iOS 12 hidden features revealed Issue 342 September 2019 macformat.com @macformat
AppleTV+AirPlay 2
iTunes on TV >Samsung’s super-smart telly on test
108
Win a 4K display!
pages of help & advice
>Enter for your chance to win a 32-inch iiyama – worth £450
Make Apple’s online services work for you
iPod reborn
✔ Top tips to help you sync and share more easily ✔ Master iCloud Drive and your Photos library ✔ Secure your account and find lost devices
>NEW ultra-thin iPod touch – our definitive verdict
Master iMovie
Writing apps rated
Jony Ive: iQuit!
>Get better sound from your videos
>The best word processors for your Mac
>Designer to leave Apple + his greatest hits
Mac
iPhone
iPad
Watch
iCloud
iTunes
Photos
Issue 342 September 2019 macformat.com
iCloud
6
iQuit!
Jony Ive leaves Apple
APPLE CORE 6
rumourS & news
Make Apple’s online services work for you COVER STORY
20
The latest updates from Cupertino and beyond
9
apps & GAMES
Our top picks of the month for Mac and iOS
11
facts & figures
A look at the app economy in numbers
12
Letters
Have your say on all things Apple related
14
opinion
On Apple’s design team without Ive
15
split view
Discussing Apple TV equipped smart TVs
APPLE HOME 71
safe storage
WWDC introduces Secure Video. Plus more accessories get the HomeKit touch
74
g RE ATE S T H I T S
homekit help
Getting HomeKit support to more devices
72
Jony Ive’s
WWDC smart news
CarPlay, AirPlay 2 and iOS 13 developments
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62
Issue 342 CONTENTS
Apple TV+AirPlay2
iTunes on TV 80
Samsung’s super-smart telly on test
82
GENIUS TIPS 56
57
iPod reborn
Genius Tips
Howard Oakley solves all your Mac hardware, software and iOS issues
iOS software
Swipe away your touchscreen troubles
58
NEW ultra-thin iPod touch – our definitive verdict
MAC HARDWARE
We help to fix your hardware hassles
60
MAC SOFTWARE
Resolving restrictions with your Mac apps
APPLE CHOICE 77
APPLE CHOICE
New kit and apps – we’ve got all the latest hardware and software reviews
98
88
iOS 12 hidden features revealed
Writing apps rated The very best word processors for your Mac
48
STORE GUIDE
Get help with picking accessories and apps to go with your Apple kit
Win!
Subscribe today! £450 Prizes WORTh
An iiyama ProLite X3272UHS 4K display
& get a great gift
APPLE SKILLS 38 41
iWORK & OFFICE DOCS
Share macOS docs with Windows users
42
13
TIME MACHINE BASICS
Backing up is essential. Here’s how…
sound advice
COVER STORY
Enhance your video project’s audio
44
scenic reflections
Add reflective water to a landscape shot
46
REGULARS
48
76
50
back issues
Head here if you’ve missed an issue
104 photo stream Send us your Apple-related shots
105 Next Month What’s coming in MF343 on 27 August
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remote access
Get remote access to another Mac using VNC
helpful ios shortcuts
COVER STORY
iOS tips and tricks to help you save time
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51%
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TURN to Page 34
add fonts to your ipad
The easy way to add fun and functional fonts
52
create your own qr codes
Use Shortcuts to create scannable images
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Add page listings to your Pages documents
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iCloud superguide Make Apple’s online services work for you – tips, tricks and secrets revealed Written by Adam Banks
F
irst they called it iTools. Then it was MobileMe. Apple’s online sync, storage and services platform has a long and, let’s say interesting history. It was MobileMe of which Steve Jobs famously asked a room full of engineers: “Can anyone tell me what this is supposed to do?” And after waiting patiently for them to explain, shot back: ‘So why the **** doesn’t it do that?’ Well, now it’s iCloud. And it does that. As well as a bunch of other things. So many things, in fact, that you might overlook a few. In this article, we’ll outline all the main features and how to get them working for you. We’ll clear up a few misconceptions, and unearth a few elements that ended up in places you might not guess. All right, definitely wouldn’t guess. In a million years. Although it’s frustrating to find that you’ll probably end up needing to pay extra for iCloud storage (see page 26), it’s totally worth it. With iCloud set up, there’s a lot that you can stop worrying about, because it just works. So why don’t you do that?
macformat.com @macformat
september 2019 | MACFORMAT | 21
Jony Ive’s g R E AT E S T H I T S Written by Alex Blake
The legendary designer is leaving Apple. Here are some of his greatest achievements
F
ew people have come to embody Apple in the modern era as much as Jony Ive. Apple’s chief designer has had his hand in every great project to come out of Apple for the last 25 years, from the iMac G3 and iPod to the iPhone and iPad. As his status grew, he started designing Apple’s software and even helped create Apple’s new headquarters, Apple Park. If you saw something made by Apple, you saw something made by Jony Ive. That’s why it was such a shock when he announced his intention to leave Apple. He’ll be leaving behind an incredible body of work that truly changed the tech world. So join us as we take a look back over some of Ive’s greatest hits – and a couple of his misses, too.
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A brief timeline September 1992 > Jony Ive first joined Apple over 25 years ago, in September 1992. Appropriately, he joined Apple from Tangerine, a design agency based in London, but was reluctant about moving to California due to the toll it might put on his family. Thankfully, he decided to move, and made history in the process.
1997 > After the return of Steve Jobs in 1997, Ive was appointed Senior Vice President of Industrial Design, giving him responsibility for the company’s hardware design. His first project in this role was the iMac G3, the product that helped revive Apple and pave the way for many future successes.
October 2012 > In late 2012, Ive was put in charge not just of Apple’s hardware, but of its interface design too. One of his first tasks was to overhaul iOS in the form of iOS 7, ditching the previous skeuomorphic touches for flat design elements. Soon after he was appointed Senior Vice President of Design.
June 2019 > In a shock announcement, Apple revealed that Ive would be leaving the company later in 2019 in order to form his own design agency. The company, to be titled LoveFrom after a Steve Jobs quote, will retain Apple as a major client.
iMac G3, 1998 > When Steve Jobs returned to Apple (after a 12-year gap running NeXT), one of the first things he tasked Jony Ive with doing was designing the iMac G3. There was a lot riding on this device – it had to save Apple – so it had to be truly special. Luckily for Apple, it was. Ive focused his designs on removing the fear factor from computers. The iMac G3 came in a range of bright, playful colours; it had a handle, encouraging you to reach out and touch it; and it was an all-in-one, sacrificing as many wires as possible in order to aid ease of use. It was a huge success that helped turn Apple around and establish it as the company that truly understood simplicity in tech.
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What’s inside 71 HomeKit help Getting HomeKit support to more devices
72-73 safe storage WWDC introduces Secure Video. Plus more accessories get the HomeKit touch
74-75 wwdc smart news CarPlay, AirPlay 2 and iOS 13 developments
Edited by
Alex COX
LIVE SMARTER The smart home is here – live the Apple dream today!
HomeKit is so good, it should be bigger than it is: Apple needs to put some serious weight behind its smart home tech hile my home is kitted out with a fair bit of smart equipment, surprisingly little of it consists of HomeKit accessories. This is isn’t for lack of trying. Apple controls, in all, a relatively small portion of the smart home market, mainly because its range is so condensed. As I understand it, Apple doesn’t make it easy behind the scenes to add HomeKit compatibility. If my inbox full of press releases is anything to go by there’s
W
definitely growth happening, but it’s nowhere near the pace of Googleand Alexa-supporting devices. Apple is at least partly to blame here. While there were some big smart tech-based announcements at the WWDC keynote, they were talked about and skimmed over. Just because home security and device interoperability doesn’t get the same kind of audience response as, say, Dark Mode for iOS, that doesn’t mean it’s not important.
Contact us Email your queries and your questions to letters@macformat.com Keep up to date by following us on Twitter @macformat Join the conversation at facebook.com/ macformat Get the latest subscription offers at macformat.com
Craig Federighi, Apple’s SVP of Software Engineering, presents HomeKit Secure Video at WWDC 2019.
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Apple home WWDC 2019
Apple gets smart at
WWDC App updates, new secure technology, and much more announced WDC 2019 has come and gone and while the main keynote address all but avoided the existence of HomeKit (justifiably, given the sheer amount of high-level advancements there were to talk about), Apple’s automation platform did get one big mention, and it’s a significant one: WWDC saw the debut of HomeKit Secure Video. Secure Video answers a lot of major concerns about security cameras. Most importantly, it goes some way to countering accusations that cloud-based cameras could potentially leave you less secure than before. Think about object analysis; when certain camera systems use their algorithms to detect people and faces, they do this by sending images from your camera online where they’re acted on before triggering your camera to record. That’s a privacy risk – who knows what is being done with those images, or what engines they’re being used to build? HomeKit Secure Video instead hands off image processing to your local devices – your iPad,
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HomePod or Apple TV – keeping it out of the cloud entirely; if something suspicious is detected, your footage is then encrypted and sent on to iCloud storage where it’s only available to you. This is a hopeful development for HomeKit security. We have complained for some time and at some volume about the lack of widespread camera support, with a scant few devices even compatible with Apple’s platform at all, particularly given the number that’ll happily beam their footage to Amazon’s video-compatible Alexa devices or Google’s Chromecast. This new protocol means more security for you, certainly, but does it mean more manufacturers will throw their cameras into the Apple ring? It might. Existing HomeKit supporters Netatmo (maker of the Welcome and Presence cameras), Logitech (Circle 2), and Robin (ProLine Doorbell) join Eufy (eufyCam) in pledging to both create future products and roll Secure Video support into existing hardware via firmware updates.
Insecure future
Some older cameras, such as this one from Netatmo, should be firmware-upgradeable to support Secure Video.
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Increased support is likely to depend on the level of adoption by the public, and how easy Apple’s making the task. We don’t know, for example, if Apple’s developer API for HomeKit will be altered to help camera creators make HomeKit support as frequent as Chromecast or Alexa video. And while the HomeKit Secure Video platform will certainly relieve pressure on manufacturers’ own cloud service offerings (given that the processing is done at home and Apple’s iCloud servers are responsible for backing up footage) we can’t forget that this also represents a significant lost revenue
Image credits (far left and main): Netatmo
Smart home news Apple home
More HomeKit accessories
IKEA Tradfri blinds £TBC, ikea.com After something of a nail-biting delay, IKEA’s Kadrilj and Fourtur HomeKit-enabled automated blinds (which require a Tradfri hub to work, it seems) are set to hit Swedish stores in August.
Savant Pro Remote £TBC, savant.com Control Apple TV, your cable box, and even your network of HomeKit devices with this Siri-packing super-remote from the high-end home automation specialists at Savant.
Yeelight Bulbs Netatmo’s forthcoming Smart Video Doorbell will be its first product able to work with HomeKit Secure Video.
Image credits (top to bottom): Ikea, Savant Systems, Yeelight
From £21, yeelight.com Yeelight, a division of Xiaomi, has recently added HomeKit support to its budget smart bulbs – and also announced a new range of Bluetooth bulbs with a HomeKit-happy hub.
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APPLE CHOICE Mac/iOS hardware
Naim Mu-so 2nd Generation Naim takes the impressive Mu-so and makes it even better £1,299 FROM Naim, naimaudio.com features Multiroom, comprehensive audio format and streaming support
The top dial now boasts 15 touch-sensitive buttons and a proximity sensor
he Mu-so 2nd Generation might seem, at a glance, like a minor evolution of the all-conquering (in the £900 wireless speaker market) original Mu-so. But it actually beats its predecessor to a pulp in terms of audio quality, while adding new connectivity options. The first Naim Mu-so pretty much redefined the wireless speaker market. This new model upgrades it in every way, but the price tag’s gone up too. It looks a lot like the first Mu-so – if it ain’t broke, why fix it? However, enough has changed with the colour of the metal, the design of the over-sized volume/control dial and the remote control to make it discernible from its sibling. The top dial now boasts 15 touch-sensitive buttons, more striking illumination, and a proximity sensor that wakes it as you approach. The metal is now in a more ‘burnished’ finish, and the speaker grille, while visually similar is actually wholly redesigned. The speaker comes with a black grille but you can replace it with one in a Terracotta, Olive or Peacock. They cost a further £50 each but they are attractive and Naim is at pains to point out that they’re also truly acoustically transparent. The speaker is beautiful but wide. You’d find it hard to fit in a small room but if you’re in the market for a £1,300 wireless speaker, you may well have the room to accommodate it. The first Mu-so was forceful, engaging and precise. The 2nd Generation is really forceful,
T
VERDICT An awesome, thumping wall of sound and reliable, versatile connectivity.
HHHHH Great sound Stable, easy to use app Comprehensive streaming support Very wide
As well as the optical, 3.5mm analogue, Ethernet and HDMI ARC connectors on the underside of the Mu-so 2nd Generation, there’s a USB port on the side.
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hugely engaging and precise. The sound stage is wider – an HDMI ARC input has been added so it can happily double as a stereo soundbar – the bass response improved and the sheer presence of it is just that much more massive. It goes very loud. Without distortion. That’s not to say it is built only to rock. Play something stripped back to human voice or piano, or minimalist electronic music and it sends shivers down the spine.
Sound options
Tidal is built in and there’s native support for Spotify Connect. Tidal, Spotify and every other mobile-based streaming service can also be sent over AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast or even Bluetooth. The speaker sucks every bit of detail out of Spotify streams and AAC and MP3 rips, and performs well when you go to the opposite extreme and stream 32bit/384kHz files in FLAC, WAV and DSD. Multiroom is possible via AirPlay 2 or Chromecast, or Naim’s own system via the app, remote or on-body controls. The app is comprehensive and convenient, and also boasts Naim’s excellent radio mini app. The app is also frequently updated. The processor in the 2nd Generation has far more oomph. It’s a ‘multicore’ chip, capable of 2,000 million instructions per second (MIPS), compared to the original Mu-so’s single-core, which could manage 150 MIPS. As a result, Mu-so 2 should be able to support any service or streaming system to launch in the forseeable future, and a version with mics added could also support voice control, if and when Naim feels like adding it. That increase in processing power also explains why the digital signal processing is improved so greatly. Naim’s upgraded speaker drivers, developed jointly with Focal’s R&D department, clearly help in this respect as well. £1,299 may turn out to be a cost bridge too far and the 2nd Generation will be less of a smash hit than the first one. If your budget can handle it, though, this is a stunningly good wireless speaker that justifies its asking price in spades. DUNCAN BELL
macformat.com @macformat
Thanks to HDMI ARC, the Mu-so 2nd Generation can also work as a soundbar, albeit only a stereo one.
macformat.com @macformat
september 2019 | MACFORMAT | 79
APPLE CHOICE Group test
The best writing apps for Mac Reviewed by Carrie Marshall
We explore five excellent apps that will inspire every kind of writer
on test… Bear £13.99/year Byword £10.99 iA Writer £28.99 Scrivener £43.99 Ulysses £35.99/year
9000
Writing apps APPLE CHOICE
riters can be a picky bunch. Some have special pens; others demand a particular kind of notebook or a certain writing location. And on Macs, writers definitely have their favourite apps. Like pens and places, those favourites differ from person to person. Some prize the beauty of the writing environment; others, the speed of the search engine. Some want to use the same app for scripts, scribbles and shopping lists; others want an app that focuses purely on paid-for projects. There is one thing many can agree on, though, and that’s Markdown. Markdown was
How we tested
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iA Writer doesn’t just highlight code and formatting. It can highlight grammar to help make you a better writer too.
for multiple platforms: you don’t need to use one app for blogging, another for creating Word documents and yet another for making ePub files or PDFs. The five apps we’ve tested here all enable you to export in multiple formats, but they differ in almost every other respect. For example Bear is fun, friendly and instantly accessible, while Scrivener’s many powers take a bit of time to learn. iA Writer and Byword get out of your way so you can focus on your words, while Ulysses enables you to tweak all kinds of things to get your environment just-so. They’re very different from one another, but they all have one thing in common: they can make life easier for all kinds of writers.
Some writers prize the beauty of the writing environment; others, the speed of the search engine created by John Gruber, aka Daring Fireball, and it’s designed to make it really easy to create structured text without sacrificing readability. That structure makes it easy to output the same document in multiple formats, something that writing app developers were quick to notice: if you create a document using Markdown you can then output it to pretty much any format you like. That’s really handy for those who write
Things to consider… Everything you need to know before getting started
1
Do you need to blog?
Many apps offer integrated publishing to major blog and content management platforms, so it’s wise to look for one that supports your chosen platform if you blog a lot. Otherwise you’ll end up having to do a lot of laborious copying and pasting.
2
How do you backup?
If you’re writing for a living, you need to be sure that your work is safe and won’t get lost. Some apps, such as Ulysses, store your documents in their own library; others store documents as easily backed-up text files.
3
What can you export?
How much control do you have over the finished product’s format and formatting? This isn’t an issue if you’re writing for others to
Image credits (top to bottom): iA, Notion Labs, Grammarly
illustrate and lay out, but if you’re producing finished documents formatting matters.
4
Higher… Notion $8 (about £6.40)/month notion.so Notion offers writing, editing and sharing for teams. Its cloud-based app aims to replace Google Docs, Evernote, Trello and more.
Do you need to store research?
Each of our chosen apps enables you to include images in your documents, but what about providing a home for things you don’t put in the final document – your notes, your transcripts, your source documents or drafts? It’s important to have this information accessible for easy reference.
5
We tested each of our apps with a range of destinations and documents including blog posts, plain text and formatted work in various formats. We focused not just on ease of use but on whether we could complete the entire job without turning to another app. We also used tagging, keywords and search to test the apps’ document organisation and retrieval.
Does it work with other OSes?
All the apps here have iOS companion apps, but you may want to view, add to or edit when you’re on an Android device or a Windows PC. That’s obviously much easier to do if your app supports cross-platform services such as Dropbox.
… or lower? Grammarly Free grammarly.com Grammarly doesn’t do that much, but what it does is useful: it analyses your writing and suggests changes that should make it better.
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