Issue 316 September 2017 macformat.com @macformat
iOS 11: the
best iOS ever! Discover the amazing new Control Panel and Dock
iPhone 8
Iris scanning tech is here
iTunes
Find out where your music went!
WARNING! You’re going to want one…
Photos
✔ Faster
Intel Core i5 and super speedy Fusion Drive
✔ Brighter
Amazing Retina display with one billion colours
Fix your holiday snaps with ease
iPhone
More storage, Thunderbolt 3, only 5mm thick!
PLUS:
MacBook Pro & MacBook reviewed
macOS High Sierra How to install it now Mac
✔ Better
iPad
Watch
What the future holds for the next Mac Pro iCloud
iTunes
Photos
iOpener Game-changing tech from the world of Apple and beyond ‘Convert’ your wired headphones into wireless ones with AirLink.
AirLink Audio amplification goes old school Getting an iPhone 7 doesn’t have to mean giving up your favourite wired headphones. With the AirLink, you can plug your headphones into the device and it’ll connect to your phone over Bluetooth. At £31, it could be a lot cheaper than buying a new set of headphones. But it’s not just for earpieces – you can connect your home speaker system, your TV and even your car’s audio to AirLink, as long as they are Bluetooth-compatible. And it works with Siri, so you can accept calls, set reminders and more without taking your iPhone out of your pocket. $39 (about £31) includes AirLink Bluetooth adaptor website neorblab.com works with Any iPhone
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SEPTEMBER 2017 | MACFORMAT | 3
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We’ve waited a long time for Apple to release a new iMac, so I was very pleased to see a sleek new 21.5-inch iMac turn up in the office this month, and it looks absolutely gorgeous. Some might complain that the design of the iMac hasn’t fundamentally changed since the first aluminium one came out in 2007, but I think we’re in a period of refinement now, rather than seeing great leaps in innovation. The basic design of Apple’s desktop computer is pretty much finished and I can’t see them ever radically deviating from it, expect maybe to make things ever so slightly slimmer. Will we ever see the mythical touchscreen iMac that so many have hankered after? I’m not sure we ever will. iPad aside, fingerprints on the screen just isn’t very ‘Apple’, is it? Drop me a line to let me now what you think. You can see what we thought of the new 21.5-inch iMac on page 86 this month. Also this issue, we take a deep dive into iOS 11, which looks like being one of the most exciting software updates yet for the iPad, and also take another peak at macOS High Sierra. With both updates set to be released this Autumn, it looks like the run up to Christmas is going to be great.
Meet the team
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Aching from her latest escapades at Rood Rampage (a fitness challenge), Jo’s glad to be able to sit down with the new MacBook Pro.
Alex Blake Commissioning Editor Plagued by domestic appliance failure this month, Alex can’t wait for Apple to create the iFridge to save him from costly repairs.
Paul Blachford Art Editor Paul spent a very enjoyable couple of days in the studio shooting some new Apple hardware. He values his time alone with a new Mac before everybody else gets their hands on it.
Graham Barlow Editor-in-chief editor@macformat.com
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Jo Membery Operations Editor
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SEPTEMBER 2017 | MACFORMAT | 5
Issue 316 September 2017 macformat.com
8
Power up with
APPLE CORE 8
rumour & NEWS
3D sensors in the iPhone 8… And more
11
apps & GAMES
Our top picks of the month for Mac and iOS
12
apple facts
28
iOS 11
& macOS High Sierra
Amazing stats from the world of Apple
14
macformat investigates
What can we expect from the next Mac Pro?
17
letters
Have your say on all things Apple related
18
Opinion
Matt Bolton on Apple’s AR framework
20
Split View
The team’s views on the latest Apple tech
APPLE HOME 23
Apple Home
Maintain air quality the smart way
24
smart air monitors
Keeping an eye on particulate matter
27
five of the best
Breathe easy with these dust detectives
6 | MACFORMAT | september 2017
The 2017 Apple Design Awards
itunes:
hidden SECRETS 78
72
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Issue 316 CONTENTS
GENIUS TIPS 59 Genius Tips Howard Oakley solves Mac and iOS issues
60 mac hardware
86
APPLE CHOICE 85
APPLE CHOICE
New iMac, MacBook Pro and MacBook reviews – plus plenty more hardware and software
106 STORE GUIDE Get help with picking your next piece of Apple kit and the best add-ons to go with it
Win! Painter 2018 for Mac
Thinking inside the box to refresh the parts other tips can’t reach
SAVE
45%!
back issues
111
summer subs offer
Limited offer: 5 issues for £5!
112
photo stream
Send us your Apple-related shots
113
Next Month
iOS software
Making good on your mobile gear
48
APPLE SKILLS
£1,000
Head here if you’ve missed an issue
64
Includes print and digital editions
44
master your mail
Say goodbye to email overload with Airmail 3
46 app switch power-up Switching your apps the supercharged way with Witch
22
66
Sagacious solutions to Mac maladies
Turn to page 40
Prizes WORTH over
REGULARS
62 MAC SOFTWARE
48
install high sierra
Too impatient to wait? Here’s how to install the beta of macOS High Sierra
67
Love Your Mac Luis Villazon tries to light up a Lisa…
50
advanced photo editing
How to use the more powerful editing tools in Photos
53
master split view
View two web pages side by side in Safari
54
do more with pages
Take advantage of new tools in Pages 3.1
56
TAKE IT UP TO 11
Install the beta versions of the next iOS and tvOS releases
What’s coming in MF317 on 29 August macformat.com @macformat
september 2017 | MACFORMAT | 7
What’s inside 8–10 RUMOUR & NEWS Word on the grapevine about future Apple kit
11 APPS & GAMES
Edited by
graham barlow
Our top picks of the month for Mac and iOS APPLE RUMOUR
12 apple facts The stats behind Apple Stores
14–16 investigates What do pros want from the next Mac Pro?
17 letters Have your say on all things Apple
18 opinion Matt Bolton on Apple’s augmented reailty move
20 split view From AR to VR…
Contact us Email your queries to letters@macformat.com Join the conversation at facebook.com/macformat or on Twitter @macformat
8 | MACFORMAT
The 3D sensing iPhone 8 With built-in 3D sensing, the new iPhone 8 could recognise your eye or face Ahead of the predicted September announcement, supply chain reports indicate that production of the components for a 3D-sensing front-facing camera system in the new iPhone 8 is ramping up. 3D sensors could be used in enhanced security and augmented reality applications in Apple’s next iPhone. The technology, which includes an infrared transmitting and receiving module, means the iPhone 8’s front-facing camera will be able to find the location and depth of objects placed in front of it. With potential applications including facial and iris recognition, this will open up a world of exciting new uses for the iPhone. As well as unlocking your phone, applications for augmented reality could result in your face appearing as a 3D model in apps and games.
Jo says…
3D facial recognition should combine well with Apple’s ARKit – think we can expect some surreal gaming in future!
1
more cameras 3D scanning would require even more cameras at the top of your iPhone than we’re used to.
2
super secure Face or iris scanning would be even more secure than the current Touch ID technology.
3
APPLE PAY The increased security of facial or iris recognition could lead to even more applications for Apple Pay.
Rumour APPLE CORE
4
REAR CAMERA The iPhone 8’s rear camera is thought to contain two lenses arranged in a vertical formation. The 3D sensors will be forward facing only though.
4
THE POLL We asked… Has Apple given up on the high-end Mac market?
It would never do that!
Yes, it has for a while!
14.5%
28%
27.5%
30%
Probably not
1
It probably will soon
3
Log on and see next issue’s big question! twitter.com/macformat facebook.com/macformat
RUMOUR MILL
Hot on the heels of the tech giant’s latest moves…
1
iPHONE 8 2
Rumours still persist of an edge-to-edge display, a vertical dual lens rear camera and a glossy black chassis made from glass.
2
MORE MAC USERS
A recent survey by Verto Analytics of 6,000 Windows users reported that nearly one in four were going to switch to the Mac platform in the next six months.
3
wireless charging
Rumours of inductive charging persist for the iPhone 8, especially after the discovery of a new charging sound in the iOS 11 beta.
september 2017 | MACFORMAT | 9
Classic Apple FACTs
3GHz
Promised CPU speed boost of Power Mac G5 After launching with a 2.7GHz processor, Steve Jobs promised the 2003 Power Mac G5 would be upped to 3GHz “within 12 months”. This never materialised, and it took until the Mac Pro, released in 2006, for a Mac to hit those speeds.
$429 million Price apple paid for Steve Job’s Next
After a boardroom coup at Apple ousted Steve Jobs in 1985, he left to form NeXT. The firm was later bought by Apple for a princely $429 million in 1997.
1991
first email sent from space Before the internet, there was AppleLink. It was used to send the first email from space, sent by the crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis on 9th August 1991. The crew signed off their message with the line ‘Hasta la vista, baby,... we’ll be back!’.
Your ad here Apple News to allow adverts soon, says report pple News, the news aggregation app released by Apple in 2015, will reportedly allow publishers to run ads on their articles inside the app very soon. According to a report from Ad Age, Apple will let publishers use their own technology to run ads, rather than having this functionality hosted by Apple itself. This will allow those media outlets that publish on Apple News a greater share of any advertising revenue. Apple has long positioned itself as suspicious of the business model of rivals like Google and Facebook, which involves collecting user data and serving relevant ads to readers. Tim Cook has previously said that that is “not the kind of company that Apple wants to be”, while the Safari app in iOS 11 will feature ad-blocking technology. Still, publishers on Apple News have found it hard to monetise their content on the platform, and Apple needs their support in order for the app to continue to thrive. It is
A
Publishers have struggled to make money on the Apple News platform.
planning to allow publishers to offer subscriptions, as well as micro-payments for articles, according to Ad Age. Analytics firm ComScore ranks Apple News as the 15th highest ranked app in the US, with 47 million monthly users.
Slim chips with more power 10nm manufacturing process for the iPad Pro processor impressive when you consider that the new hose of you that are regular chip is said to deliver 40% faster graphics readers of the MacFormat news performance and 30% faster CPU performance section will know there has than the chip found in the previous-generation been talk of Apple switching to a 10nm iPad Pro models. manufacturing process for its iOS chips Furthermore, TSMC has announced that for some time. Well, now that seems to its 10nm process will soon be have happened. replaced by a 7nm process Tech Insights reports that in 2018. In comparison, the the A10X chip found in the iPhone 7’s A10 chip is made second-generation iPad Pro with a 16nm process. was manufactured in this However, the secondway by Apple supplier generation iPad Pro is not TSMC, and is the first the first consumer mobile Apple product to do so. device to feature such a As a result, the processor’s manufacturing process. die size has shrunk from The Samsung Galaxy S8, 143.9mm2 in the A9X to released in late April 2017, 96.4mm2 in the A10X, a also contained a processor reduction of around a third. The new iPad Pro’s processor is smaller made with a 10nm process. That’s made even more and more powerful than its predecessor.
T
10 | MACFORMAT | SEPTEMBER 2017
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Apps & games APPLE CORE
APPLE TV
APP of the month
Our top picks of what’s worth watching and playing this month
[ i O S a pp ]
Affinity Photo for iOS £19.99
[ MOV I E]
Wonder Woman £13.99
Powerful photo editing on your iPad or iPhone The ever-popular Affinity Photo app has come to iOS, and looks to be the real deal. At WWDC, Apple made a point of showing it off on stage, where it was used to create a flowing, dramatic movie poster using an Apple Pencil on an iPad Pro. Affinity Photo for iOS has many of the same features that made the desktop version such a hit. You can work with unlimited layers, and
resize elements without losing quality. There’s a huge library of brushes and tools, as well as a ‘Liquify’ persona to give you fingertip control of warps and pinches. As mentioned, being an iOS app, Affinity Photo can make use of the Apple Pencil on an iPad Pro, at which point you’ll find that the toolset really comes into its own. So if you want to get creative on your iOS device, Affinity Photo is one of the best ways to do it.
Raised as princess of the Amazons and trained as an unbeatable warrior, Wonder Woman must fight to end the war to end all wars.
[Podcast]
99% Invisible Free Design is all around us, so much so that we often don’t notice it. 99% Invisible explores the inner workings of this hidden world.
[ M AC A P P ]
[iOS GAME]
[iTunes store]
Screens 4 £28.99
Old Man’s Journey £4.99
Kaleidoscope EP Coldplay £3.99
Never leave your files behind with Screens 4, which lets you access your Mac from anywhere. You can share files between your Macs, and copy across clipboards on both Macs too. That makes it ideal if you work away from home (or if you’re just forgetful). Why you need it: It’s great if you left that vital file at home. What’s it best for: Getting work done wherever you are.
Winner of an Apple Design Award, Old Man’s Journey is a beautiful exploration of life and memory. As you explore the world and complete its puzzles, you learn about the man’s life and help shape the world around him. Perfect for relaxing after a long day. Why you need it: Gorgeous graphical wonder throughout. What’s it best for: Poignant storytelling you won’t forget.
Coldplay’s 13th EP is a companion piece to 2015’s A Head Full of Dreams album. Teased for a number of months since late 2016, Kaleidoscope ended up missing two release dates but has finally come to fruition. Expect classic piano ballads and slow-burning anthems. Why you need it: Follow on from A Head Full of Dreams. What’s it best for: Classic Coldplay sounds.
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[T V show ]
The Americans £19.99 The fifth season of the Cold War drama sees the stakes and tension ratchet up and fine performances from the cast. A must-watch.
SEPTEMBER 2017 | MACFORMAT | 11
APPLE CORE Facts & figures
macOS High Sierra
64
IN NUMBERS We scale the OS peaks to find out how the numbers add up to an ‘elevated’ Mac
40
2
1
High Sierra will be the last release of macOS to support 32-bit apps “without compromise”.
3
%
Video professionals rejoice – macOS High Sierra supports H.265 (HEVC) video encoding, which features up to 40% better compression compared to H.264.
35%
5
4
A bloated inbox can be taxing on your Mac, but not in High Sierra – Mail now uses 35% less disk space to store your messages.
If you’re using iCloud Family Sharing, the latest version of macOS will let you share up to 2TB of storage allowance with all your family members.
Apple was keen to show off High Sierra’s Metal 2, and with good reason – it’s got 10 times the draw call throughput of Metal 1. Basically, it’s super powerful.
Next issue We continue to investigate operating systems… next month, iOS 11.
12 | MACFORMAT | SEPTEMBER 2017
6
%
Safari has seen a raft of improvements, including speed – it’s now up to 80% faster than Chrome when it comes to working with modern JavaScript.
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