce stress on the battery: It Usage History in Big Sur reveals the pattern of charging on your laptop. no longer charges the internal wiring or circuitry and components battery to 100 percent at all times, but, in the power conversion part that handles based on your usage, keeps it at 80 AC-to-DC transformation could be on their percent whenever possible. Lithium-ion way out. batteries face additional wear when If when you plug in your adapter, your they’re fully charged all the time, which computer doesn’t seem to charge reduces battery life. This chart may reveal immediately or reliably, see if you can a pattern of slow failure. borrow an identical or similar adapter from The adapter someone else temporarily to see if it helps.

It’s natural to look at your power adapter You might even purchase a replacement for signs of wear, like a crushed portion, from a store with a liberal return policy, fraying cable insulation, bent or marked and keep it if that’s the problem. (For Macs AC plug blades, dirty or bent parts of the that use MagSafe, please, for your own laptop connector, or other signs of safety, avoid third-party MagSafe chargers problems. However, a frequently used and adapters. Read the reviews to adapter may look fine to the eye, but the understand the risk you’re taking.)

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With MagSafe connectors, find the appropriate matching adapter; Apple has all the information in this note (fave. co/2VdA0YN).

For Macs with USB-C ports (released starting in 2015), it’s okay to test with an adapter that’s rated with higher or lower wattage than your laptop, by the way. If you have a laptop that comes with a 29-watt adapter, you can use an 89W one or vice versa: the laptop that requires 29W charges fully when in use with a paired 29W adapter, but it doesn’t pull in more electricity than necessary with a higher-wattage one. Likewise, an 89W laptop can charge with a 29W one, though it may charge very, very slowly or you might even see the battery decline.

But you can still check whether the adapter is recognized and the adapter is attempting to charge it.

All of Apple’s USB-C power adapters have a removable charging cable. Try swapping the cable out. You need another one that’s designed to carry the wattage noted (fave.co/3nWWXt1). Many USB-C cables are designed with a maximum wattage that’s far below the capacity of the adapter, or can only carry data and lowwattage power over USB, such as is used to charge an iPhone or iPad. Apple notes also in its notes on troubleshooting USB-C adapters (fave. co/3ysi1MC): “Some possible sources of 126 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021

line noise include lights with ballasts, refrigerators, or mini-refrigerators that are on the same electrical circuit as the outlet you’re using. Plugging the power adapter into an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) or an outlet that’s on a different circuit can help.” I have never seen this kind of behavior, nor heard of it from readers, but Apple clearly has.

Charging circuitry in the laptop If you’ve gone through the above troubleshooting and still have problems, particularly intermittent ones, the internal components required for charging may be configured incorrectly or failing, or may have suffered damage. This can explain why restarting your computer allows it to start charging again, or it might only charge when it’s been shut down and the components have cooled.

If there’s a setting fault, you can reset the System Management Controller on your Mac, which handles battery charging, fans, sensors, lights, and a number of other active hardware components. Follow Apple’s instructions (fave.co/2VmHCrR) for your Mac model to reset the SMC, and see if that solves the problem.

If not, your final step is to find service, hopefully under AppleCare. If your AppleCare has expired, I recommend finding a shop (via recommendations from friends and colleagues) that can repair

components or source used parts.

Because of the integrated nature of power in most of Apple’s laptops, it can be an expensive repair to get a new motherboard or subsystem board when a used one may work just as well.

MAC SCREEN SHARING WON’T WORK? DISABLE IT, THEN TURN IT BACK ON It’s a sad thing that after so many years of offering screen sharing as a native feature in OS X and then macOS, the remote-access service remains unreliable. I have two Macs in my house on the same network—one a laptop, one a desktop—and it’s often the case that the two can see each other and mount each other’s drives, yet can’t initiate screen sharing.

With Big Sur, I recently noticed that when I was unable to connect from one machine, the one that wouldn’t share stated that my other Mac was already controlling it. (Big Sur offers more visible

and obvious signs of remote screen sharing as one of the subtle security improvements Apple added.)

If you haven’t used macOS’s screen sharing, it’s quite simple: > In the Sharing system preference, check the box next to Screen Sharing. > From another computer on the same network, find that computer in the Devices list in the Finder sidebar. Select it, and then click Share Screen in the upper-right corner. Log in with an account on the remote machine when its account screen appears. > To access systems outside your local network, Apple no longer offers its former direct method (Back to My Mac). You need to have a publicly assigned IP address on your computer or punch through a gateway, a much more complicated setup.

I attempted to disconnect that session from the sharing machine by selecting the Screen Sharing icon (two overlapping rectangles) in the menu bar and choosing Disconnect Remote Address. No go.

Big Sur tells you on the login screen if there’s an active remote session (left). When logged in, two overlapping rectangles appear in the system bar with information (right).

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HOW TO SET A CUSTOM SCALE FOR EACH WEBSITE IN MACOS SAFARI

Click Turn Off to disable screen sharing, and then reenable it right afterward.

The solution is paradoxical: Turn off screen sharing. This resets the service: 1. Open the Sharing system preference.

2. Deselect the box located next to Screen Sharing.

3. When prompted, click Turn Off to confirm sharing.

4. Check the box again next to Screen Sharing to reenable it.

You should find that you can now connect from other Macs on the network.

If the built-in screen-sharing option isn’t robust enough for you, or you need to access your Mac outside your local network routinely, you can find alternatives in this review round-up of remote-access options (fave.co/3hjnMGk) from 2019.

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Website designers have particular feelings about how their work should look on your display. The rise of responsive design over the last several years has led to most sites automatically resizing their type and graphics and reshaping their layout to fit the size of your browser window or the device you’re using. You should be able to read, navigate, and interact with a web page without making your own adjustments. (Responsive design means the site uses style sheets and sometimes JavaScript to respond to the dimensions of the view within the browser window.)

Unfortunately, designers may have better eyesight than many of us who use the sites they produce, leading to sites that are perfectly responsive in showing type that’s—well, too small to read.

Perhaps you’ve had the experience as often as I have of squinting and leaning in more closely to read the type on a page or puzzle out a symbol.

You likely know that you can use keyboard shortcuts in Safari for macOS (and other browsers) to scale the contents of the page larger and smaller. Press Commandhyphen (used here as a “minus”) to shrink everything on a page relative to its 100 percent scale. Press Command–equal sign (used here for the plus sign, also found on

→ Preferences → Websites and click Zoom. Here you see a list of the zoom percentage for sites in open tabs and windows, as well as any custom zoom values you’ve set for other sites visited with the browser.

You can also use the “When visiting other websites” pop-up menu to change the default zoom for any site you subsequently visit.

The Zoom settings reveal the scale of sites open in your Apple offers another kind of browser and changes you’ve made to others you visited. zoom as part of its accessibility Ironically, I did not set a custom zoom for Zoom’s site. features that can trip you up the key) to enlarge a page. (Safari because the keyboard shortcuts are nearly recognizes the intent without your needing identical. Accessibility’s Zoom option to press Shift to directly “type” the plus sign. enlarges the entire display in intervals You can type Command– equal sign or Command-Shift– equal sign.)

Some sites take this enlargement and reduction better than others. Press Command-0 (zero) to take the site back to Actual Size, whatever that means in a relative world.

However, what you may be unaware of is that Safari retains these zoom preferences in a way that lets Accessibility’s Zoom option lets you enlarge the entire you modify them later and set display above 100% and back down or toggle between an overall default. Go to Safari 100% and your last enlargement factor.

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above 100 percent. Press CommandOption–equal sign to enlarge the display and Command-Option-hyphen to reduce it. The minimum is 100 percent.

(Command-Option-8 toggles between your last enlargement and 100 percent.)

The Zoom view in the Accessibility preference pane offers more customization options.

HOW TO SCAN DOCUMENTS IN NOTES AND THIRD-PARTY APPS ON THE iPHONE & iPAD

forms or make other modifications.

Based on reader email and online questions in forums, relatively few people seem aware of the power hidden away there. Like most iOS and iPadOS apps, Apple’s gradual improvements don’t overcome people’s memories of what didn’t work or was omitted in earlier releases.

You can also upgrade to a third-party app if you need more advanced features than Notes provides, particularly in accessing text digitized via optical character recognition (OCR), as well as better editing and assembly of finished documents.

Relatively few people buy stand-alone scanners these days unless they work with printed documents, photos, or photographic negatives, and most financial, medical, and legal documents show up in digital form—but not all.

That’s particularly true if you have kids in school and are tasked with endlessly filling out variations of the same form, by hand and often submitted on paper.

Apple has built a scanner into Notes for a few releases, which lets you capture pages or images as Notes automatically figures out where a document sits documents, and then edit against a contrasting backthem directly (via the ground (left). You can adjust a embedded Markup tool) or scan afterward for color and export them as PDFs to fill in other parameters (right).

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Scan with Notes Notes provides an efficient but not highly featured document scanner: 1. Launch Notes.

2. Create a new note or select an existing one.

3. Tap the camera button and select Scan Documents.

4. With the document You can search on text recognized in the document (left). You can beneath the camera, try also apply a signature (right). to get it as level and square as possible. If the Auto setting is on 6. Continue scanning until all pages (the word Auto appears in the upper-right are captured. corner), Notes captures a page whenever 7. Tap Save. Notes attempts to extract it detects a document. This lets you some text at the top of the document to autoscan by swapping out pages beneath use as its title. the camera or pointing the camera at a Once a document is saved, you can tap it series of pages. You can also tap the in the note, and then add additional pages, shutter button in Auto mode, or tap Auto to adjust cropping and colors, rotate it, or trash it. switch to Manual, after which you must tap You can also share it, including with the shutter button to capture a document.

Markup, which lets you use a previously In step 4, you can also adjust colors stored signature or create a new one by captured, as well as choose a flash setting. tapping the plus sign in the lower-right 5. In Auto mode, documents are corner and then tapping Signature. Tap captured and keystone correction applied.

Done when finished to store the revised In Manual mode, you can adjust the corners document page in Notes. of a document, and then tap Retake or If you want to export the document, Keep Scan. (Keystoning is the effect of a select it in Notes, then tap the Share rectangle appearing to be a different shape button and select any available option. It’s when it’s not captured—or projected as with always exported as a PDF. You can also a slide projector—absolutely squarely.) open the same note in Notes for macOS, if SEPTEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 131

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you have iCloud sync enabled for Notes, where you can view and modify it, as well as export it as a PDF. The contents of scanned documents are digitized, so you can search Notes for legible text on them.

However, Apple doesn’t offer a way in iOS, iPadOS, or macOS to select that text or export a PDF with the text embedded in my testing. That requires a third-party app.

out of the PDF, as in the Preview app and other PDF-reading apps.

For an in-app purchase price of $9.99 per month ($89.99 per year), or as an included part of a Creative Cloud subscription, you gain additional options for exporting in formats like Word, bundling pages into documents, and more-advanced features. You only need these options if you handle a lot of documents, or if you’re Scan with other scanning pages of a software book or academic Many iPhone and iPad journal and want to have scanning apps offer better control over Notes’ base features creating the final plus additional ones. document and (Some scanning apps extracting the text for offering faxing, too— better reading access. useful on rare Alternatives include occasions—but I was Microsoft Office Lens unable to find a combo Adobe’s scanning app offers similar (fave.co/3xyz3aF), which controls, but more advanced refinescan-and-fax app that is free and independent ment and export. clearly disclosed fax of Microsoft Office, but pricing, even among well-reviewed apps.) works with the company’s apps and storage The most popular and full-featured of service. There’s also PDFPen from these apps comes from Adobe: Adobe SmileOnMyMac (fave.co/3lvvdwC), which I’ve Scan (fave.co/3rTfW9U). In its free version, used for years based on its flexibility and the it lets you scan pages and export them in a friendliness of its interface—and it’s a $6.99 form that also lets you simply copy the text one-time purchase. ■ 132 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2021