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WHEN WILL iPADOS CATCH 12.9-INCH iPAD PRO REVIEW UP TO THE HARDWARE?

AUGUST 2021

HELLO, iOS

THE NEWEST FEATURES COMING TO THE iPHONE

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 find one at DiscoverTheForest.org.

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

AUGUST 2021 CONTENTS MACUSER macOS Monterey unveiled 7 Five Windows 11 features Apple should steal 13 Find out which Mac apps are tracking your location 17 5 things to do first with your new 24-inch iMac 19 The M1 iMac has more in common with the iMac G3 than just colors 24 MacUser Reviews 30

First look: iOS 15 68

Hot Stuff 40

iOSCENTRAL iPadOS 15 unveiled 45 iPadOS 15 doesn’t move the needle for Pro users 52 The iPad’s inevitable Mac-like future is hiding in iPadOS 15 55 How your iPhone uses private tracking to enhance Maps, Photos, and more 59 PSA: Keep these Apple products ‘a safe distance’ from medical devices 61 iOS Central Reviews 65

WORKINGMAC

12.9-inch iPad Pro (2021) review 80

Protect yourself from phishing emails 97 How to stay safe if you don’t log out of a website 101 iCloud+ Private Relay explained 103 AmazonBasics 360-watt Standby UPS review 107

PLAYLIST Beats Studio Buds review 113 Focal Radiance review 118 Klipsch The Fives review 124 2021 Siri Remote review 131

Apple Music Lossless & Spatial Audio 91 COVER IMAGES COURTESY OF APPLE

HELPDESK Mac 911: How to change your name on your Mac’s user account, lock files in Big Sur’s finder, and much more 137

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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

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PUBLICATION INFORMATION August 2021, Volume 38, Issue 8 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.

AUGUST 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 find one at DiscoverTheForest.org.

MACUSER

News and analysis about Macs, macOS, and Apple

macOS Monterey: Universal control, Shortcuts, Safari, and more New features will help you work smarter and faster.

BY ROMAN LOYOLA

A

pple has unveiled macOS 12 Monterey, the first major update to macOS since the big shift in macOS 11 Big Sur. There are a bunch of new features, and we’ll cover everything you need to know about the update before it arrives in the fall: the top features, system requirements, IMAGE: APPLE

availability, and more. Let’s start with the key features.

UNIVERSAL CONTROL Apple users often switch between devices, and with Universal Control, you can now use a single mouse and keyboard between your Mac and iPad. If you’re AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 7

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using a MacBook, you can use its keyboard and trackpad with the iPad. You can even drag and drop files between devices and perform gestures on the MacBook trackpad to navigate the iPad. Additionally, Universal Control can do something that Apple’s Craig Federighi said would appeal to pros: You can connect three devices and navigate between them.

During the keynote, Federighi used a 24-inch iMac, a 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro, and an iPad, and was able to move the cursor between all three devices. He showed how you can take a file from the iPad, drag it through the MacBook Pro, and then drop it into a Final Cut Pro project.

Here are the Macs that are compatible with Universal Control: > 2016 and later MacBook Pro > 2016 and later MacBook

> 2018 and later MacBook Air > 2017 and later iMac > Late 2015 and later 27-inch iMac > iMac Pro > 2018 and later Mac mini > 2019 and later Mac Pro Here are the iPads that are compatible: > iPad Pro > 3rd generation and later iPad Air > 6th generation and later iPad > 5th generation and later iPad mini Other requirements: > All devices must be signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID using two-factor authentication. > For wireless connectivity, all devices must have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Handoff turned on and must be located within 30 feet of each other. > iPad and Mac cannot be sharing a cellular and internet connection. > For USB connections, you must trust your Mac on the iPad.

SHORTCUTS

Universal Control can connect to three devices.

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Shortcuts on iOS and iPadOS has become a popular tool to create automations. In macOS Monterey,

Shortcuts for Mac will be available, bringing over the same powerful functionality. Any shortcuts that you make are available systemwide, so you can run them from just about anywhere on the Mac. It’s easy to share shortcuts, and any you make will sync across all your devices. If they are compatible, iPhone and Safari’s tabs get a new treatment in macOS Monterey, with a UI redesign and new Tab Groups. iPad shortcuts can run on M1 Macs or on Intel-based updated across all of your Apple devices.

Mac systems with Catalyst apps.

And Safari keeps an eye on each tab and Apple said during the keynote that keeps sites from using up your system Automator, the previous automation app, will resources when you’re not actively using a continue to be supported and that Automator particular tab. workflows can be imported to Shortcuts.

SAFARI Safari on the Mac gets a UI facelift to support its new tab-focused features. The tab bar takes on the color of the site you’re reading and the toolbar is more compact, with the buttons that currently surround it—Home, Share, Privacy Report, Show Downloads—collected into a menu to the right of the address bar.

The new Tab Groups allows you to save a set of tabs so you can access them later. Your Tab Groups are available on all the Macs that you use and are also

AIRPLAY TO MAC With AirPlay to a Mac, you can now take the media from your iPhone and iPad and use AirPlay to stream on your Mac. You can also stream from an app; for example, you can draw using your iPad, and use AirPlay to stream your activity onto a Mac so others can watch. AirPlay to Mac works wirelessly or over a USB connection.

Here are the devices that are compatible with AirPlay to Mac: > 2018 and later MacBook Pro > 2018 and later MacBook Air AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 9

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> 2019 and later iMac > iMac Pro > 2020 and later Mac mini > 2019 and later Mac Pro > iPhone 7 and later > 2nd generation and later iPad Pro > 3rd generation and later iPad Air > 6th generation and later iPad > 5th generation and later iPad mini If you have an iPhone or iPad, you may be able to share content at a lower resolution to nonsupported Mac models when “Allow AirPlay for” is set to “Everyone” or “Anyone on the same network” in Sharing preferences.

With Share with You, you now have more ways to handle the items that people send you in Messages. Apps such as Photos, Podcast, News, Safari, and TV will now have sections showing the items people shared with you.

When you’re using FaceTime on your Mac, people using Windows or FaceTime can join in. When they receive the FaceTime link, they’ll have to use the latest version of the Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser, and they’ll also need H.264 video encoding support to send video from their device.

FOCUS FACETIME AND MESSAGES FaceTime and Messages share new features that will also be available in iOS 15 (fave.co/2SFPnb8). These new features make it a lot easier to incorporate media into your conversations.

The new SharePlay support allows people to share an experience while watching video or listening to music, or even share an app window, while on a FaceTime call. The people on the call can control the media that’s playing, and the callers can even make a playlist.

SharePlay works with Apple TV and Apple Music; support for other services will depend on those services adopting the SharePlay API and updating their services with support.

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The new Focus feature allows you to set time periods that filter or block your notifications. For example, you can set up a Work focus that will filter your notifications and only deliver work-related ones. Apple will supply a set of Focus modes, and you also can create your own.

QUICK NOTES As in iPadOS 15, you’ll be able to create notes on the screen without having to launch the Notes app. You can add images to Quick Notes, and links in a note open up to that specific page in your browser. All your Quick Notes are collected in the Notes app and accessible on all of your devices.

The Notes app also has a new Activity view that lets you see revisions made by

in full-screen mode, you can have an always-on menu bar.

ACCESSIBILITY Monterey will have VoiceOver descriptions for Markup and PDF signatures, custom mouse pointers, improved full keyboard access, and new Voice Control languages.

The new Focus feature is also available in iOS 15.

others in a shared note. The people in shared notes can get notifications just by typing their name.

FINDER AND WINDOWS The Finder in macOS Monterey has a few changes. When you’re copying a file, the progress window is now in the form of a pie chart, and you can now pause long file copies and resume them later. Go to Folder has a new design, and Apple improved the autocompletion engine to make it easier to find the file or folder you need.

Monterey also has a few new ways to manage windows. You can swap out apps in Split View and change a Split View window to full screen. Windows automatically resize when you’re moving a window to a secondary display, another Mac, or an iPad. And if you’re

RESET WITHOUT REINSTALLING A new option in System Preferences will let you erase all user data and userinstalled apps just like on an iOS device.

That means you can essentially “reset” a Mac running Monterey without having to do a complete reinstall.

LOW POWER MODE Another feature borrowed from the iPhone is Low Power Mode, which turns down the system clock speed and display brightness to preserve the battery life on your MacBook.

MEMOJI There are a lot more options to customize your Memoji. Monterey offers more outfits and colors, multicolored headwear, new glasses, accessibility features, and the AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 11

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ability to have two different eye colors. You can choose your Memoji for your Mac login, and it has animations that react to you, such as a log-in greeting or a headshake if you enter the wrong password.

OTHER NEW FEATURES > Maps improvements in iOS 15 will be in macOS Monterey. > Live Text, the ability to copy, paste, or look up text in photos. > Notifications have a new look, muting options, and time sensitivity options. > A redesigned Books app and News feed. > New Passwords system preference where you can find your saved passwords. > A build-in authenticator that you can use for sites that require two-factor authentication. > Several new features in the Photos app.

OFFLINE SIRI During the WWDC21 keynote, Apple revealed that Siri for the iPhone and iPad can be used without an internet connection. Apple achieved this by using the Neural Engine in the device’s processor. However, Siri on the Mac will still need an internet connection. This is despite the fact that Macs with Apple silicon have the same Neural Engine as the iPhone.

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COMPATIBILITY AND RELEASE DATE Here are the Macs that can run macOS Monterey. > MacBook (2016 and later) > MacBook Air (Early 2015 and later) > MacBook Pro (Early 2015 and later) > Mac mini (Late 2014 and later) > iMac (Late 2015 and later) > iMac Pro (Late 2017 and later) > Mac Pro (Late 2013 and later) Monterey will be released this fall, but a specific date has not been announced.

Past releases have occurred at the end of September, so there’s a good chance it’ll be sometime around then.

HOW TO GET THE BETA Betas of the OS are available if you’re willing to take the risk. Apple suggests not using the beta on any mission-critical Mac—there’s always a possibility that a beta could make your Mac unusable, or that it could have issues that interfere with your software.

Developers can get the beta on Apple’s Developer website (fave. co/366FCFK). Access to this website requires registration and an annual fee.

You’ll also get access to other betas, like iOS and iPadOS. Apple also has a public beta program that general users can sign up for at the Apple Software Beta Program website (fave.co/2UedrSC). The public beta is currently available. ■

Five Windows 11 features Apple should steal for macOS Steal and steal alike.

BY MICHAEL SIMON

I

t’s been six years since Microsoft unveiled a new version of Windows.

Now Windows 10 users with eligible PCs can upgrade to a brand-new version of Microsoft’s OS called Windows 11 (fave.co/3y9z5WS). And whether Microsoft wants to admit it or not, the new Windows looks a lot like macOS. IMAGE: MICROSOFT

Microsoft has changed a lot about the way Windows looks and works, but it’s hard to deny that its “modern, fresh, clean and beautiful” interface borrows heavily from Apple’s style, with rounded corners, subtle transparency, and an overall fluidity that would feel right at home on a MacBook.

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Along with these familiar interface elements, Windows 11 brings plenty of features that Mac users don’t have. It leverages the touch-friendly nature of many PCs, introduces new ways to type and talk, taps into the power of the Xbox ecosystem to elevate PC gaming, and revamps the Microsoft Store with Android apps and a completely new revenue share policy that lets some developers keep 100 percent of what they sell. Of course, we’re not going to see any of that in macOS anytime soon, but there are some features that would work really well on our Macs.

1. VERTICAL TABS Apple revamped Safari’s tab management in a big way with the upcoming launch on macOS Monterey, but Windows 11 has a neat feature in the Edge browser that makes it even easier to see and organize your tabs. Instead of collecting them in a horizontal row 2. above your 14 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

window, you can also see them in a vertical list by clicking an icon in the top left corner. In an instant, you’ll be able to see your open tabs as if they were bookmarks in Safari’s sidebar, which makes it easy to find individual pages in a sea of open tabs. The new Safari will show tab groups in the sidebar, but not the individual tabs.

2. SNAP LAYOUTS One of Windows 10’s best features is the ability to quickly snap an app to the left or right side of the screen to quickly work side by side in full view. Apple introduced a similar system in macOS Catalina that lets you use apps side by side in Split View. But Windows 11 takes it even further with new layouts that let you use two,

a nifty way to fix that. When Windows 11 detects that a display has been removed, the windows that were on that screen will automatically minimize to avoid a mangled mess of overlapping apps. And when you plug it in again, those windows will return to the place where they were.

3. three, or four apps at once in several preset layouts for quick and easy multitasking, and there are different layouts for different monitor setups and dimensions.

4. COMMERCE OPTIONS While Apple is being bombarded in court by developers who feel the company’s 30

3. SMART EXTERNAL DISPLAYS We’ve all been frustrated by shifting and wrongly sized windows when we unplug our MacBook from an external monitor, and Windows 11 has

4.

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percent cut is too high, Microsoft is changing its own rules in Windows 11.

While the terms of the Microsoft Store have always been friendlier than the Mac App Store (85/15), in Windows 11 Microsoft is giving developers the option to keep 100 percent of what they sell by using their own third-party commerce platforms.

On one hand, it’s obviously a response to Apple’s regulatory issues, but it also begs the question—if Microsoft can afford to make that change, why can’t Apple? Allowing third-party commerce engines would open the Mac App Store to developers put off by Apple’s terms and open the door for the iOS App Store to relax its conditions as well. It seems inevitable that Apple will have to relent at some point, and it makes sense

5.

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to start with the Mac, where the App Store isn’t the only way to download.

5. WIDGET FEED Windows users will finally get widgets when version 11 arrives on their desktops and laptops, and while it looks very similar to macOS Big Sur, with customizable and resizable blocks of data, Microsoft has also integrated widgets with a news feed to give a full dashboard of information.

Rather than seeing a skinny rail of widgets, users can expand the widgets pane in Windows 11 to fill the entire screen, where they’ll find an array of useful information, including traffic, sports, and a customizable news feed that presents stories of interest using both local and national sources. Microsoft has even built a way to contribute to local publications if you like what you read. With Apple News and News+, it seems like a wasted opportunity to leave all those articles cooped up in an app. ■

How to find out which Mac apps are tracking your location Conduct an audit to see if you still want them to know where you’re at.

BY GLENN FLEISHMAN

T

he privacy issues associated with our location when we’re carrying an iPhone or iPad have gotten a lot of attention. But a Mac can reveal to apps where we’re located as well. No Mac includes a GPS IMAGE: APPLE

or cellular modem, but between Wi-Fi positioning and cues and information retrieved by associated and nearby cellular devices of your own and those of other people, a Mac can often approximate its position fairly well.

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Open the Security & Privacy pane in System Preferences, click the Privacy button, and select Location Services from the list at left, and you can see all the apps to which you’ve given permission and for which you’ve revoked access.

To remove permission to retrieve your location: Uncheck the box to the left of the app or service. You can’t delete items from this list, only disable their access. However, if the app is no longer one you’re using, you can Controlclick an item and choose Reveal in Finder, and then delete the app from your Mac. To remove all permissions: Uncheck Enable Location Services. This does disable Find Me, which can be a useful tool to find a lost or stolen Mac. While iOS and iPadOS provide more indicators about when an app has recently retrieved location information, macOS only shows a gray arrow, which indicates if the app has queried for position within the last 24 hours. ■ 18 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

The list of location-enabled apps lets you review apps you let see your position and revoke permission if you wish.

Unchecking Enable Location Services will disable Find Me.

Got a new 24-inch iMac? Do these five things first Our setup guide helps you make the most of your Mac experience.

BY ROMAN LOYOLA

W

hen that new 24-inch iMac arrives, you don’t want anyone or anything getting in your way as you unpack it and set it up. It’s an exciting moment, so go for it! But (of course there’s a “but”) after you’re done placing it perfectly on your desk, plugging it in, IMAGE: APPLE

turning it on, and then sitting back to gaze upon it admiringly, take a little break. Pause for a bit, because now it’s time to set up your Mac for the work you want to get done.

To get the most out of your Mac experience, there are a few things you should do before anything else. Many of AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 19

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these tasks are the type you need to do only once. When you’ve set things up, you will rarely need to address these issues again, and you can focus on working or creating on your Mac.

FIGURE OUT WHICH ADAPTERS YOU NEED While you set up the iMac, you may have noticed the ports on the back. The iMac has only one type of connector, which is shaped like a USB-C plug. The 24-inch iMac comes with a pair of these ports, and the technology behind those ports is Thunderbolt/USB 4, meaning that you can use those ports with Thunderbolt and USB devices. (The $1,499 and $1,699 come with two additional ports that are USB-C only. Most Thunderbolt devices won’t work with those ports even though the cable looks the same. It’s confusing [fave. co/3AoMmNs], we know.)

The catch is that the devices you want to connect to your new iMac—hard drive, printer, camera, and so on—probably use a cable that has a different connector. So to connect your old devices to your new iMac, you need to buy adapters.

Chances are, the device you want to connect uses a USB-A connector, the most widely used version of USB. So the adapter you will need is a USB-C to USB adapter. Apple has one for $19 (fave. co/3he5Awc), but you can find third-party 20 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

versions for a little cheaper. If you have a device that uses a different version of Thunderbolt, you need an adapter like Apple’s $49 Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter (fave.co/3qB2I0Q).

We have a complete guide to help you find precisely the adapter you need at fave.co/3jB5Kk2.

If you have a lot of devices you want to connect, consider investing in a Thunderbolt dock. This is a box that provides a set of different connectors you can plug into. There are a variety of docks available with different port offerings. We recently reviewed the $149 OWC Thunderbolt Hub (fave.co/3dtHfSc) and liked it. We also reviewed the WD_Black D50 (fave.co/3x72VeN), a dock with a built-in 1TB hard drive for $449. That hard drive would be handy for the next step listed below.

You’ll probably need Apple’s USB-C to USB adapter (left) and Thunderbolt (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter (right).

automatically as long as the drive is connected to the iMac.

CONFIGURE iCLOUD DRIVE iCloud is Apple’s online service that provides a way to sync your data between your Macs, iPhones, and iPads. It also has email, Find My (fave.

It takes just a few minutes to set up Time Machine—time well spent, especially when you need to recover a file. co/3uLYiF0), and other services.

SET UP A TIME MACHINE When you set up a new iMac, you’ll be BACKUP asked to set up an iCloud account or log The Mac operating system (macOS) has a into one if you already have it. But once built-in feature for making backups of your your Mac is up and running, you should go data. It’s called Time Machine, and it’s really a step further and configure iCloud Drive, easy to set up and use. Though it rarely the online storage that iCloud provides. happens, if you use your computer enough, In System Preferences, click on your there will come a time when a file you’re Apple ID at the top to get to the iCloud working on goes bad, or you lose it, or you settings. Then click on iCloud in the left want to revert to a previously saved version. column, and in the box to the right labeled Time Machine can help you recover that file.

“Apps on this Mac using iCloud,” check the You need an external hard drive in order iCloud Drive if you want to use it. Then to use Time Machine. Connect the drive to click on the Options button, and a window your iMac and then go to the Apple menu will pop up showing the apps that will and open System Preferences. Click on store data on iCloud Drive.

Time Machine and you can set it up. You If you check Desktop and Documents, can have Time Machine perform backups this will allow you to access any files saved AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 21

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Turn on Desktop & Documents Folders to access files in those folders on any device.

to the Desktop or Documents folder on any other Mac, iPhone, or iPad that you use. If you don’t want to have this kind of access, uncheck the Desktop and Documents box.

Learn more about Desktop and Documents on iCloud Drive (fave.co/3dtWGd5).

CHECK FOR MACOS AND APP UPDATES While Apple does a good job of shipping its Macs with the latest version of macOS, sometimes updates get released while your iMac is shipped to you. It’s a good idea to check for the latest version of macOS before you start because it fixes bugs, 22 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

patches security holes, and introduces new features. (The latest version is 11.3, though it’s possible your iMac already has macOS 11.4.)

If you want to check, here are the steps to update macOS: 1. Click on the Apple menu.

2. Select About this Mac. 3. In the window that appears, go to the Overview tab if it’s not already open.

Check the Mac App Store for app updates.

4. Click on the Software Update button. This will open the Software Update system preference.

5. You can click the More info link to learn more about the update.

6. When you are ready to install, click on the Update Now button.

Installation takes several minutes, depending on the internet connection speed.

You can also check for Touch ID comes with the $1,499 and $1,699 iMacs. The Touch ID updates for the apps you button is located in the upper right corner of the keyboard. use. If you buy apps in the Mac App Store, you can launch the App THAT’S ALL DONE, SO CLEAN Store app and click Updates at the bottom UP YOUR MESS of the left column. For apps that you didn’t We’ve all done it: After setting up your buy in the App Store, you’ll have to check new iMac, you start using it to do things, with the developer’s website to see if any like check email, visit a few websites, updates are available. work on a presentation in Keynote, edit a video in iMovie—the list goes on. But look SET UP TOUCH ID around. You probably have the iMac box If you bought a $1,499 or $1,699 24-inch lying there; you moved things around to iMac or paid extra for the feature on the make room for the iMac; maybe you even $1,299 model, the keyboard is equipped have your old Mac sitting right next to you with a Touch ID sensor, Apple’s security on the floor. Numerous studies say (fave. feature that uses a fingerprint scanner. co/3w1g9by) that you are more productive When you first set up your iMac, you’ll go when your workspace is tidy, so take a through the Touch ID setup, but you can break from new iMac (I know, it’s hard), add a couple of other fingers to your and clean up after yourself. Then you’ll be profile. You can do that in the Touch ID able to use your iMac without system preferences. encountering any distractions. ■ AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 23

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The M1 iMac has more in common with the iMac G3 than just colors It’s hard to stop thinking about the connections between the new and original iMac.

BY JASON SNELL

I

t’s hard not to look at the new 24-inch iMac, which I recently had the chance to use for a week (fave.co/2SAsQMG), and not feel at least a little pang of nostalgia for the original iMac. Introduced in 1998, not only did the iMac G3 save Apple (fave.co/3y7FzWj), it injected a blast

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of color into the cold beige world of personal computers.

That sense of nostalgia lessened when I picked up the new 24-inch iMac and carried it around my house. (The original iMac weighed about four times as much as the new model!) And yet, for all that has IMAGE: JASON SNELL

changed over the past 23 years, you’d be surprised by some of the similarities between the original iMac and these new models. It’s not all about the color. But let me be clear: A lot of it is about the color.

THE RETURN OF COLOR Once Apple replaced the iMac G3 with the sunflower-like iMac G4 (fave. co/2S6uaGX), color was banished from the Mac for many years. iMacs were white plastic, then eventually varying shades of silver aluminum. But the original Bondi Blue iMac (named after the water off Sydney’s Bondi Beach)— and its successors (fave.co/3jBbEBI) in Blueberry, Lime, Tangerine, Strawberry, Grape, Sage, Ruby, and Indigo—has finally had its revenge.

Like the original iMac, the 24-inch iMac is meant to be shown off, not hidden away.

Back in the 1990s, computers were beige towers or shaped like pizza boxes, usually attached by a rat’s nest of cords to a boxy beige monitor and a couple of beige speakers.

Computers were utilitarian, had no

personality, and were meant to be used and ignored.

The original iMac had style and begged for you to make it the centerpiece in your office or family room. Later generations of the iMac G3 added color choices and became a way to express style and personality. The 24-inch iMac brings back that feeling.

The model Apple sent me was just what I had asked for—namely, orange. I love it. It looks amazing. I can’t walk into a room where it’s set up without thinking, “I can’t believe Apple made an orange iMac.” It boggles my mind. But here’s the thing: If you don’t like orange, no problem! There’s also pink, blue, green, purple, and—for the very first time, because who wants to buy an iMac called “lemon?”—yellow.

Here’s a lesson Apple learned the last time it made colorful computers: Not

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M 1 i M AC H AS MOR E IN COMMON W ITH i MAC G 3 T HAN COLORS

everyone has a preference for one. Apple was so excited about bringing color to the Mac that it even made a professional Mac tower, the Power Mac G3, out of bright blue plastic. Professional users revolted (fave.co/3qBoKjU), and Apple relented: The Power Mac G4 was gray, and even future iMac G3 models came in sedate noncolors like graphite and snow.

That was a hard lesson learned and not forgotten. While Apple is clearly excited about offering the 24-inch iMac in six bright colors, it’s also making the computer available in the same silver shade that iMacs have worn for 14 years now. Early reports suggest that silver is the second most popular color, after blue.

While I am a real champion of brightly

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colored Macs, offering a neutral choice is the right thing to do.

COLORFUL PERIPHERALS TO MATCH The original iMac wasn’t the only thing that Apple made that was Bondi Blue. It made a keyboard and mouse that matched. And in that spirit, the 24-inch iMac has a wide array of peripherals, all available in six colorful shades, plus good ol’ silver.

This has got to be a nightmare for the company’s supply chain, but while Apple is much larger than it was in 1998, it’s been slowly introducing more iPhone models in more colors. Apple knows how to do this. (It helps itself out by limiting the purple, orange, and yellow models to online orders.)

The original iMac mouse (right) doesn’t have a lot in common with the new model, but they’re both colored to match their iMacs.

cable, which has a braided cover— making it the nicest Lightning cable Apple has ever made—also comes in seven colors. And the magnetic power attachment on the back of the iMac is similarly braided and colored, meaning that there are seven versions of that cable. (It’s actually 11 versions, because the $1,299 model ships with a power brick that lacks an ethernet port and there are four colors of that one.)

While I’m discussing peripherals and cables, it’s worth noting a huge similarity between the two iMacs. The original iMac marked a clean break from previous Mac peripherals by dumping all old ports and replacing them with a shiny new port type, USB. Since then, every iMac has had at least one of those blocky, nonreversible USB-A ports—until the new 24-inch iMac.

Still, this is taking what Apple did with the original iMac to a whole new level.

There’s not one colorful keyboard model, but three! The $1,299 iMac comes in only four colors and has a basic Magic Keyboard. Beyond that, though, there are seven different color options for the Touch ID keyboard, seven Magic Trackpads, and seven Magic Mouses. Throw in international keyboard layouts and things get very complicated very quickly!

It gets even more complicated. The 24-inch iMac ships with a USB-C-toLightning cable for pairing You can attach the original iMac mouse to the new 24-inch model, but now you’ll need an adapter. peripherals to the iMac. That

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Like the original, the new iMac dumps the old ports like USB-A and only has USB-C– style connectors (two with Thunderbolt), and the more expensive models have two additional USB-3 ports.

THE iMAC IS ALWAYS ABOUT THE DISPLAY If there’s been one fundamental of iMac design through the years, it’s that the display is at the center of things. For the original iMac, that was a bulbous CRT. But Apple’s design embraced the CRT, exposing its wiring via translucent plastic, and curving the entire iMac around the shape of the back of the tube.

The advent of flat-panel technology allowed Apple to try something different with the iMac. The iMac G4 stuffed the computer in a half-sphere, with the screen floating above on a chrome arm. It’s a gorgeous design, but as flat screens got bigger and heavier, it turned out to be an untenable one. So in 2004, Apple redefined the iMac 28 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

as a single flat slab on a stand, a display and a computer all wrapped up in one.

That was probably a tough decision, and while it was pragmatic, it had one huge trade-off: The iMac was thick. Over the years, Apple has tried to get it thinner, but even the most recent move to a unibody aluminum enclosure kept a lot of bulk and tried to hide it by tapering the edges of the iMac. In some ways, the 24-inch iMac feels like a mixture of the idealism of that floating iMac G4 design and the pragmatism of ensuing models. It’s shockingly thin and light and entirely flat, making it feel more like a 24-inch iPad on a stand.

STARTING AT $1,299, THEN AND NOW The original iMac cost $1,299. The new iMac starts at $1,299. Coincidence? Yeah, probably. (It’s been a long time: $1,299 in 1998 dollars is more than $2,000 today.

But it’s funny that it’s the same price.)

But the important point here is that phrase “starts at.” When Apple began selling the original Bondi iMac, it was one of a kind, but the company realized there was money to be made by offering a variety of models at different price points.

Eventually there was the iMac DV, the iMac Special Edition, and of course the original bargain model.

When there’s money to be made, today’s Apple does not miss a beat. While the $1,299 price for the 24-inch iMac is nice, that model has limited color options and you’ll need to pay more if you want an ethernet port or a keyboard with Touch ID. Add in 2TB of storage and 16GB of RAM, and you can very quickly take that $1,299 computer up to $2,549. This is why Apple has all the money.

A TIME OF TRANSITION FOR APPLE Maybe color on computers is like fashion, a trend that recurs every 20 years or so.

But I do wonder if it’s no coincidence that the original iMac and the 24-inch iMac come at times of transition for the Mac.

Back in 1998, Steve Jobs had just returned and was trying to keep Apple afloat—he did, thanks to the iMac. The iPod followed, then the iPhone, and the rest is history. But Jobs returned to Apple because the company had bought his company, NeXT, in order to take its software and transform it into the nextgeneration Mac operating system. The original iMac shipped with Mac OS 8.1, but everyone involved knew that Mac OS X was taking shape (fave.co/31SAuD7) in the background and that would define the future of the platform.

Things aren’t quite as fraught today as they were when the first iMac arrived on the scene, but this is still a momentous time for the Mac. The 24-inch iMac is the first Mac to be completely redesigned around an Apple-built processor. MacOS is changing rapidly, picking up features and software from iPadOS. The tools that developers use to build software for Apple’s platforms run only on macOS, but most of those developers are building iOS apps, not Mac apps. Apple seems to be trying to address this by offering ways for software to reach across all of Apple’s platforms, but will that strengthen the Mac or erase what makes it uniquely the Mac? The new iMac, like the original, has the fortune to live in interesting times. Things may be a bit stressful and unsure, but at least we can look at the pretty colors. ■ AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 29

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REVIEW: FASTESTV P N

REVIEWS

The Latest Mac Products Reviewed & Rated

VPN

FASTESTVPN: A GOOD CHOICE FOR VPN NEWBIES

BY IAN PAUL

We like simplicity when it comes to VPN services. Even if they stuff a ton of extra features into the app, it’s important that regular users can still navigate it. That’s one of the attributes that we like about FastestVPN (fave.co/3x8vo3O). It also supports 10 simultaneous connections instead of the usual five.

SECURITY, SOFTWARE, SERVERS, AND SPEED When you first open FastestVPN for Mac, it has a large connect button on the right side of the app, while the left contains a list of its 32 country connections. At the very top of the app, it shows the current IP you are using and its location, and 30 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

then in the upper-right corner, you have access to the app’s settings. To connect to a location, you just click the large button or choose the Smart Connect button located in the upper-right corner of the window.

That’s all there is to this app. When I said it was simple, I meant it. Even the Settings are cut down to just a choice between the default VPN protocol, IKEv2 or IPSec. That’s it.

FastestVPN has 32 country connections with more than 250 servers.

It’s not a huge VPN network, but it’s still decent. By default, FastestVPN for Mac uses IKEv2 as its VPN protocol, with the only other option being IPSec. The default data encryption is AES-256-GCM, data

FastestVPN with an active connection.

authentication is handled by TLS, and the handshake uses SHA-II. What’s surprising about FastestVPN’s Mac app is how limited it is compared to the Windows app, where there are more VPN options and a few extra settings.

FastestVPN does have an internet kill switch where the VPN blocks all online traffic if the VPN connection drops. Oddly, however, there’s no option to turn it off, and it’s just enabled by default. FastestVPN also has a built-in ad blocker, and an antimalware feature at the server level.

FastestVPN is officially based in the Cayman Islands, but the company also has an office in Los Angeles. The company CEO and founder is Azneem Bilwani.

FastestVPN’s privacy policy is written in a plain-language Q&A format, making it easy to understand. The company says it does not log any of your online activity, including your browsing history and DSN queries. It only keeps your email address to maintain your account, and it says that once you deactivate your account it also removes that information from its database.

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REVIEW: FASTESTV P N

can pay month-tomonth for $10 per month.

FastestVPN requires an email and password to sign up, and payments are accepted via credit card or Paypal. There are no options for cryptocurrency or cash.

FastestVPN’s preferences window.

BOTTOM LINE

FastestVPN is easy In our tests, FastestVPN maintained to use, backed up by an attractive and about 30 percent of the base speed uncomplicated app. The service also across five locations on multiple test supports good speeds, and its network is days. The only weak spot we found was large enough to cover the major regions of in some of the servers located in Asia the world. Finally, the privacy policy makes and Australia, but everywhere the right promises and is else had excellent speeds written in a format that’s easy mmmm and performance. Your to understand. We’d like to see FastestVPN PROS experience may differ based options for cryptocurrency and • Affordable pricing. on location, ISP, and your own cash payments; however, those • Good speeds. equipment. are definitely power user • 10 simultaneous connections. features, and FastestVPN isn’t CONS PRICING really a service built for that • Smallish feature set.

FastestVPN offers several audience, at least on the Mac. • Limited VPN protocol options. pricing options. A single year Anyone who needs a PRICE costs just $30, which is a no-nonsense VPN on the Mac $30 COMPANY fantastic price. You can get at a good price should take a FastestVPN three years for just $40, or you look at FastestVPN. ■ 32 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

SOLID-STATE DRIVE

FLEDGING SHELL THUNDERBOLT SSD: SUPER FAST AND NOW WITH COOLING

BY JON L. JACOBI

Fledging has redesigned its Shell Thunderbolt SSD to excellent effect. With a new larger form factor, an honest-togoodness fan, plus plenty of venting to circulate the extra air, it no longer feels startlingly hot to the touch after heavy use.

Running cool means no thermal throttling and consistent 2GBps-plus speeds. The Shell Thunderbolt is also cheaper than Samsung’s popular X5 once you reach 1TB of capacity.

DESIGN The Fledging Shell Thunderbolt is allmetal and colored in approximately the

IMAGE: FLEDGING

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REVIEW: F L ED GING SH EL L TH U ND ER BOLT SS D

same hue as your average late-model PERFORMANCE Mac. It measures approximately 3.75 You can put any SSD in any capacity you inches long by 2.5 inches wide by just wish in the Fledging Shell Thunderbolt. I over 0.5 inches thick, and weighs a few tried two. Fledging provided a 256GB WD ounces. I personally like the feel and SN750 (fave.co/3AhtUWL), but that wasn’t heft—if you want something flimsy and capacious enough to allow full write plasticy, look elsewhere. speed. I went with a 1TB Aura P12 (fave.

You access the motherboard and M.2 co/3jtPnWL) for no other reason than that it NVMe slot by removing four small Philips was at the top of my stack of review units. screws and the bottom plate. Fledging Numbers were just about as high as you’ll thoughtfully provides a screwdriver for see over Thunderbolt 3: 2838MBps this—a normal-size household one won’t fit reading and almost 2394MBps writing on the rather small indents. One screw sister publication PCWorld’s testbed under secures the SSD in place.

CrystalDiskMark 6.

With the bottom open, you’ll see the BlackMagicDesign’s Disk Speed didn’t aforementioned fan, which was present in reach quite those heights when running on the far slower Fledging Shell USB drive a 2019 MacBook Pro, but speeds were still (fave.co/3w818EI) but missing in the original Thunderbolt model (fave. co/3vvJU4j). (That was a puzzler, as Thunderbolt allows faster performance and therefore produces a lot more heat.) The new shell is also larger, which means more air for cooling, and there is plenty of venting so the air can Fledging provides everything you need with the Shell Thunderbolt, circulate freely. including one of those rather pricey Type-C T3 cables.

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well over 2GBps—nice, and on par with the Samsung X5 (fave.co/2TdJgLx).

Thanks to the fan and the other thermal measures, the new Fledging Shell Thunderbolt runs almost cool to the touch—Fledging claims at 30 degrees Celsius (85 degrees Fahrenheit), which was only a little over the ambient temperature in the testbed. As noted, the older, smaller non-fan was uncomfortable to the touch after heavy use.

Comparatively, OWC’s $80 Envoy Express (fave.co/3juCOum) is slothful, writing at around 1250MBps and reading at 1350MBps. That’s not bad, but not close Fledging’s Shell Thunderbolt allows NVMe to the Shell. The Express might still be the SSDs to perform at near-peak performance. better product if you’re leveraging an around $120 (so the cost with the Shell is older, slower NVMe SSD (for instance, x2 $265), and a 2TB around $180 (total PCIe) that can’t take advantage of the $325). The X5 costs $400 at 1TB and Shell’s greater bandwidth. Under any other $600 at 2TB. At those capacities, the scenario, the Shell’s the one to go with.

Shell Thunderbolt is easily the better bargain.

BOTTOM LINE mmmm Note that Fledging sells The Fledging Shell Thunderbolt Fledging Shell the Shell Thunderbolt costs a cool (pun intended) Thunderbolt SSD populated as well: $190 for $145 without an NVMe SSD. PROS • Fast with higher-capacity 256GB, $250 for 512GB, With midrange 500GB NVMe SSDs. $300 for 1TB, and $400 for SSDs starting around $70 and • Venting system to keep the drive cool.

2TB. Ask about the drive Samsung’s 500GB X5 $199 on CONS included. The WD SN750 (fave.

Amazon, the Shell doesn’t • Pricey at lower capacities. make sense at lower co/3AhtUWL) our test unit PRICE $137 capacities. However, once you included is fast enough, but COMPANY hit 1TB, you start saving money. opt for 512GB or higher if you Fledging A decent 1TB NVMe SSD costs want top write speeds. ■ AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 35

MACUSER

TYPOGRAPHY SOFTWARE

ART TEXT 4: TYPOGRAPHY MAC APP ADDS NEW CREATIVE DESIGN OPTIONS

BY J.R. BOOKWALTER

36 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

When it comes to creative design work, Adobe Photoshop has been a go-to for Mac users for nearly three decades. But the times they are a-changing, and in recent years a new generation of developers has released apps that are easier to use, have more comprehensive features, and, most important, are much cheaper.

Art Text 4 (fave.co/3y8D321) is one such app. This app makes it a snap to create whatever kinds of typography and 2D or 3D text effects you can dream up for social media posts, website graphics, or company logos. Rich, colorful graphics

IMAGE: BELIGHT SOFTWARE

complete with customizable backgrounds and textures are just a few mouse clicks away.

Now with support for Metal 2 and Dark Mode, version 4.0 introduces the Spray Fill tool, which uses images of real-world materials like Lego blocks, vegetables, sand, balloons, or rocks to lay out words in a more realistic way. The software ships with 18 presets and more than 440 different fill objects, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. You can import any photo to create your own, with full control over density, size, angle, lighting, and how random objects appear.

Although Art Text still can’t directly export CMYK color files for professional print work, the new version does add a pretty cool new feature for Facebook users: the option to export graphics as 3D photos. It worked quite well in my tests, but you’ll want to leave a little breathing room around your text to avoid white space appearing around the edges and spoiling the 3D effect.

BENT OUT OF SHAPE A favorite new Art Text 4 feature is Design Gallery, a template navigation window that appears when the app is launched. (This

With Art Text 4, there’s no end to the creative ways you can manipulate text and create lavish graphics all your own.

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REVIEW: A RT TEXT 4

Art Text 4 includes more than 440 photorealistic objects you can use to create text with the new Spray Fill feature.

option can be turned off for those who more rabbit out of its magic hat with the prefer to jump right in.) From here, users addition of distortion effects. With eight have one-click access to every options including available preset, all neatly Displacement, Roundness, mmmmh sorted by category with large, Erosion, and Blur, users can Art Text 4 colorful thumbnails. now turn ordinary fonts into PROS • Affordable 2D and 3D text Although the software something amazing, limited design software for Mac. comes with nearly 200 free, only by the imagination. Lastly, • Cool new Spray Fill, font distortion features. high-quality templates, there’s although version 4.0 still has no • Export Facebook 3D also an option to buy more, way to export a layered PSD photos.

CONS with 27 sets currently available. file, you can now export layers • No CMYK or PSD file Ranging from Artistic to individual files for further output.

• Can’t drag-and-drop Handwriting to Foodie, Metal tweaking elsewhere. objects between different Cast, Wood, and holiday project windows.

• File management defaults BOTTOM LINE themes, paid sets start at just to iCloud Drive.

With a dizzying number of $3 each or $100 for everything.

PRICE $30 creative options, Art Text 4 With so many typographical COMPANY makes typography fast, easy, tricks already up its sleeve, Art BeLight Software affordable, and most of all fun. ■ Text 4 manages to pull one 38 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

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 find one at DiscoverTheForest.org.

MACUSER

Hot Stuff NUVYYO TABLO DUAL HDMI tablotv.com

Nuvyyo’s over-the-air DVR plays and records local channels at native broadcast TV quality. It uses an antenna to receive local broadcasts and hooks up to your TV with an HDMI cable, but it can also stream video over Wi-Fi to Roku, Fire TV, and Android TV devices. Either way, broadcasts look the same as they would with an antenna plugged directly into your TV, and you can play or record from up to two channels at the same time. You also get lots of useful recording features to justify its optional subscription fee.—JARED NEWMAN

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What we’re raving about this month

PANASONIC KX-HN4101W BABY MONITOR shop.panasonic.com

Resembling a cute, Wall-E style robot with a two-eyed, rectangular camera head on an egg-shaped body, this camera and parent unit kit comes with pan-and-tilt capability; smart motion, sound, and temperature detection and alerts; two-way communication; and a built-in sound library. It offers everything the modern parent desires in a baby monitor and it’s super simple to operate, so it won’t saddle new parents with yet another learning curve to master. The handheld parent unit has a 3.5-inch color display and a radio frequency (RF) range of about 1,500 feet—this system does not operate over Wi-Fi and cannot be monitored from outside the home.—MICHAEL ANSALDO

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Hot Stuff

VIZIO M-SERIES 4K UHD TV vizio.com

Vizio’s M-Series are 60Hz, 3840x2160 (4K UHD), 10-bit TVs. They offer array backlighting, but no zone dimming until you hit the MQ7 models (then you get up to 32 zones). They employ quantum dots for accurate color, and there’s enough peak brightness to breathe life into HDR titles. It has a more than adequate selection of ports, including analog audio and component/composite video. There are three HDMI 2.1 ports with eARC supported on HDMI 1, as well as FreeSync and variable refresh rate. Optical S/PDIF, coax (for antenna or cable), and ethernet are also onboard. Wi-Fi is 802.11n, and there’s Bluetooth 5.0 support.—JON L. JACOBI

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“My wife onew that I was mixing things up at woro.”

— Mario, living with Alzheimer’s

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

Now is the time to talo.

Visit

alz.org/ourstories to learn more

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

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

iOSCENTRAL

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

iPadOS 15: Home Screen refresh, simpler multitasking, super Notes, and more This fall’s release helps the iPad catch up to the iPhone.

BY MACWORLD STAFF

A

pple unveiled the next generation of iPadOS (fave. co/3yhz4R3) during the WWDC keynote, and it brings a lot of welcome changes. For the most part, Apple is simply catching up with iOS 14 IMAGE: APPLE

features such as widgets wherever you like and the App Library, but there are also a few new features geared toward power users. Here are the most important features Apple is bringing to our iPads with iPadOS 15.

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i PA D OS 15

WIDGETS Apple introduced a completely redesigned Home Screen with widgets in iOS 14, and it’s finally bringing them to the tablet. They function much as they do on the iPhone (fave.co/3qFOXy8), offering small boxes that live among the icons on your screen and provide at-a-glance information about things like weather, photos, and stocks.

Widgets have been available in a side menu, but with iOS 15 you can place them anywhere on the Home screen just as you can on iPhone.

There’s a new extralarge widget size class for the iPad, and a bunch of new widgets like Contacts, Find My, Game Center, App Store, and Mail.

Smart Stacks get more intelligence, and can add suggested widgets based on your past activity.

APP LIBRARY Another iOS 14 feature that didn’t make it to iPadOS 14 is App Library (fave.co/3h8J5dv), and now it’s coming to iPadOS 15. Apple is letting users delete app from the Home screen and reorganize app pages just like they do on the iPhone, as well as see an overview of all of your apps by swiping 46 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

past the rightmost screen. To make it even easier to get to the App Library, Apple is also building a shortcut right in the dock, so you’ll be able to access your apps no matter what screen or app you’re in.

MULTITASKING Multitasking on the iPad has been somewhat confusing since it launched in iOS 12, and Apple is simplifying things in a big way in iPadOS 15. For starters, a new multitasking menu up at the top of the screen makes it easier for iPad users to discover multitasking and use Split View or Slide Over. Instead of a complicated and somewhat opaque gesture system, you’ll be able to access the various modes at a tap.

When you want to use two apps at the same time, Apple has also made it easier

KEYBOARD Many people use a keyboard with their iPad more often than not, and Apple is working to make that experience faster and more intuitive.

There’s a new keyboard shortcuts bar that’s more compact so it doesn’t block so much of the app behind it.

Keyboard shortcuts have been expanded and reordered, so you can get more done without taking A new centered view for content lets you view details without leaving your app. your hands off the keyboard.

Press and hold the Command key on an attached keyboard to see a list to get apps into the multitasking views. of all the keyboard shortcuts for that app Now, when you select Split View, the and the system. current app will move aside to reveal the You can even navigate around apps rest of the apps on your iPad so you can largely with keyboard controls, using Tab quickly select the one you want. There are to cycle through text fields and buttons, for also new keyboard shortcuts that help you example. If you’re a heavy iPad keyboard quickly access the menu. user, you’ll have to take your hand off the There will also be a new Shelf that keys a lot less often. floats above the current to quickly jump between your open windows and paired NOTES apps. And finally, you’ll be able to drag Apple has given Notes on iPad a massive app windows on top of each other in the overhaul, with a focus on collaboration and overview screen to quickly open them in organization on the larger screen. Notes Split View. will now support tags for easy filtering, and You can press and hold on content in users in shared documents will an app (like an email) to bring it up in a automatically get a notification when new floating center window, so you can they’re mentioned. focus on just that one thing.

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i PA D OS 15

the iPad, it will let developers build apps on iPad in Swift UI using the Swift Playgrounds app. Apple says code will be reflected in real time and you’ll have a complete library of UI components to choose from. You’ll also be able to submit apps for review to the App Store right on your iPad.

FACETIME AND SHAREPLAY Perhaps the best feature in the Notes app on iPadOS 15 is Quick Note, which is accessible from anywhere. Swipe from the bottom right corner of the screen with an Apple Pencil or a finger to quickly bring up a floating note that you can quickly write on and then swipe away.

Because it’s contextually aware, it will pin itself to the app you’re using and also be available to access and edit across all of your devices.

The iPad gets all the same big FaceTime updates that the iPhone does in iOS 15.

There are voice-isolation and widespectrum audio modes, spatial audio for group conversations, grid view, and the ability to make links for future FaceTime

SWIFT PLAYGROUNDS Developers have been clamoring for the Xcode on the iPad ever since the iPad Pro launched, and they kind-ofsort-of got their wish in iPadOS 15. While Apple stopped short of bringing an Xcode version to 48 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

Watch videos together with your friends online using SharePlay in FaceTime.

conversations that you can share and add to calendar events. Others can join those sessions on the web even from Windows or Android devices.

All the new SharePlay features work on iPadOS 15, too. You can watch TV shows and movies or listen to music, with playback synced between everyone on the FaceTime call. And all participants can control playback or adjust the playlist.

It’s what iPadOS 15 will do with all the content that others share with you in Messages that changes. You’ll see a “Shared with You” section in most Apple apps to highlight the content that people send you in Messages. The “Shared with You” section of the Safari new tab will show links sent to you in Messages. The Photos app has a section to show all the photos sent in Messages. The same goes for News, Podcasts, and Music.

UNIVERSAL CONTROL

FOCUS

OK, this is technically a Mac feature, but it’s too cool not to talk about. Apple is bringing the ability to work between your devices with the same input device. With Universal Control you’ll be able to work with a single mouse and keyboard and move your cursor and content between your Mac and iPad for a seamless experience, with no setup required.

Focus Mode is a new feature spanning all of Apple’s new operating systems this fall (iOS, macOS, watchOS, and iPadOS). Set a Focus mode for driving, sleeping, studying, gaming, or what have you, and you can decide which apps and people are

MESSAGES Messages doesn’t get much of an overhaul in itself. The biggest visual difference you’ll notice is the way photos look when someone sends them to you: A few photos will display as a collage, a larger group will show as a stack you can swipe through.

Focus Modes are a way to keep you on task and avoid unwanted interruptions.

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i PA D OS 15

allowed to pop up notifications and which will be silenced. You can even set a status and autoreply so people in Messages (and other apps that support it) will know you’re not available.

Focus mode syncs across all your devices, so if you enable your “work” focus mode on iPhone, your iPad and Mac will also be set to that mode.

NOTIFICATIONS

miss the alert about your house alarm going off, for example.

MAPS The new Maps app includes an interactive globe and lots of details in a handful of major cities, all rendered in a new soft, almost cartoony art style. You’ll see landmarks, elevation, trees, important buildings, and more in striking detail.

If you take transit, you’ll notice that the transit map has been overhauled and shows major transit lines, and you can pin your most important transit routes to always see information about it. Drivers will get a lot more road detail, including crosswalks, medians, turn lanes, and even 3D interchanges.

The iPad gets the same changes to notifications that the iPhone gets in iOS 15.

Namely, app icons and people’s faces are bigger so you can more easily parse them at a glance. You can enable a notification summary to appear a few times a day, and choose to delay notifications for certain apps so they appear in the summary instead of constantly interrupting you.

SAFARI You can mute a notification or a Safari is getting its most significant design Message thread for just an hour or a day, update in years. There’s a new more and your iPad will suggest you do so if a thread is really active but you aren’t engaging with it. Time Sensitive notifications can be delivered immediately, regardless of your Focus mode or notification summary settings, so you don’t Safari has a new tab bar, tab groups, and support for extensions.

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compact tab bar, and you can save groups of tabs that will be synced across devices.

The start page is more customizable, and there are new privacy protections to make it harder for sites to track you. If you subscribe to iCloud+ (fave.co/368GjyB), you can use iCloud Private Relay to make your IP address and location much harder for sites to determine.

Maybe most exciting is that web extensions are coming to Safari on iPad.

COMPATIBILITY AND RELEASE DATE iPadOS 15 will be available this fall, likely in September. It will work on the following iPads, though some features won’t work on the oldest models: > iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation) > iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation) > iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation) > iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation) > iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) > iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation) > iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation) > iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation) > iPad Pro 10.5-inch > iPad Pro 9.7-inch > iPad (8th generation) > iPad (7th generation) > iPad (6th generation) > iPad (5th generation) > iPad mini (5th generation) > iPad mini 4

> iPad Air (4th generation) > iPad Air (3rd generation) > iPad Air 2

HOW TO GET THE BETA If you’re feeling brave, you can try out iPadOS 15 before its general release.

Apple suggests that you not run the beta on any critical device, and that’s good advice—you never know what can go wrong. These betas are especially rough in the early releases.

Developers can head to fave. co/366FCFK on the device on which they wish to run the beta; there they can download a developer beta profile. Those who aren’t developers can join the public beta by heading to fave.co/2UedrSC using the device on which you wish to run the beta, signing in, and downloading the beta profile. The developer beta is available now, while the public beta is expected to begin in July.

We have a more detailed story about how to get and install the iPadOS 15 beta, so if you need more information go to fave.co/3AaiaW2.

Once you have the profile, you need to enable it by going to Settings → General → Profile. Your device will reset to enable the profile. After it has done so, you can head to Settings → General → Software Updates to download the latest beta release. ■ AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 51

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iPadOS 15 is certainly an improvement but it doesn’t move the needle for Pro users The M1 chip in the iPad Pro remains an untapped resource.

BY MICHAEL SIMON

A

t long last, iPadOS 15 brings many of the features iPad users have been patiently waiting for: Home Screen widgets, App Library, better multitasking, Stickies-style Quick Notes, and a desktop-caliber Safari 52 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

tab bar, to name a few. Once the update rolls out to iPads this fall, it’ll give the tablet a much-needed overhaul that will make it seem a bit more modern than it does now.

But if you just bought one of the new 12.9-inch iPad Pros, it won’t seem much IMAGE: APPLE

different at all. Sure, if you squint, the new Home Screen is a bit more Mac-like. The new multiwindow shelf makes you more productive by bringing systemwide multitasking. And keyboard navigation and expanded shortcuts give the Magic Keyboard a bit more purpose.

But at its core, it’s still an iPad, whether you spend $329 or $3,029. Nothing about the iPad Pro’s M1 processor or 16GB of RAM will make iPadOS 15 any better. Of course, you can make the same argument about the Mac. MacOS 12 Monterey includes a bunch of cool features for pros, such as Universal Control and Shortcuts that will help users work smarter and faster, but it’ll all work the same way whether you have a MacBook Air or a Mac Pro. However, there’s a reason why people spend thousands on a MacBook Pro or Mac Pro—performance. When you spend more on a Mac, you’re getting more power and more speed, which is why we’re still waiting for the high-end Apple silicon machines to launch. They’re rumored to bring much more processing and graphics power that will absolutely benefit the Mac users willing to spend thousands on high-end machines.

The iPad is different. While the iPad Pro is certainly faster than the entry-level iPad and the iPad Air in benchmarks, it doesn’t feel all that faster when using it. I’ve been testing the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and

compared to the 2020 model or the iPad Air with an A14, it doesn’t feel all that much faster. Maybe apps open quicker if you use a stopwatch, but iPadOS has never felt slow unless you’re using extremely old hardware (and maybe not even then).

So while iPadOS 15 rights some of the wrongs with multitasking and the Home Screen, it doesn’t do anything to elevate the iPad Pro beyond being a slightly faster iPad Air with a nicer screen. And I’m not sure Apple’s iPadOS updates ever will.

NOTHING FOR POWER USERS While there’s nothing about macOS that’s specifically built for pro users, the system is versatile enough to feel like it is. That macOS is easy to use if you’re an amateur and powerful enough for pros is thanks to a wide range of features and flexibility built into the user interface.

That’s not really the case with iPadOS. While some power users manipulate Shortcuts in inventive ways and take full advantage of the gestures and keyboard shortcuts, there isn’t really a benefit to buying a higher-end machine when it comes to the user experience. Things like 5G and Thunderbolt are nice to have, but they don’t really elevate the experience all that much.

If anything, iPadOS 15 is a step backward for pros. The new multitasking features don’t really change the way the AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 53

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i PA D OS 15 A N IMP R OV EMENT

write in Swift, will likely stick to Xcode on the Mac. And then there’s Universal Control, which is probably the coolest feature unveiled at WWDC. While technically a Mac feature, it works best when used with an iPad to drag and drop content between devices and work as if they were a multipleThere’s a benefit to buying a higher-end iMac. With the iPad, not so much. monitor setup. While technically available to most iPads running system handles multiple apps, but rather iOS 15 (Pad Air 3rd generation and later, makes them easier to discover and easier iPad 6th gen and later, and iPad mini 5th to use. Assuming the old gestures still gen and later), it’s very much a pro work, iPad Pro users will likely access their feature and will no doubt make workflow apps the old way and avoid the easier for people who use both a Mac Multitasking menu altogether. and an iPad. But even if Universal Control were A SUPPORTING PLAYER, relegated to the iPad Pro, it still treats the NOT THE STAR tablet as something of a companion Apple appeared to throw a bone to Pro device. iPadOS 15 could have brought true users with the ability to build apps in external monitor support, a desktop mode iPadOS 15, but even that is watered for the Magic Keyboard, better file down. Rather than take advantage of the management, pro apps—anything to take chip and RAM in the iPad Pro and advantage of the new iPad Pro’s high-end release a tablet-friendly version of features and processor. Instead, we got a Xcode, Apple instead added new bunch of iOS 14 features. features to Swift Playgrounds, its learnThe timing was perfect for the iPad to-code app. Apple says developers will Pro’s coming-out party, but instead, we’re have access to a “full library of UI left wondering who exactly that gorgeous components” and will be able to submit machine is made for. And sadly, I feel like apps directly to the App Store, but most we’ll be asking the same question this time veteran app developers, even those who next year when iPadOS 16 arrives. ■ 54 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

The iPad’s inevitable Mac-like future is hiding in iPadOS 15 Keyboard shortcuts, windows, and menus add up to something big on the horizon.

BY JASON SNELL

I

n iPadOS 15, Apple is making another round of changes to iPad multitasking.

It would be easy to consider this yet another spin on the merry-go-round as Apple struggles to figure out how to break the iPad out of the iPhone’s fundamental one-app-at-a-time interface.

But I think Apple is finally assembling all the pieces of the puzzle that will allow the iPad to become more Mac-like than ever before—all the while retaining its unique IMAGE: APPLE

position in Apple’s ecosystem. Is Apple waiting for the right moment to unveil proper external-display support on the iPad, perhaps alongside the release of a new Apple display? I’m not saying it will happen, but I want to believe (fave.co/3xbPk5K). So let’s look at the evidence.

A WINDOW INTO THE FUTURE Apple has been flirting with the idea of putting floating windows on the iPad for a AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 55

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few years now. For example, Slide Over is a floating window attached to one side of the screen. Picture in Picture floats above apps but must be placed in a corner. Two years ago, Apple introduced the concept of multiple app windows—but they were really just multiple instances of an app, running in existing app frames: for instance, a Microsoft Word file in full screen and a different Word file in a different Split View.

But with iPadOS 15, things are getting more interesting on the windowing front.

Yes, the iPad’s new Globe-key shortcuts (fave.co/3w6JHo8) seem to point to more sophisticated multitasking to come, but what really caught my eye is a more old-fashioned Command-key shortcut that Apple has imported from the Mac: next App Window, executed by holding down Command and the tick-mark (`) key.

This is the Mac’s “cycle through windows” keyboard shortcut that became a part of my muscle memory in the early days of Mac OS X, and I still use it all the time. On iPadOS 15, pressing Globe-tick will move focus among different visible apps when in Split View and Slide Over, so you can choose which app will receive keyboard input. Pressing Command-tick cycles through multiple windows within a single app.

Add to that the introduction of the iPad’s newest interface element: the 56 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

Shelf, a visual representation of an app’s currently open windows. This feels like Apple adding complexity in order to add clarity, and I’m not entirely sold on it conceptually. Regardless, the Shelf’s very existence shows that Apple is trying to find ways to make multiwindow interfaces in iPad apps discoverable and usable.

And then there are iPadOS 15’s new additions to the growing family of iPad windows. First off, there’s the new “floating center window,” which appears (among other places) when you create a new message in Mail. It’s a window that initially shows up hovering above the app that spawned it, but it has Apple’s new three-dot windowing interface at the top, allowing you to drag it around the screen (hmm, I wonder why you would need a drag area for iPad windows) or move it to its own full-screen, Split View, or Slide Over location.

What separates the floating center window from just being a window from a Mac app? Only iPadOS acting as a policeman, limiting where you can place it. Otherwise, it’s a floating window of the kind Mac users have known for decades.

Which brings us to Quick Note, a new feature coming to iPad, iPhone, and Mac this fall that is implemented in iPadOS as… a floating window. Yes, it behaves like a Picture in Picture window–you can only place it in the corners, or you can park it

off the side of the screen with a translucent arrow widget indicating that it’s ready to be resurfaced.

Even if you discount all the other evidence that Apple is building a foundation for free windowing on the iPad, it’s extremely hard to look at Quick Note and believe anything else. It’s an independent floating window layered above other apps. Windowing on the iPad isn’t just inevitable. It’s already here.

There’s truth in that, though it’s not true as it once was. Modern iOS apps have to adapt to numerous screen sizes and orientations. And once again, the Mac shows the way: If you use an iOS app on an M1 Mac, you’ll see that they’re resizable—with limits.

I doubt that any iPad windowing scheme would offer pixel-perfect resizing of the sort the Mac offers.

But imagine resizing a window and having it snap to a bunch of different aspect ratios and sizes—corresponding to the dimensions of various supported Apple devices. iOS apps can be chameleons. I think I’d actually prefer to run the iPhone layout of some apps on my iPad. Some apps are a bit ridiculous on a 12.9-inch display, but quite delightful when displayed in the compact frame of an iPhone 12 mini.

APPS OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES

IT’S GOT MENUS, BAR OPTIONAL

One of the biggest arguments against offering Mac-style windowing on the iPad is that iPad (and iPhone) apps aren’t built to be infinitely resizable the way Mac windows are.

It’s not just windows. Apple is also rebuilding the Mac menu bar on the iPad, and it’s doing it in plain sight. Hold down the Globe or Command keys in iPadOS 15, and you’ll see an overlay that lists all the AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 57

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available keyboard shortcuts—organized in a quite familiar pattern that begins with File and Edit. You don’t even need to use keyboard shortcuts—tapping on any command will execute it.

How are there hidden menus inside iPad apps? The answer lies with Catalyst, which enables iPad app developers to bring their apps over to the Mac. Now iPadOS 15 makes that extra work visible on the iPad, too. (Catalyst apps can also open multiple windows, and on the Mac they appear as regular, floating independent windows. Hmm.) Would Apple ever offer a proper Mac-style menu bar on the iPad? I think it might, in the proper contexts—perhaps only when a keyboard and pointing device are attached, or only on an external display that has to be entirely driven by those input methods. But (as my fever dream of a 5K iPad mock-up shows), it’s not as if the iPad isn’t most of the way

58 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

there. The iPad’s status bar displays time, date, and a bunch of icons already—they’d be quite at home in a Mac-style menu bar.

Toss in icons for Control Center and Notification Center if you want.

NOT NOW, BUT SOON All the pieces are there: a proper mousedriven pointer, multiple windows per app, menu bar items, and apps that can adjust to different sizes. It’s not hard to imagine, almost entirely using existing iPad interface elements, what a bunch of different iPad apps floating on a 5K display might look like. That’s what I did—and you can see it at the top of this article.

Would I like to plug my M1 iPad Pro into a 5K external display and see an interface like the one illustrated above? Why, yes.

Yes, I would. As Apple has repeatedly made clear, what sets the iPad apart from other devices is that it’s supremely adaptable. It can be a naked touch tablet, but you can add an Apple Pencil, a keyboard, or a Magic Keyboard with a trackpad.

Adding a big, bright display and filling it with app windows doesn’t break the premise of the iPad. It fulfills it. I hope that Apple sees it that way, too. ■

How your iPhone uses private tracking to enhance Maps, Photos, and more iOS and iPadOS automatically determine ‘significant’ places for personalization purposes, but you can turn the feature off.

BY GLENN FLEISHMAN

A

pple wants your iPhone and iPad to anticipate your needs, particularly for information, and to suggest or promote ideas and information before you even know you wanted it. One method is via IMAGE: APPLE

Significant Locations, a feature in iOS and iPadOS few people even know exists.

As you move around with either device, the places you dwell are tracked.

That includes your home and work, as well as restaurants you may frequent, other AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 59

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i P HO N E U SES TR ACKING TO ENH A NCE APPS

Significant Locations captures places you’ve been that iOS and iPadOS think are useful for providing other kinds of information.

people’s houses, medical offices, and the like. These are called Significant Locations, and you can find the list buried deeply at Settings → Privacy → Location Services → System Services → Significant Locations under My Places and History.

Before you start to fret, Apple doesn’t collect and use that information centrally. (I mean, it’s not Google.) Apple says it keeps the information only on your devices and uses end-to-end encryption (as it does with Messages, iCloud Keychain, and several other services) to sync these locations across your devices. Apple’s disclosure says it uses Significant Locations to provide better cues and results in Maps (predictive traffic routing), Calendar (recurring appointment suggestions), Photos (Memories), and for other purposes.

Apple said recently, too, that it uses Significant Locations to alert you if 60 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

there’s an AirTag location tracker traveling with you from place to place: When you arrive at a Significant Location, you receive an alert about the tracker and you can try to figure out what’s going on. (You’re also alerted at the end of the day if you don’t hit any Significant Location or your Home, which is also defined in the Me card in Contacts, by day’s end.)

If you dislike the notion that your device is tracking places you go to frequently, you can switch the Significant Locations option off, and it won’t degrade your general experience.

You can also swipe left on any location and tap Delete to remove it, or wipe the whole set of locations by tapping Clear History and confirming. ■ If you are concerned about being tracked, turning it off won’t affect your overall Maps experience.

Public service announcement: Keep these Apple products ‘a safe distance’ from medical devices Apple expands its warning about magnetic interference.

BY MICHAEL SIMON

B

ack when the iPhone 12 launched with the magnetic MagSafe connector last year, Apple warned that people with pacemakers and other medical devices (fave.co/3hbWkKh) should keep their IMAGE: APPLE

handsets “a safe distance away” to avoid potentially life-threatening interference.

Now Apple has added a whole bunch more products to that list (fave. co/3yb4mbW)—and it’s basically everything the company makes.

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KEEP TH ESE P R OD U CTS AWAY FR OM ME DI CAL DE VI CE S

Apple has warned that people with pacemakers shouldn’t use its AirPods Max headphones.

While anyone with a sensitive medical device knows to stay away from magnets, they might not realize that nearly every product Apple makes contains magnets or components and radios that emit electromagnetic fields and could interfere with medical devices. Among the devices on the list are every model of AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad, HomePod, and Mac it sells as well as several Beats headphones (though not the new Beats Studio Buds [fave.co/2UkzdEB]).

Apple says these and medical devices should be kept more than 6 inches apart or more than 12 inches apart if wirelessly charging. That could be tricky with things like AirPods and the Apple Watch, which are worn while being used. It’s not clear if 62 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

Apple plans to address this issue in future releases. ■

The Beats Studio Buds are not on Apple’s list.

“ 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

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

iOSCENTRAL

The Latest iOS Products Reviewed & Rated

WIRELESS CHARGER

RAPIDX MODULA5: A CLEVER MODULAR SYSTEM FOR REDUCING CHARGER CLUTTER

BY JASON CROSS

IMAGE: JASON CROSS

REVIEWS

If you have a family of three or more where everyone has their own iPhone, Apple Watch, and maybe a pair of AirPods or two in there, you probably have a pretty messy countertop or table somewhere in a common area, with tangled snakes of charging cables and lots of plugs occupied by power adapters.

Multidevice wireless chargers can help reduce this mess, but they don’t necessarily conform to your family’s needs.

RapidX has a nice solution in its Modula5 wireless charging system. It’s a flexible set AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 65

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REVIEW: R A PIDX MOD U L A 5

of charging “pods” that magnetically snap together on either side. The company makes a phone-charging pod (that works for AirPods with wireless charging cases) and an Apple Watch pod, so you just mix and match what you need for your family’s device makeup.

SNAP IT TOGETHER The phone and Apple Watch pods are identically sized “tiles,” if you will, that have magnetic power connectors on the left and right sides, and a USB-C port on the back edge. Simply snap together whichever pods you need in whatever order you want, and plug the USB-C cable into any one of them. Power will be routed through to them all, and there are precious

few rules to follow. All you need to know is that there is a seven-pod limit and a maximum of five phones at once.

If you have an iPhone, the phone pods will charge it at 7.5 watts. Android phones go up to 10W. The Apple Watch pod charges at a maximum of 1.5W, the same as Apple’s own charger.

You’ll need to supply more power to charge more phones. A 30W USB-C power adapter is recommended to charge two phones at a time, and a 65W adapter for three or more.

REASONABLY PRICED AND EASY

The phone pod retails for $30 and comes with a nice braided USB-C cable. The Apple Watch pod is quite a bit more expensive at $60, but it includes a USB-A to USB-C cable (as the Apple Watch comes with a USB-A power adapter) and does not require you to use your existing watch charger as so many cheap Just snap together whatever pods you need in whatever order you wish, Apple Watch and plug in any one of them. charging stands 66 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

do. The watchcharging disc folds down flat if you prefer, or stands up at a 90-degree angle if you’ve got a loop band or just prefer not to lay your watch down flat.

RapidX sells a couple of bundles that help bring the price down. Two phone pods and Bundles with a 30W power adapter and two pods are available and can a 30W USB-C save you quite a bit. power adapter is $80, and one phone pod with one Apple plug and one cable to wirelessly charge a Watch pod plus a 30W power mix-and-match set of phones, mmmm adapter is $100. RapidX also AirPods, and Apple Watches is a RapidX Modula5 sells a nice 65W USB-C PD neat trick, and the system is PROS power adapter for $35 if you simple enough for anyone. Just • Easy to use. plan to chain together a lot of snap the pods together, plug • Flexible enough for multidevice families pods, but any higher-wattage one in, and you’re in business.

• Bundles are reasonably USB-C power adapter should do The premium price and priced.

CONS the trick. somewhat utilitarian design are • You may need a bigger Those aren’t bargainnot worth it for individuals or power adapter for three or more phones. basement prices, but we’ve seen couples with just a few • Design is rather bland. worse from products that don’t devices, but families dealing PRICE $59 include power adapters. To with severe cable clutter are COMPANY some degree you’re paying for going to be very happy with RapidX convenience, though. Using one this solution. ■ AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 67

FEATURE

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iOS 15: FACETIME,

SHARING, SMARTER NOTIFICATIONS, AND MORE APPLE’S NEW iPHONE OS WILL CHANGE THE WAY A BILLION PEOPLE USE THEIR iPHONES.

BY JASON CROSS

AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 69

FEATURE

i O S 15

D

uring its WWDC keynote presentation in June, Apple took the wraps off iOS 15.

While new hardware is always exciting, iOS is maybe Apple’s most important and impactful product of all, as it gets installed on over a billion iPhones around the world. Due to release this fall with a beta test starting right away, it’s full of new features and changes both big and small. These are the big features that will have the biggest impact on iPhone users with iOS 15’s release.

FACETIME FaceTime is getting a big boost in iOS 15.

Spatial audio will separate out voices so group chats sound more natural. A new grid view shows everyone the same size and highlights the person talking. New microphone modes make it easier for others to hear you—Isolation Mode eliminates background sounds to focus on your voice, while Wide Spectrum is the opposite, taking in all the sounds around you. Portrait mode is coming to FaceTime too, blurring the background automatically.

FaceTime can let you know when you’re talking while muted, too.

Perhaps the biggest news is FaceTime Links.

You can generate a link for a future FaceTime call and send the link to anyone in any app, or attach it to a calendar event. And in a huge change, users on Windows or Android can click on these links and join your FaceTime call on the web.

SHAREPLAY

FaceTime links can be opened in a browser on non-Apple devices!

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Apple is making iOS 15 all about sharing. The company has a huge number of new sharing features it collects under

You’ll be able to share video and music in FaceTime, all in sync.

the umbrella term SharePlay.

You can listen to music, watch video, or share your screen together with someone on a FaceTime call. The audio or video playback will be synced, and others on the call will get media controls if they want to pause or skip to another track. The whole group can build a collaborative playlist. Screen sharing even works across Apple devices.

This is going to work with Apple Music and the TV app right out of the gate, but Apple has an API, so other apps will update to support it as well. Apple called out popular apps like Disney+, HBOMax, Twitch, ESPN+, and more.

A new “Shared With You” section in Apple’s apps will collect and highlight the

VIDEO: iOS 15 FEATURES DETAILED AT WWDC 2021 Watch now at youtu.be/YvCdlu6ocg8

things people send you in iMessage. Open Photos, and you can see the photos people sent you in Messages all in one place. The same is true in News, Podcasts, TV, and Safari. It’s a great way to quickly find those links people send you without

Catch up on that flood of missed notifications at the time of your choosing.

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Live Text recognizes text in images across multiple apps and devices.

scrolling back through your message threads. In Messages, you can pin stuff and it will be elevated in the Shared With You section of each app.

NOTIFICATIONS Notifications in iOS are long overdue for an overhaul, and iOS 15 is adding some muchneeded intelligence and organization. A Notification Summary brings together that flood of notifications you’ve been ignoring all day—set the time you wish to receive it, and you can catch up easily.

If you’re in Do Not Disturb mode, others will be able to see that in Messages, so they know you may not reply right away. If they’ve got something really urgent to tell you, they have a way to break through.

Most interesting is a new Focus mode, 72 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

or rather, modes. If you’re focusing on work, for example, you can set a work focus mode where only the apps and people you choose can send you notifications. You can even pick which apps you want to see on the home screen in each Focus mode.

On-device intelligence will suggest new Focus modes based on your activity, but you can create your own, too.

LIVE TEXT A new feature called “Live Text” uses machine learning to find text in images and allows you to treat it like regular text.

This process all happens on the device to protect your privacy. Point the Camera app at some text, and you’ll see an indicator in the lower right that you can tap to isolate and select the text. You can then paste it in a message, email, or

wherever you want.

But this works all over the operating system, not just in the Camera app. You can select text directly in existing photos, search for text in them, and even select text in images on the web. Live Text recognizes this text just as it does native text: Select a phone number and you can call it with one tap. Select an address and open it on a map.

While the Live Text system is the most transformative thing, it’s not just for text.

The intelligent system can also recognize pets and some other animals, objects in nature, books, landmarks, and some common objects.

WALLET The Wallet app already does a lot, with payment cards, transit cards, and tickets.

But it can’t replace your physical wallet yet.

Apple’s working to change that with some big updates to Wallet.

CarKey was released back in iOS 13.6, but doesn’t have a ton of support yet. With iOS 15 it expands to include ultrawideband (UWB) support, and some auto makers will start supporting it at the end of 2021. But Wallet will start to allow other kinds of keys, like your home key (with supported smart lock), work keys to enter your office building, or hotel keys. All of this needs support, of course, but Hyatt will start to support keys in the Wallet app at over 1,000 properties later this year.

You still need your ID, though. Soon, Wallet will be able to store a valid ID card.

In supported states, you’ll just scan your driver’s license or state ID, and Wallet will store a valid ID that you can use in place of your physical one. It’s encrypted and stored in the Secure Element, so nobody ever collects that data (not even Apple).

The TSA is working to be one of the first to support this new digital ID, so you can just tap your iPhone and go.

MESSAGE

In supported states, you’ll be able to store your governmentissued ID in Wallet.

As mentioned earlier, if someone sends you content in Messages (photos, links, music, news, podcasts), it will also appear in the new Shared With You section in the corresponding app. You don’t have to go way back in a message thread to find that link you want to open—just look in Safari’s Shared With You section. If you know it’s going to be important when you see it in AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 73

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individual images or send a Tapback reply.

FOCUS New to iOS 15 are is a feature called Focus— dedicated “modes” you set in control center for when you want to limit distractions. There are suggested Focus modes for work, personal time, sleep, fitness, gaming, reading, or driving, or you can create a custom one. When you set up a Focus, you’ll be able to choose which apps and Sharing multiple photos in Messages produces a collage or a people you want to stack. receive notifications from Messages, pin it, and it’ll be highlighted and which you wish to silence, while and moved to the top of the Shared With letting important interruptions get You section of each app. You’ll be able to through. On-device intelligence looks at see who sent the content and tap their your past behavior to make suggestions, name to see the messages and reply, but you can customize the app and without leaving the app to open people list as much as you want.

Messages.

You can also set a status message and It’s not uncommon to send multiple an autoreply for Messages, so people images in an iMessage, so Apple has know you may not reply right away. There some new visual representations for this. If will be an API for third-party developers you send just a few, it will show as a to tie into your status and show you’re collage. Larger sets show as a stack you away, too. can swipe through. Tap either one to get a Set your Focus mode on one Apple full grid view where you can view device, and it will automatically enable on 74 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

your other devices, too. It doesn’t do any good to set your Studying Focus mode on your iPhone if your Apple Watch keeps popping off on your wrist, after all.

Maps has more road details in major cities, and several features for those who take transit.

MEMOJI What would an iOS update be without some new Memoji options? In iOS 15 you’ll have access to over 40 new outfits, new glasses options, and the ability to adjust eye color individually and set headwear colors. You can represent yourself with cochlear implants, oxygen tubes, or a soft helmet.

And nine new Memoji stickers let you express yourself in more places.

MAPS Apple Maps continues to improve. The new mapping data was a big step and will continue to spread to more countries over the coming year, but the app itself will get lots of new features, too.

The 3D view has a soft new look, and in select cities it offers an abundance of detail depicting landmarks, vegetation, special roads, and more. You’ll see more road details such as crosswalks, turn lanes, bus and bike lanes, and even 3D interchanges. At one end of the scale, there’s a new 3D augmentedreality view for walking directions. At the other end, there is a wide 3D globe view.

Transit routes are enhanced, and you can pin the busses or trains that you

always take to keep their real-time information at the top. When riding transit, maps will notify you when you’ve reached your stop.

Place cards are redesigned, and search now lets you filter results to more easily get at what you’re looking for.

SAFARI Apple’s browser has undergone a big redesign. The tab bar is at the bottom of the screen now, and moves away even further when you scroll down a page. Swipe left and right on it to move between tabs. Pull down on the top of the page to refresh it.

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animations and transitions, all put together in real time. You can quickly pause a Memory and change its look with different styles, music, and photos.

There are lots of other little improvements outside the big Memories revamp.

Initial image syncing is much faster when setting up a new device. People Browser extensions for Safari on iPhone and iPad? Believe it! identification is better, and it’s easier to correct There’s a new tab grid overview as well mis-identifications, and the info pane has as the ability to search by voice, and you been expanded with more photo details and can collect tabs into Tab Groups (they’re even smart object identification. synced between all your Apple devices).

Maybe best of all, Safari on iOS now HEALTH supports browser extensions!

The Health app is only getting a few changes, but they’re welcome. You can PHOTOS share health metrics or trends with The Photos app is getting a handful of someone else, and even let them get improvements, but it seems most of the alerts—useful if you want someone else to work has gone into a new Memories know right away about an elevated heart experience. There are hundreds of new rate or a similar dangerous scenario. songs, and if you’re a subscriber to Apple If you view Lab Results in the Health Music, you can choose from that library of app from a supported health care provider, songs, too. The Memories making tool will you can get a description of what the suggest songs from Apple Music that were results mean. You can also more easily popular at that time or place, or that you share data from your Health app with your listened to while traveling. doctor, if their system supports it.

Memories have a new look with new A new Walking Steadiness 76 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

measurement will use your iPhone’s sensors to measure the pace, cadence, stride, and other gait metrics to give you an idea of how likely you are to suffer a fall.

SIRI Finally, after years of requiring an internet connection to do anything, Siri works offline (fave.co/3dNqkKl). There’s a new on-device voice recognition model that processes your speech without sending it anywhere. If the action you ask Siri to do doesn’t require data from the internet, it can perform it entirely offline. So setting timers or alarms, reading recent Messages, turning on Dark Mode, and lots more can be done without a connection.

This makes Siri a lot more private and secure, but it’s a whole lot faster, too.

WEATHER The Weather app gets new animated backgrounds with thousands of variations to better reflect the time of day, clouds, and precipitation. The app’s layout has been changed to surface more important information, and includes new modules for maps, 10-day forecast, and new graphics to animate the weather data.

There are also new full-screen maps with temperature, precipitation, and air quality modes.

WIDGETS Widgets are one of the great triumphs of iOS 14’s big home screen redesign. With iOS 15, Apple is adding a host of new widgets for its own popular apps, including Find My, Contacts, Game Center, App Store, Mail, and Sleep. Widget Smart Stacks can dynamically add suggested new widgets for apps you use often.

iCLOUD

The Weather app now displays more types of information.

iCloud itself isn’t changing in iOS 15, but it’s getting an upgrade. Apple introduced iCloud+ alongside iOS 15, which brings numerous privacy and security features (fave.co/368GjyB) that normally cost a hefty monthly fee, including iCloud Private Relay (which hides your location, IP address, and browsing activity), email aliases, and HomeKit Secure Video support. It’s a free benefit for anyone already paying for AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 77

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i O S 15

iCloud storage. And there’s one more new feature for people who aren’t paying: If you don’t have enough storage to back up your phone before you upgrade to iOS 15, Apple will loan you the space you need for three weeks.

Apple hasn’t given a precise release date for iOS 15 yet, but major iOS versions are almost always released in September.

We don’t see any reason why this one would be different.

HOW TO GET THE BETA COMPATIBILITY AND RELEASE DATE If your iPhone can run iOS 14, it’ll run iOS 15. Some older phones may not get every single new feature, but almost everything will work across devices. Here’s the list of supported iPhones: > iPhone 12 > iPhone 12 mini > iPhone 12 Pro > iPhone 12 Pro Max > iPhone 11 > iPhone 11 Pro > iPhone 11 Pro Max > iPhone XS > iPhone XS Max > iPhone XR > iPhone X > iPhone 8 > iPhone 8 Plus > iPhone 7 > iPhone 7 Plus > iPhone 6s > iPhone 6s Plus > iPhone SE (1st generation) > iPhone SE (2nd generation) > iPod touch (7th generation) 78 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

If you’re feeling brave, you can try out iOS 15 before its general release. Apple suggests that you not run the beta on any critical device, and that’s good advice— you never know what can go wrong.

These major yearly iOS updates are especially rough in the early days, so beware running an early beta release.

Developers can head to fave. co/366FCFK on the device on which they which they want to run the beta, and download a developer beta profile.

Those who aren’t developers can join the public beta by heading to fave. co/2UedrSC using the device on which you wish to run the beta, signing in, and downloading the beta profile. We have a detailed story about how to get and install the iOS 15 beta (fave.co/3AaiaW2), if you need more information.

Once you have the profile, you must enable it by going to Settings → General → Profile. Your device will reset to enable the profile. After it has reset with the profile enabled, you can head to Settings → General → Software Updates to download the latest beta release. ■

All of the things I just found too hard to say.

LAUREN JAUREGUI // TRACK 03

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FEATURE

12.9-INCH PRO (2021 ALL SOUPED UP WITH NOTHING TO DO

MORE OF EVERYTHING EXCEPT A REASON TO EX 80 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

IMAGE: APPLE

iPAD 1) REVIEW

XIST. BY MICHAEL SIMON AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 81

FEATURE

REVIEW: 12. 9 - INCH i PA D P R O (2021)

There’s no denying that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is a gorgeous and incredibly powerful piece of hardware.

It’s easily one of the nicest pieces of tech I’ve ever held and the fastest iPad ever made, and it’s hard to imagine any tablet released in the next five years doing much to top it.

Of course, I could have written the same thing about the 2020 model. The 2021 iPad Pro doesn’t look all that much different than the model it replaces or the 82 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

2018 iPad Pro before that. And the upgrades the new model brings—most notably, the Retina XDR display, 5G modem, and M1 processor—won’t be immediately noticeable to anyone using it.

Unless you’re comparing it side by side to the 2020 model, in fact, you probably won’t be able to tell which iPad Pro you’re actually using.

And even then, it’s tough to tell them apart. That shouldn’t be the only reason not to buy one, and if you’re willing to spend nearly $3,000 on a tablet, it

absolutely won’t be. But since money will most likely be an object, you’ll be just as happy spending less on last year’s model or just buying an iPad Air.

CENTER OF ATTENTION It might be strange to start an iPad review by discussing the camera, but it represents everything that’s great and frustrating about the iPad Pro. Apple insists on selling the iPad as a portrait device like the iPhone, even though the natural inclination is to pick it up and hold it lengthwise.

After more than 10 years and dozens of iterations, I don’t know when Apple is going to admit that the iPad is a landscape device. I lost track of how many times I picked up the iPad Pro and blocked the camera with my thumb, thus blocking Face ID The camera on the new iPad Pro (top) is far superior to the 2020 version (below). and forcing me to either change my grip or input my passcode.

When picked up horizontally, the iPad’s with 2x optical zoom out. The difference is camera is in the perfect spot to be blocked huge, and if you take a lot of FaceTime and it’s somewhat infuriating that no one at calls, both you and the person on the other Apple seems to believe this is an issue. end of the call will instantly notice it. It finally As far as the front camera itself, Apple brings the iPad Pro’s selfie camera up to the has upgraded it from a plain ƒ/2.2 7MP level of the iPhone, which has had a highercamera to an ƒ/2.4 12MP ultrawide camera quality camera since the iPhone 11.

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REVIEW: 12. 9 - INCH i PA D P R O (2021)

design of the iPad Pro hasn’t changed much at all since the 2018 Liquid Retina redesign, and there’s a reason for that—it’s basically perfect. It’s a The design of the iPad Pro is touch heavier and a bit stale at this point, but it’s thicker than last year’s hard to find much fault with it. model, but that’s not a difference people are likely to notice, especially when the ergonomics are so good. It’s so similar to Since the camera is likely to be the 2020 model, in fact, that the old unnaturally located to the left of your keyboard case folds just fine, even with gaze while making a FaceTime call, Apple 0.5mm of extra girth. has launched a new feature called Center The bezels are small enough to not be Stage that somewhat solves that issue. distracting yet wide enough to hold When you shift out of the center of the (thanks to top-notch edge rejection), and frame, the camera will pan and zoom to the curved corners on the display nicely keep you in the center of the frame as if reflect the contours of the device itself. I someone was filming you. It’s a fantastic wouldn’t be opposed to a new color— feature that works smoothly and without once again, silver and space gray are the distraction, and, coupled with Attention only options—but the design of the iPad Correction, it does nicely hide the fact Pro is still great years later. that most people will be looking the wrong way.

A MORE FANTASTIC DISPLAY But if that’s the only complaint I have If you’ve used the largest iPad Pro before, about the iPad Pro’s design, then Apple the screen is going to seem very similar. has gotten a lot right. Move the camera It’s the same 12.9 inches as it’s always and rotate the Apple logo, and the iPad been and doesn’t appear to be much Pro’s design is fantastic, if a little stale. The different at first glance, even though Apple 84 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

is now using mini-LED tech and changes crisp color accuracy the Retina XDR $100 more. display provides. If you have the need— That’s not necessarily a criticism. and more important, the money—the Although the prior iPad Pro displays were 12.9-inch iPad Pro’s display won’t be a all LCDs, they were among the best in the disappointment, but it also won’t be the business, rivaling some competitors’ OLED tremendous visual upgrade the leap to screens. While you can certainly see the Retina or OLED was on the iPhone. difference in the Retina XDR display when you compare it side by side to the Liquid Retina display on the previous model, the visual difference isn’t nearly as stark as the specs would have you believe.

It’s definitely brighter (Apple says it can hit 1,600 nits but I couldn’t get it to go past 900 no matter how bright the surrounding light was), though most people will probably keep it at a much more visually palatable level. There’s also far better contrast that’s in line with OLED quality (1,000,000:1 versus 1,800:1), but again, unless you’re doing very specific tasks or watching very specific HDR movie scenes, you probably won’t notice.

The upgrade will likely be more noticeable for creative professionals who use the Unless you’re directly comparing the 2021 iPad Pro (top) Apple Pencil often and whose against the 2020 model (bottom), it’s extremely difficult to eyes will appreciate the kind of see the improvements.

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REVIEW: 12. 9 - INCH i PA D P R O (2021)

SPEED TO SPARE, LITERALLY The other upgrade Apple brought to this year’s iPad Pro is an M1 processor just like the one in the Apple silicon Macs. And just like the one in the Apple silicon Macs, it’s crazy fast.

If you’ve seen benchmarks for the 24-inch iMac (fave.co/3AvIV7y) or 13-inch MacBook Pro (fave.co/2PXzhbw), you’ll know exactly what the iPad Pro brings.

Compared to the A14 in the iPad Air (fave. co/3xSSsUM), it’s even faster than a hypothetical A14X, with a tremendous all-around speed, especially in Geekbench’s Compute tests. And the M1 completely blew away the previous iPad Pro when it comes to graphics.

Despite the new chip, however, you’re not getting much better battery life. Apple has rated every iPad it’s ever made by the

same 10 hours of battery life, give or take an hour or so, and the iPad Pro falls firmly within that range in my testing. That’s to say you won’t need to worry about plugging it in unless you use it for hours on end or leave it unplugged for days.

Speaking of plugging it in, you’ll get the same 18W fast charging as you did on the 2020 model—sadly there’s no wireless charging or MagSafe yet—but the port now supports Thunderbolt devices for faster data transfers and higher-resolution monitors. The only problem is Apple still hasn’t upgraded iPadOS to match, particularly when it comes to external displays. The only option is to mirror the iPad Pro’s display to a second monitor, which is a less-than-ideal experience that falls woefully short of a dual-screen workstation.

GEEKBENCH 5

3DMARK WILD LIFE

CPU performance

Graphics performance

Single

iPad Pro (2021)

Multi

Compute

Wild Life Extreme

Wild Life Extreme (Unlimited)

Wild Life Unlimited

iPad Pro (2021)

1,718

17,215

7,285

18,280 21,257

iPad Pro (2020)

18,267 iPad Pro (2020)

1,324 4,684

3,567 3,441

12,257 iPad Air (2020)

13,434 iPad Air (2020)

1,588 4,197

2,469 2,321

12,728 HIGHER SCORES ARE BETTER

86 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

8,986 HIGHER SCORES ARE BETTER

This year’s cellular model uses a 5G modem instead of an LTE one, so speeds will be quicker in areas where 5G networks are available. That’s nice to have but not all that necessary, especially if you have an iPhone 12 nearby. I tested Verizon’s 5G network and with top speeds around 80Mbps, it was faster than last year’s LTE model. But I got the results using my iPhone 12’s hotspot, so I’m not sure the The 2021 iPad Pro has the same rear camera array as the extra expense and monthly fee 2020 model. is worth it now. It’s nice to have limited to 5GB of RAM each, and even and offers a bit of future-proofing, but though iPadOS 15 will change that for much like the screen, it’s not essential—or some apps, it’s unlikely you’re ever going worth the $200 upgrade fee Apple is to do so much with your iPad Pro that you charging (versus $130 previously). need 16GB of RAM. And with simplified HELD BACK BY THE multitasking, it’s unlikely for the system to SAME CONSTRAINTS ever use anywhere near the available For the first time Apple is listing RAM memory. Some people will scoff at that specs for the iPad Pro, and it starts at the notion, but the fact remains that you can same 8GB as the base M1 Macs with 16GB do as much on the iPad Air, which has available at the 1GB and 2GB storage lesser specs and costs hundreds less. tiers. That’s a lot of RAM for an iPad— Apps open in an instant, scrolling is previous iPad Pro models topped out at incredibly smooth, and Safari feels super 6GB and the iPad Air only has 4GB—and snappy. So the 2021 iPad Pro certainly is as with the screen and the chip, I’m not fast—but so is the 2020 model. With quite sure all that memory is needed. On benchmarks and specs that absolutely a Mac, more RAM is always good, but blow away the previous model, the 2021 iPadOS isn’t macOS. Apps are currently iPad Pro should be leaps and bounds AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 87

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REVIEW: 12. 9 - INCH i PA D P R O (2021)

The M1 iPad Pro (top) is very similar to the 2020 model, but the USB-C port is now Thunderbolt and the antenna lines support 5G networks.

for professional apps like Final Cut Pro and Xcode, and Apple doesn’t give power users any compelling reason to jump to the Pro. Some may argue that Face ID, the rear camera system, and the larger screen justify the cost, but the fact remains that the tangible benefit you get when using a Mac Pro instead of a Mac mini just isn’t there when you’re switching between an iPad Air and an iPad Pro.

better than its predecessor. The reasons why it’s not aren’t necessarily a failing of BOTTOM LINE the iPad Pro but rather the way Apple has The 12.9-inch iPad Pro is undoubtedly the set up iPadOS. Despite breaking it away best tablet Apple has ever made. There’s from the iPhone two years ago, the iPad’s operating system is still stuck in something of a rut, with no real benefit to pro users or gamers. The iPad Pro will run everything better, but the speed and graphics boosts just don’t make as much of a difference as they could.

And other than raising RAM limits, the iPadOS 15 update fails to take advantage of the tremendous speed in The 2021 iPad Pro comes in silver and space gray, which are the iPad Pro. We’re still waiting starting to feel a little stale.

88 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

a lot to like about it—the display is gorgeous, the processor is desktop caliber, and the front camera is quite a good one—but it is also more expensive than ever.

Yes, you’re getting more speed and pixels There isn’t anything in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro’s class, including its 11-inch for your money, sibling. but whether that’s evident in your day-to-day use is another review, I wouldn’t actually recommend the question. If you don’t mind spending 12.9-inch iPad Pro to anyone who wasn’t $1,099 and up on a tablet, the 12.9-inch already dead set on buying one. The iPad Pro is the absolute cream screen is nice but not of the tablet crop with more noticeably better than last mmmm power, pixels, and performance year’s. The chip is fast but not 12.9-inch iPad Pro than you’ll ever need. There tangibly faster than last year’s.

(2021) really isn’t anything in the The front camera is improved PROS • Excellent screen and 12.9-inch iPad Pro’s class, but not noticeably—OK, the design. including its 11-inch sibling. front camera is a lot better. But • Fantastic FaceTime features.

Quite frankly, the 12.9-inch iPad that’s not really a reason to • Crazy fast CPU and GPU Pro has reached a point where spend a thousand-plus dollars speeds.

CONS Apple could take a break from to upgrade.

• Expensive. updating it for three years and If you want one, get one. If • Few pro features and apps. it would still run circles around you need to stretch your PRICE From $999 any other tablet. budget to afford one, however, COMPANY But despite few negatives just get last year’s model. Or, Apple and a 4-star score in this better yet, get an iPad Air. ■ AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 89

There are career paths that you might not know about.

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FEATURE

APPLE MUSIC LOSSLESS AND SPATIAL AUDIO: NOW AVAILABLE DOLBY ATMOS AND LOSSLESS FORMATS REQUIRE SPECIFIC AUDIO GEAR.

BY JASON CROSS IMAGES: APPLE

AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 91

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I

n June 2021, Apple Music got a big update (fave. co/3pdlWsS), and it’s free to all subscribers. The entire catalog of over 75 million tracks will be available in a lossless audio format using ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Compression), starting with 20 million tracks and expanding to the entire catalog by the end of 2021.

1 Eventually all tracks will be available in a hi-res lossless format at a maximum of 24-bit and 192kHz. In addition, some tracks will gain Dolby Atmos support, which can be played with lots of Apple and Beats headphones.

You’ll see labels on albums that show you which formats are available (1).

But not everyone will be able to enjoy these formats; you’ll need specific hardware for each of them. (And specific software: Your Apple device must be updated to iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6, macOS 11.4, or tvOS 14.6 in order to use these new formats.)

Here’s a simple breakdown of what you need to use these new formats.

Keep in mind that they require iOS 14.6, macOS 11.4, or tvOS 14.6, but they will not show up just because you updated your device.

92 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

APPLE MUSIC LOSSLESS Apple Music Lossless uses the ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) to retain all the information in the original CD-quality master. It starts at 16-bit, 44.1kHz, and goes up to 24-bit, 48 kHz. No Bluetooth device, not even Apple’s AirPods, can decode this format, so you’ll need to be using wired headphones.

To enable this format on your iPhone or iPad, open Settings, then Music, then Audio Quality and choose between Lossless and Hi-Res Lossless for cellular or Wi-Fi connections. You’ll also have to go into Settings or Preferences on a Mac or Apple TV to enable this feature. The iPhone has a built-in DAC that supports 24-bit, 48kHz so you can use a pair of Lightning headphones. The 3.5mm port on the Mac also supports 24-bit, 48kHz.

Additionally, Apple’s 3.5mm Lightning headphone adapter includes its own DAC that supports 24-bit, 48kHz, so high-end wired headphones will work. However, the Lightning to 3.5mm Audio Cable that Apple sells for the AirPods Max doesn’t support Lossless streaming.

Supported listening devices: Wired headphones or speakers are required. Of note, none of Apple’s AirPods or Beats wireless headphones will support Apple Music Lossless. Even the AirPods Max when plugged in via a Lightning cable won’t work, as it only accepts analog connections and then reconverts into digital. HomePod does not currently support Apple Music Lossless, though Apple says support will arrive “in a future software update.”

APPLE MUSIC HI-RES LOSSLESS High-Resolution lossless audio is a step up from the standard CD-quality lossless format. It goes all the way up to 24-bit at 192kHz. It has the same requirements as regular Lossless but also requires external hardware capable of handling 24-bit audio up to 192kHz, such as a USB DAC or receiver.

And you’ll also need a USB-to-Lightning dongle for your iPhone or Mac. Supported listening devices: The requirements are the same as with Apple Music Lossless, but your wired headphones or speakers must be connected to an external DAC capable of handling 24-bit 192kHz audio, which is in turn connected to your Apple device. HomePod and Apple TV do not support Hi-Res Lossless.

DOLBY ATMOS It’s unclear how many tracks will be available in Dolby Atmos, but Apple has several playlists dedicated to the new format. Many more Apple devices are supported—every AirPods or Beats product with a W1 or H1 chip in it will automatically play compatible tracks in Dolby Atmos, as will the latest iPhones, iPads, and Macs. You can force it on for

2

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other headphones by opening Settings → Music → Audio and changing the Dolby Atmos setting to Always On (2).

Supported listening devices: If you have any of the following headphones, Spatial Audio will automatically be engaged when a track with Dolby Atmos is played. It will also automatically play from the internal speakers on the latest iPhones, iPads, and Macs, and you can force it on for other listening devices through the method above. You must have your Apple TV hooked up to an audio device with Dolby Atmos support (or use AirPods [fave.co/2RafA0C]). > AirPods > AirPods Pro > AirPods Max > BeatsX > Beats Solo3 Wireless > Beats Studio3 > Powerbeats 3 Wireless > Beats Flex > Powerbeats Pro > Beats Solo Pro Spatial Audio is limited to Apple devices, however, as Apple Music on Android will not support the format, even when using AirPods.

APPLE DIGITAL MASTERS If you see the “Apple Digital Master” label on an album or track, you should know that it’s just a rebranding of the old 94 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

“Mastered for iTunes” feature. It has nothing to do with the output format of the track. It’s just a way for Apple to promote tracks that have been encoded directly from the 24-bit studio masters. Apple explains it like this (fave.co/3oYBKPN): By starting with the best possible masters we are able to offer our Apple Music and iTunes customers the highest possible quality audio. Our latest encoder can take advantage of every bit of the high-resolution masters that engineers are creating especially for us. The results, both for streaming and download, are virtually indistinguishable from the original 24 bit studio masters.

You don’t need to have any special hardware at all to take advantage of Apple Digital Masters—it’s all about Apple creating its files starting from a really high-quality source.

iTUNES DOWNLOADS Apple Music subscribers can redownload music in lossless-only format from the Apple Music catalog by deleting the original track and redownloading it. Previous iTunes purchases cannot be upgraded and new songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store are limited to AAC encoding. ■

BUZZED DRIVING IS DRUNK DRIVING

for some, feeling

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WORKINGMAC

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

How to protect yourself from phishing emails Phishing remains a key tool in hijacking accounts, but you can defeat it with a little savvy.

BY GLENN FLEISHMAN

P

hishing is a cute name for a malicious practice. An attacker sends millions of emails (or even a billion) that try to convince someone they are from a legitimate source. Phishing sometimes IMAGE: VLADA KARPOVICH / PEXELS.COM

relies on the billions of account compromises (fave.co/3hr8Cxw) that have occurred over the last several years to include telling personal details, like your mailing address or an account name associated with a site.

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WORKINGMAC

P R OT ECT YOU R SEL F FR OM P H ISH ING SCAM S

The mail convinces you something is wrong with your account, or there’s a great promotion underway, and urges you to click a link that looks correct. Clicking brings you to a website that wants your account credentials.

Proceed—and you may have given away the keys to your kingdom.

You can configure Apple Mail to not load any images by default.

This kind of what I was doing and closed the window. attack is insidious because most of us With the Amex messages, they both wound receive so much email from companies up filtered into my spam folder, but I looked and organizations we deal with that we at them and thought, “This must be in error.” can barely manage all of it. A message that However, on closer examination, I realized says “credit card exceeded limit!” may rise my spam app was more observant than I above the fray, and you pay attention. The was, and I never clicked at all. site to which the email is linked looks just Here’s what you can do to resist these like what you expect. attacks launched via email message.

I speak from a position of a fellow sufferer. Over the last year, I’ve received a text message from “DHL” and two emails DISABLE LOADING IMAGES from “American Express” that nearly got me.

Invisible tracking pixels allow both I clicked the DHL message, as I was marketers and scammers to know a expecting a package from that service, message was opened and may reveal which is rare for me—and quickly realized more than you want about yourself. You 98 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

can follow these instructions (fave. co/3dDgP0h) to disable automatic image and media loading. Starting with the release later this year of iOS/iPadOS 15 and macOS 12 Monterey, you can go further by enabling Mail Privacy Protection (fave.co/3dBqAfH), which loads trackers through a proxy to break the connection to you. (This feature doesn’t require iCloud+, the new name for paid iCloud tiers.)

DON’T CLICK ON SITE LINKS IN EMAIL While it’s convenient to click links in emails, not clicking links and instead using bookmarks or typing the first few letters of a site bypasses most phishing attacks.

HOVER OVER LINKS BEFORE CLICKING If you’re thinking of clicking and have an email client (like Apple’s Mail) that supports it, you can hover over any link and see what it looks like. If it’s not the URL of the company or group that sent it, don’t click. Some companies use email tracking and route their links through Mailchimp and other legitimate emailsending firms. You can’t differentiate between use and misuse in those cases.

With Apple email, hovering over shows the URL as tip text; only when you click the downward-pointing arrow do you get a full preview, which I recommend not

doing given the risk of providing more information about yourself.

LOOK FOR WARNINGS IN EMAIL Some email apps automatically warn you, or you can enable warnings that tell you a message looks suspicious or has links that point to known phishing sites. I use Postbox, which has this option. It’s not always accurate—it dislikes eBay’s emails, for some reason—but it at least makes me warier of an incoming email.

If you decide the link is legitimate and you go ahead and click it, be wary and follow this advice: Check the padlock. Safari and most other browsers display a lock icon in the Location or similar bar at the top of their window in desktop and mobile versions. If you don’t see a padlock, it’s a problem.

Safari warns of connections to sites that aren’t what they appear to be—but you’ll see it on a hotspot network if you haven’t yet passed the portal page.

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P R OT ECT YOU R SEL F FR OM P H ISH ING SCAM S

iPadOS, and macOS, as well as 1Password and other third-party ecosystems will only fill in a password if the domain matches precisely. A look-alike domain meant to fool you will never match, and thus you won’t be offered the opportunity to click or use Touch ID or Face ID to fill in the login fields.

The one occasion on which you will see an error when you’re trying to visit the legitimate version of a site is when you’re at a public hotspot and haven’t yet jumped through their hoop to join the network.

When you connect to such a hotspot, it blocks general internet traffic. It effectively redirects everything to a local “portal” page where you can pay, enter a login, or agree to terms of service for free access.

Until you pass the portal page, any other web page you visit will produce an error that looks like you’re at a fraudulent We recommend you use a password manager like 1Password (pictured here). site. ■ Watch for blatant security warnings.

Safari throws up a big warning when you visit a site that’s using a security document (a digital certificate) that doesn’t match the domain name it’s at. That’s a huge red flag and you should walk briskly away in a virtual sense. You have to do work to bypass this warning.

Watch for subtler security warnings.

Apple also checks (fave.co/3hwmRRo) in Safari for an expired security document (sites have to renew at least annually) that was formerly legitimate. And a nonsecure page that asks for your password or credit card is a red flag as well.

Use a password manager. Apple’s built-in password support across iOS,

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How to stay safe if you don’t log out of a website Some people take fears about account hijacking so seriously that they make their life harder without increasing their security.

BY GLENN FLEISHMAN

S

hould you worry about remaining logged into websites on your computer or mobile device when you’re not using the site? Whether you’re sitting in front of the computer or holding the mobile device or not? Generally, no. Someone would have to intercept or extract the tokens used to manage your login session, and if you have malware on your device that’s allowing that, other steps won’t matter, except removing the IMAGE: APPLE

malware. (There’s no known active malware for any Apple platform that would extract this kind of data.)

But some people are nonetheless concerned that they remain exposed.

Others may share access to a computer in a family or with roommates or in other scenarios and want to ensure they don’t leave themselves open to “friendly fire”—which can be as innocuous as a toddler typing randomly into a location bar in a browser.

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P R OT ECT YOU R SEL F FR OM P H ISH ING SCAM S

You have a few options that involve less hassle than logging out of sites.

USE A PRIVATE BROWSING WINDOW In Safari for macOS, choose File → New Private Window. In mobile Safari, tap the Tab Overview button (two overlapping squares), tap Private, and tap the plus sign (+) to open a new window.

You can log in and work within that window exactly as you would in a standard browsing session. When you’re done, close the window (or its tab). That permanently deletes any local storage associated, including login tokens that are stored as cookies in a browser, among other data. It’s the simplest way.

Private browsing is also the best way to log into accounts on a shared account on a Mac.

LOCK YOUR DEVICE Apple operating systems have different ways to lock access without a password. In iOS and iPadOS, press the standby button—Apple calls this the “top” button or “side” button, depending on your model— to lock the device immediately if you have a password enabled.

With a Mac, choose  → Lock Screen.

You can also press Command-Control-Q, but it’s very easy to slip and press the Log Out keyboard shortcut instead. If you want a quicker method, set up hot corners in the Desktop & Screen Saver preference pane’s Screen Saver tab: click Hot Corners and then select Lock Screen as an option from any of the pop-up menus. Sliding your cursor to the selected corner immediately locks the screen.

LOG OUT OF YOUR MAC’S ACCOUNT WHEN NOT IN USE

When you close a private window, any stored cookies will be permanently deleted.

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With a shared Mac, you may simply want to have your account inaccessible.

Choose  → Log Out or press Command-Shift-Q. ■

iCloud+ Private Relay explained: Don’t call it a VPN The new iCloud+ privacy feature isn’t the same as a VPN, but for many users it might be close enough.

BY JASON CROSS

T

his fall, Apple is upgrading all paid iCloud accounts to something it calls iCloud+ (fave. co/368GjyB). It includes several interesting new features on top of the existing iCloud storage, sync, and cloud features, but the most interesting might be something Apple calls iCloud Private Relay. At first, it sounds like a VPN (fave. co/3Ao3N0D): Your web-browsing traffic is IMAGE: APPLE

encrypted and sent through a relay to hide your exact location, IP, or the contents of your browsing traffic.

It’s not a VPN, though. Not quite.

There are important differences, which we’ll describe here. But iCloud Private Relay may be enough for most people, giving the most obvious benefits of a VPN to millions of users who would never consider signing up for one.

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iCLO UD + P R IVATE R EL AY

Here’s what this Private Relay feature is, how it works, and how it’s different from a traditional VPN.

WHAT IS iCLOUD PRIVATE RELAY? Once you upgrade to iOS 15, you’ll find a new setting in the iCloud Settings menu: Private Relay. Assuming that you pay for any iCloud plan and therefore have the iCloud+ service, you can simply turn on this switch to enable iCloud Private Relay.

That’s it—nothing to install or configure.

There’s an IP Address Location setting that lets you preserve your approximate location or use a broader location, but most users can ignore that.

When this is enabled, all of your browsing activity in Safari will be routed

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through two internet “hops,” or relays. Your data is encrypted and then sent to Apple, so your ISP can’t see any of your web browsing requests. Once at Apple’s proxy server, the DNS request (the thing that points a domain name like “macworld. com” to a specific server IP address) and your iPhone or Mac’s IP address are separated. Your IP address is retained by Apple, while your DNS request is passed on, encrypted, to a “trusted partner” that has the decryption key, along with a fake intermediary IP address that is based on your approximate location. Apple didn’t name its partners, but some web sleuths have figured out that they are major internet backbone companies such as Akami, Cloudfare, and Fastly.

This means that Apple knows your IP address but not the name of the sites you’re visiting, and the trusted partner knows the site you’re visiting but not your IP (and therefore not who you are). Neither party can piece together a complete

Apple’s two-proxy system makes it very difficult for any one company to build a profile of your web activity.

picture of both who you are and where you’re going.

The website you’re visiting typically gets your exact IP address and DNS request, so it can easily build a pretty detailed profile of exactly who you are, where you are, and where you’re going online. Combine that with a few cookies, even innocuous-seeming ones, and it’s pretty simple to have your entire online activity profiled, tracked, traced, and sold to advertisers (and others).

What iCloud Private Relay does is make the websites you’re visiting totally ignorant of this information, so it can’t build profiles of your activity.

The IP addresses Apple uses in place of your real one are still roughly approximate to your general area; it’s not enough to

identify you personally, but it will allow sites that use your IP address to deliver local news, weather, sports, or other info to keep working fine. There’s an option to use an even broader IP address, but it might make some of those sites work incorrectly.

Note that Apple does not allow you to choose an IP address or even a region, and won’t ever make it seem like you’re coming from a totally different place. In other words, if you want to use it to access geographically locked content in Netflix or other online services, you’re out of luck.

HOW IS iCLOUD PRIVATE RELAY DIFFERENT FROM A VPN? As cool as this Private Relay feature is, it’s definitely not a VPN. It will do a great AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 105

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selling it around to advertisers and data job of preventing profiling of your web brokers, then using iCloud Private Relay activity based on your basic connection on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac when it’s data. But it has a lot of shortcomings available in the fall of 2021 is a great when compared to a real VPN. Some of option. It’s fast and easy, and if you already these include: > It only works with Safari, not any of pay for any amount of iCloud storage, the other apps or web browsers you use. you’ll get it for free.

Technically, some other DNS info and a If you want real privacy and security for small subset of app-related web traffic will everything you do on the Internet, or want use it, but it’s best to think of it as a Safarito access content that’s available in only thing. countries other than your own, you’ll still > It’s easily identifiable as a proxy need a VPN. Fortunately, we have some server, which many large networks—like VPN recommendations (fave.co/3Ao3N0D) those at schools or businesses—will not for you. ■ work with. Most good VPNs disguise themselves to look like regular traffic from a nonproxy server. > As mentioned, it can’t hide the region you’re connecting from, only your specific IP location, so you can’t access content locked out of your region or experience websites as if you’re connecting from another country.

If all you really want to do is stop websites from building If you want real privacy and security for everything you do on the a profile of you and Internet, you’ll still need a VPN. 106 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

AmazonBasics 360-watt Standby UPS: You’ll find better value alternatives in this space This UPS doesn’t fare well in a head-to-head match-up with similarly priced units.

BY GLENN FLEISHMAN

T

he AmazonBasics 8-outlet uninterruptible power supply (UPS) supports up to a rated 360 watts of attached equipment, which it can provide with enough battery power to run a modest computer system IMAGE: AMAZON

with a smaller monitor for about 3 to 10 minutes. This delay lets a computer shut down automatically using built-in features in the operating systems or software provided for macOS and Windows if electrical power isn’t restored fast enough.

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REVIEW: A MA ZONBASICS 3 6 0-WATT STA N DBY UPS

This is a standby UPS that produces a simulated sine wave—the change in voltage from negative to positive and back in alternating current (AC) power—so it’s not recommended for most modern computer systems that use a power supply requiring a smoother or “pure” sine wave output from a UPS. Standby UPSes also have a short delay in cutting over from line power to their internal battery, which for some equipment can be too long.

Instead, you’d consider this AmazonBasics UPS as an option for keeping networking hardware going during a power outage, as well as blocking surges and bolstering power during brownouts to equipment. That could include a broadband modem, a Wi-Fi gateway, and an ethernet switch that, combined, consume less than 100 watts of power.

That would allow this unit to bridge quick outages and keep power running for as long as 20 minutes based on Amazon’s estimates. (Look up the specs on your devices or at manufacturers’ sites for all the equipment you want to connect to the battery-backed outlets and add their wattage together to get a maximum load factor.)

Amazon offers a wide array of products in its AmazonBasics line-up that trade a non-Amazon brand-name manufacturer label on the box for ostensibly a lower price for something of high quality. That 108 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

promise falls short here. While this unit works as expected, it’s not price competitive with brand names that offer more: more features, more power, and a longer warranty.

PROVIDES THE BASICS FOR NETWORK DEVICES This is a standby UPS, which kicks in battery power as it’s needed, including when line-voltage slumps (a brownout) and to provide juice during an outage. It also includes protection against short leaps in voltage in the same manner as a standalone surge protector.

This kind of UPS is cheaper than a line-interactive model, which conditions power continuously, and it can supplement power sags and remove minor surges without leaning on the battery. A standby unit should have the advantage of lower cost, and should work just fine in most normal conditions. However, because it takes longer to kick in power than a line-interactive UPS, it may not switch over to its battery fast enough to prevent a computer from crashing.

Amazon equips the UPS with eight outlets, four of which are connected to both surge protection and backup power, while the other four provide just surge protection. This is typical for UPSes, allowing you to get two kinds of benefits in one model.

It lacks an alert for wiring faults, a nice extra on most UPSes that can alert you to dangerous homewiring issues.

This Amazon model produces a simulated “stepped” or chunky sine wave for alternatingcurrent (AC) power output, as noted An onboard alarm can sound to warn you when the devices you’ve plugged in the AmazonBasics UPS are receiving power from its battery. earlier, instead of the smooth sine The outlet pattern is a little close wave that comes out of a wall socket— together if you have several devices that which slightly more expensive UPS rely on the wall-wart style of DC adapter. models can produce. A simulated sine The UPS has one outlet in each group of wave can interact poorly with computers four that’s 2.25 inches away from the next that use modern power supplies with group of three, which are spaced 1.25 active power factor correction (PFC). inches apart. Outlets are spaced correctly These supplies use power more efficiently for standard 2-prong and 3-prong cords and can automatically adjust voltage used in electronics. without manual switches or modifications Simplicity is the watchword on this across the power systems used in model, which has a single button on the different countries. top that powers the unit on and off, and For voltage correction and short also manages some alarm-sound settings. periods of time, a stepped sine wave is not Its LED lights up green in normal use and likely to cause substantial problems, but flashes (along with emitting beeps) when the power supply might produce a highit’s in battery mode and when its battery is pitched whine. If you have expensive about to be depleted. hardware or experience frequent power AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 109

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sags and short outages, however, pick a pure sine wave UPS, often a feature of line-interactive UPSes. It’s worth the often only slightly higher price with modern UPSes to avoid the potential of power-supply damage. Lineinteractive units also switch over to battery This UPS won’t restart after it has fully depleted power. power substantially faster than most standby units, preventing when the battery kicks in, or when the the possibility of a computer crashing due battery is running out of juice, as well as to a short absence of juice. triggering an automatic shutdown.

Check your computer system to find The software Amazon offers provides out if it uses active PFC; it’s sometimes additional statistics and other controls listed in a technical specifications list by beyond those built in to macOS and the manufacturer, but often you have to Windows. While Amazon product dig to find the information. A power reviewers said the software allows tuning supply that automatically switches among certain low-level electrical features, that voltages used by different countries’ feature wasn’t present in the latest release. power systems without requiring a The software also isn’t mentioned in the switch to be set is almost certainly included manual and must be downloaded using active PFC. from the UPS product page at Amazon, If you wind up using the UPS with a where the links for macOS and Windows computer, you can connect it via an versions appear in small type. included USB cable and install software Amazon often contracts third parties to provided by Amazon, or rely on options make its AmazonBasics-branded goods, built into the operating system. This and CyberPower is the creator of this UPS, includes notifications when power sags, which closely resembles some CyberPower 110 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

models. Like the software branded by while the UPS is appropriately connected to CyberPower, the AmazonBasics download power. Owners have 30 days from an for macOS isn’t released using the incident to file a claim. The warranty details standard, secure method Apple offers to are not included with the product, but only prevent malware installation, which costs a available as a download from the Amazon developer a mere $99 a year to participate product page. in. Mac users will find themselves baffled At the price for which Amazon offers trying to launch the software, which the AmazonBasics eight-outlet, requires a special sequence in macOS to 600VA/360W UPS, you should instead bypass security precautions that prevent consider a competing product from the such “unsigned” software from running. white-label manufacturer that produced While the AmazonBasics model works this model for Amazon: CyberPower. The with Windows and macOS powereight-outlet, CyberPower ST625U management features, an extra feature of Standby UPS (625VA, 360W, 8 outlets the custom software is that it lets you [fave.co/2UgbchO]) costs almost exactly directly configure some audio settings for the same, has two USB charging ports when the UPS beeps or produces a you won’t find on the AmazonBasics continuous sound. The hardware power model, has more conveniently placed and button allows access to only a oriented outlets, and comes few of those features. (A more with a robust three-year mmmh up-to-date version of the warranty. CyberPower includes AmazonBasics 360-watt software [fave.co/3weBCh4] a later version of its UPS Standby UPS directly from CyberPower management software, but it PROS • Enough power to keep offers more features and suffers from not being a home networking hardware appears to be fully properly signed app in its running during multi-minute power outages. compatible.) macOS version as well.

• Includes management and monitoring software.

Amazon offers a fairly paltry CONS one-year limited warranty that BOTTOM LINE • Amazon provides only a includes repair or replacement of The AmazonBasics 600VA, one-year warranty.

• Doesn’t restart after fully the device for manufacturing 360W, 8-outlet Standby UPS depleting power. defects, and repair or is a solid enough product, but PRICE $57 replacement of up to $75,000 of it has nothing going for it at COMPANY properly connected covered this price point compared to Amazon electronics if damage occurs its brand-name peers. ■ AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 111

AM I OKAY TO DRIVE? BUZZED DRIVING

G N I V I R D K N U R D IS

PLAYLIST

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

Beats Studio Buds: Compact and comfortable, but missing a few features The lack of an Apple H1 chip means these earbuds don’t do everything AirPods do.

BY JASON CROSS

I

t didn’t take long for Apple’s acquisition of Beats in 2014 (fave.co/3yfBu2n) to pay off for iPhone users. Apple’s associating the Beats line with iPhones in ways that make sense, such as using the W1 and later the H1 chip in many Beats IMAGE: JASON CROSS

headphones and earbuds, comes with a lot of advantages, essentially turning the Beats line into a sort of side-AirPods brand with different styling and sound characteristics.

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iPhone or iPad. You get spatial audio when watching supported surround-sound video or listening to Apple Music tracks with Dolby Atmos.

The lack of an Apple-made chip in the Beats Studio Buds leaves them in an awkward place where you get some of these features, but not all. There’s no iCloud sync to instantly switch to other HALFWAY TO AIRPODS Apple devices. There’s no Spatial Audio Beats products with the H1 chip get most when watching video since they don’t of the same Apple ecosystem features have the accelerometer/gyro required for AirPods do. They are recognized by your head tracking. There’s no audio sharing. iPhone with a pop-up card for instant And there’s no in-ear detection, so your pairing, and they can show your music doesn’t pause when you take out headphone and case battery life. They can an earbud and start up again when you instantly switch to other Apple devices that put it back. are signed in with the same Apple ID. You In some ways, though, Beats Studio can share audio with two pairs of AirPods Buds do work like AirPods. You still get (or W1/H1-equipped Beats) from the same instant pairing with the info card and can see battery status once paired. Spatial Audio works automatically in Apple Music (though you can force it on with all headphones, so that’s not a big deal). They integrate into Control Center like AirPods, with noisecancellation and transparency controls beneath the volume slider.

You get hands-free “Hey, Siri” support. They even support Beats Studio Buds have noise cancellation controls in Control Center like AirPods do.

Find My as AirPods do. chip you’ll find in the Powerbeats Pro (fave. co/3wdIjAe) or the Solo Pro (fave. co/3wchGf4). You still get some Apple ecosystem features, but you’ll miss out on others. The comfort and sound quality are tremendous for the price, but Apple enthusiasts may want to consider whether the trade-offs are worth it.

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It’s a strange mix of supported and unsupported Apple ecosystem features, but suffice it to say if you use a lot of Apple products and services, AirPods Pro are going to give you more of that “Apple magic.”

BETTER FOR ANDROID USERS If you use an Android phone at least some of the time or share your earbuds with someone who does, the Beats The little earbuds are small, light, and don’t stick out very far, so Studio Pro are maybe they won’t dislodge too easily. better suited for that purpose than the W1/H1-equipped Beats DESIGN THAT DISAPPEARS IN products are.

YOUR EARS The case charges with USB-C rather I’m quite enamored with the design of the than Lightning (there’s no wireless Studio Buds. The charging case is about charging), and they support the new the same size as that of the AirPods Pro, Google Fast Pair standard to connect much smaller than the one for the more easily. They also support Google’s Powerbeats Pro. The buds are tiny, Find My Device in addition to Apple’s Find lightweight, and extremely comfortable.

My network.

They just slip right in your ear, with no You may not get hands-free “Hey, stem sticking down, and without a big Google” support, but this is still a more bulbous hump sticking out to catch on full-featured overall experience than you’ll your winter hat. I was surprised to find get with most modern Beats products on they didn’t get uncomfortable at all over an Android phone. a couple of hours of listening, and they AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 115

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stayed in my ears just fine while skateboarding around my neighborhood and going for a light jog, though the fit loosened just a little as I got sweaty.

They are splash and sweat resistant, but not waterproof.

I have a problem maintaining a comfortable fit with the AirPods Pro over long periods, while the Studio Buds just disappear in my ears and never seem to need adjustment.

Beats promises an 8-hour battery life, with enough power in the case to recharge the buds twice. That seemed a little optimistic in my testing, but not by too much—battery life is quite good. You’ll lose about a quarter of your battery life with noise cancellation enabled, but that’s to be expected.

I also appreciate the physical button on each earbud. They’re actual clicky buttons rather than capacitive touch controls, which is better for winter hats and sweaty workouts. Apple is overthinking things with AirPods’ touch controls, and sometimes the old ways are best. The controls are the same on each ear, and follow the standard headphone control format—one click to play/pause, two to skip forward, three to skip back, and a long press to toggle noise-canceling modes.

BOTTOM LINE

Speaking of noise canceling, the feature’s good but not as good as the AirPods Pro’s.

Apple’s earbuds do a better job of eliminating outside traffic noise than these Beats buds do, and the transparency mode sounds more natural as well. The noise canceling is worthwhile, but a step behind the state of the art from Apple or Sony.

Sound quality is quite good for such compact Bluetooth buds. They’re not as bass-heavy as some Beats products are, perhaps by design and possibly as a consequence of the small You can select what the long-press action does (Noise Control or Siri) for left and right ears, but you cannot otherwise change how earbud drivers. There’s the buttons work. still plenty of kick where

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That puts one in an odd position when it comes to recommending a product. I like the fit, music reproduction, and controls on the $149 Beats Studio Buds better than on the $249 AirPods Pro. But the Beats Buds don’t have iCloud device syncing or instant switching, These little buds put out some impressive sound quality. The call don’t do Spatial Audio quality leaves a bit to be desired, though. when you’re watching it’s warranted, and the sound profile is video, don’t have a wireless charging case, better suited to modern pop, hip-hop, and and don’t automatically pause when you R&B than, say, classical or jazz. take one earbud out.

On balance I would say I None of those is a prefer the music reproduction dealbreaker on its own, but mmmm quality in the Beats Studio together they’re enough to Beats Studio Buds Buds to that of the AirPods ensure that the AirPods Pro PROS Pro. The Studio Buds just have provide a nicer overall • Pretty affordable. a crisp sound that puts the experience for those who use • Extremely compact and comfortable. sharp attack into all those multiple Apple products and • Great music quality for the price. snaps and pops. Combine that services. Is that worth $100 CONS with a more comfortable and more? That depends on your • Noise ==cancellation is just steady fit, and I found priorities. All I know is that I enjoy okay.

• Missing a few Apple-centric spending time listening to the design of these Beats more features. music with these to be better than the AirPods or AirPods Pro, PRICE $149 than with the AirPods Pro, and I hope Apple takes some COMPANY despite the fact that these are lessons from its subsidiary when Beats priced over $100 less. designing its next earbuds. ■ AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 117

PLAYLIST

Focal Radiance: The Bentley of headphones These high-end cans offer top-notch materials, elegant design, and excellent—though not flawless—sound.

BY SCOTT WILKINSON

F

ocal produces some of the best headphones in the world, with prices to match. Bentley holds a similar position in the automotive industry, and Focal’s sibling company, Naim—also a well-respected luminary in high-end audio—has been

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supplying sound systems for Bentley cars since 2008. So it’s no surprise that Focal and Bentley have teamed up to bring a new headphone into the light of day: the Radiance.

At $1,299, the new model sits squarely between Focal’s $899 Elegia (fave.

IMAGE: FOCAL

co/2UZFe9Q) and the $2,990 Stellia (fave. co/3dEQhfh), deriving features from both.

Soundwise, it’s a bit different from its siblings, but still excellent.

FEATURES

the same size and shape, but it’s made from pure beryllium.) It is called “M-shaped” because the cross-section of the diaphragm resembles the letter M, which is said to offer high rigidity for more precision and less distortion. Specs include a frequency response from 5Hz to 23kHz (no tolerance given) with a THD of 0.1 percent at 1kHz/100 dB SPL and a sensitivity of 101 dB SPL/1 mW at 1 kHz. The impedance is 35 ohms, making the Radiance relatively easy to drive.

As in the Elegia and Stellia, the earcups offer excellent isolation from ambient sound while providing an optimized acoustic environment for the drivers. In fact, the earcups include two vents: one to control the balance between the bass and midrange and the other to evacuate the

Like the Elegia and Stellia, the Radiance is a circumaural (around-the-ear), closedback design that connects to the source device with actual wires—no Bluetooth here! It comes with a 4-foot OFC (oxygenfree copper) 24 AWG cable with a 3.5mm plug and an adapter that converts it to a ¼-inch plug. The design elements are pure Bentley, with the company’s logo at the ends of the headband, a diamond motif in the outer earcup grilles and stitching of on the inner headband that’s reminiscent of Bentley’s iconic upholstery quilting, and an elegant black-andcopper color scheme.

Also notable is the full-grain Pittards leather that covers the earpads and inner headband.

The full-range driver is the same one found in the Elegia—a 40mm M-shaped dome made from an alloy of aluminum and magnesium. (The Focal designed its Radiance headphone in cooperation with the driver in the Stellia is luxury automobile manufacturer Bentley Motors.

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REVIEW: F OCA L R A D IA NCE

Viewed in cross section, the driver diaphragm resembles an “M,” which Focal says improves its rigidity.

rear wave from the center of the motor to avoid compression and extend the lowfrequency response—in other words, this is a bass-reflex headphone! At the other end of the sonic spectrum, EVA (ethylenevinyl acetate) foam behind the drivers absorbs excess high-frequency energy.

Finally, acoustic diffusers break up any standing waves and make the earcups more rigid and inert.

While the earcups use the same design, Focal took a different approach in

the tuning of the Radiance. According to the company, the new headphone has more bass and a bit more treble— apparently, the classic “smile” EQ curve— and it’s warmer than the Elegia. Also, it is said to have very wide dynamic range.

As I said in my Stellia review, even the packaging is noteworthy. A large, sturdy box includes the headphone and cable in their rigid, woven-cover case that, in this instance, sparkles with copper and black threads, and the Bentley logo adorns the handle.

PERFORMANCE

Even the packaging is quite impressive.

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Putting the Radiance on my head, it felt identical to the Stellia—same large earpads that fit easily over my large ears, good acoustic seal, and low clamping pressure.

And the leather earpads were super comfortable.

As usual, I listened to tracks from Tidal’s Master high-res audio library playing from my iPhone XS

through an iFi hip-dac, reviewed at fave. co/3ypMGKO. Also as usual these days, I started with a track from the amazing Jacob Collier—in this case, his cover of the Police classic “Every Little Thing She Does” from Djesse Vol. 1. Right away, I noticed bright highs and deep bass that was a bit overdone, especially the low piano note at the end, The earcup and driver are carefully designed to deliver though the rest of the bass excellent sound quality. seemed slightly too forward as well. On the other hand, the vocals were and the piano was just a tad congested in very clear and present, and the overall the low end. sound was smooth and well integrated.

Turning to some rock, I cued up “Sex A new discovery for me is Artemis, a Shooter” from Prince’s posthumous album seven-member, all-female, modern-jazz Originals. In this case, the vocals were ensemble consisting of a rhythm section somewhat farther back than I had heard and several horns. “Goddess of the Hunt” them up to now, while the synthesizer was from the group’s eponymous album more up front. Interestingly, the synth bass features some wonderfully inventive was not overbalanced, though the kick composing, arranging, and improvising. drum was pretty dominant. Overall, the On the Radiance, the bass was slightly sound was clean and clear. overbalanced, but the horn section was As I was looking around the Tidal Master clear, and the soloists emerged nicely. library, I came across an artist called Mozart For some more straight-ahead jazz, I La Para, so I listened to “Golpe De Estado” turned to Diana Krall’s new album The from the album Niveles. I thought it might be Dream of You. Her rendition of “That’s All” music inspired by Mozart, but no—it’s is a simple quartet of piano, guitar, Spanish-language rap with bass you might acoustic bass, and drums accompanying hear booming from a passing lowrider. The her wonderful voice. The Radiance pronounced bass dropped almost into produced a clean, clear sound with her infrasonic territory—in fact, this track benefits vocal way up front, which is probably in from the Radiance’s emphasized bass. The the mix. The bass was slightly overbearing, vocals were very clear and way up front.

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bass was a bit overbalanced and just a tad indistinct.

Finally, I listened to an album called Bach Parallels by percussionist Makoto Nakura.

His arrangement of Bach’s Passacaglia in C minor, BWV 582, for six percussionists includes marimbas, xylophones, and a glockenspiel. It starts with a low marimba and gradually adds instruments and complexity. The overall sound was slightly congested on the Radiance, and the low marimba and high glockenspiel were more pronounced than the midrange.

COMPARISON WITH FOCAL STELLIA The headband and earpiece yoke mechanisms are derived from Focal’s flagship Utopia headphone, and they contribute to the Radiance’s high comfort factor. Note the diamond pattern in the outer earcup grille and the Bentley logo.

For some classical music, I played the finale (“Pines of the Appian Way”) from Respighi’s Pines of Rome as recorded by Filarmonica Della Scala under the direction of Riccardo Chailly. This is one of my all-time favorite orchestral pieces, which gradually crescendos from super soft to a crashing climax. The Radiance reproduced this wide dynamic range very well, except that the loudest part was slightly congested. And as before, the 122 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

The only comparable headphone I had on hand for this review was the Focal Stellia, which I reviewed at fave.

The stiff, molded case cradles and protects the Radiance and its cable.

co/3dEQhfh. It incorporates many of the same technologies as the Radiance, but its driver is beryllium rather than aluminum/magnesium, and it’s tuned differently. It’s also more than twice the price!

The cable I listened to each track on both connectors include headphones, and from the get-go, the the distinctive Bentley Stellia presented a more even, neutral diamond motif. balance from the lowest to highest and generally very good. My frequencies. Also, it was a bit more open complaints about overbalanced bass and transparent. and treble are minor, and you might On “That’s All” and “Goddess of the actually prefer the tuning. I noticed it Hunt,” the bass was more tucked in as it right away probably because I listen to a should be, and on “Sex Shooter,” the kick lot of headphones, and it was more drum was not as pronounced and I could apparent in immediate comparison with hear the secondary vocals a bit better. The the Stellia, which remains the best Stellia still had plenty of bass on “Golpe headphone I’ve ever heard.

De Estado,” but not quite as much as the The Radiance is a fine Radiance. Likewise, the low headphone, built with highbass on “Pines of the Appian mmmm quality materials that befit its Way” was still there, but in its Focal Radiance Bentley co-branding. As such, proper place, and the climax PROS • Clean, smooth, it deserves its relatively high was more open and cleaner. well-integrated sound. price tag of $1,299, though Also, the Passacaglia sounded • Highest-quality build materials. that’s still less than half the more open, and the bass and • Super comfortable. price of the Stellia. treble were better balanced CONS If you value the finer things with the midrange.

• Slightly overbalanced bass and treble. in life, and you have the • Expensive. pocketbook to afford them, the BOTTOM LINE PRICE $1,290 Focal Radiance is well worth Overall, the sound of the COMPANY the investment. It is luxury Focal Radiance is very Focal personified. ■ consistent across genres— AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 123

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Klipsch The Fives: These Bluetooth bookshelf speakers deliver smooth, refined sound But the sonic balance tips toward the bass and away from the mids and highs.

BY SCOTT WILKINSON

E

ver since 1946, when Paul Klipsch began selling his patented Klipschorn speakers, the company that bears his name has been inextricably linked with horn-based designs. As he discovered a decade earlier while comparing horn124 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

loaded and cone-based speakers, horns offer greater efficiency and more controllable dispersion.

Now, almost 75 years later, the company continues to implement that philosophy in a wide range of speakers, including The Fives, a pair of powered, wireless bookshelf IMAGE: FOCAL

speakers that bespeak high quality in their construction and performance.

FEATURE SET The Fives are fairly large bookshelf speakers that measure 12x6.5x9.25 inches (HxWxD). The primary speaker weighs in at 11.8 pounds, while the secondary speaker is a bit lighter at 10.7 pounds. As with most such wireless bookshelf systems, the primary speaker houses all the electronics, while the secondary unit is nothing but a passive speaker. But unlike some such systems, it The magnetic grilles are made from a tough woven fabric. allows you to select whether the primary speaker is on the left or right with come with a handsome magnetic grillea switch on the back, which makes cloth cover. placement more flexible.

The built-in, custom-designed Each 2-way speaker includes a 4.5amplifiers provide a total of 160 watts of inch high-excursion fiber-composite cone power (320W peak), with each woofer woofer, the size of which is close enough receiving 60W and each tweeter getting to 5 inches to give the speakers their 20W from their own separate amp circuits. name. A 1-inch titanium LTS (Linear Travel The maximum output is specified to be Suspension) vented tweeter with 90x90109dB at a distance of 1 meter from the degree Tractrix horn is derived from the stereo pair, and frequency response is company’s lauded Reference Premiere specified from 50Hz to 25kHz (no series. The bass-reflex enclosure has a tolerance given), with bass extension rear-firing Tractrix port, and it’s down to 46Hz at 35 percent volume. constructed from sturdy MDF with One interesting feature is Dynamic genuine wood veneer. Also, the speakers Bass EQ, which is normally found only in AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 125

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Fives’ HDMI input; as you may know, the TV’s ARC input sends audio data to an external device in addition to accepting video and audio data from a device. In this case, you must connect your source devices to the TV and use it to switch between them, and you can’t use the TV’s HDMI ARC input as an input. If your TV doesn’t have an ARC input, you can use its optical digital-audio output or line-level analog-audio outputs to connect to The Fives. (You can read more about ARC in fave.co/3hFaSBl.) Speaking of which, analog inputs include a 3.5mm stereo analog jack and a phono input with two RCA jacks and a ground terminal; the phono input can also be switched to line level. Rounding out the connections on the back of the primary speaker is an RCA subwoofer output, a USB-A port for servicing, a 4-pin connector that’s used with the included cable to connect to the secondary speaker, and the AC power receptacle. A Bluetooth button lets you pair The Fives to a Bluetooth source.

The Fives incorporate high-quality parts throughout.

A/V receivers. Basically, the level of low frequencies relative to the entire spectrum changes depending on the overall level you set—the lower the overall level, the more the bass is boosted to accommodate how human hearing perceives different frequencies at different levels. You can disable this feature if you wish using the included IR remote.

Inputs abound on The Fives, all of which are found on the primary speaker. For wireless connectivity, there’s Bluetooth 5.0 with support for the aptX, aptX HD, AAC, and SBC codecs. In addition, physical digital inputs include optical Toslink, USB-B for connection to a computer, and HDMI ARC for connection to a TV. To use the ARC connection, you need to connect the TV’s ARC input to The

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it. The selected source LED also blinks twice when you disable Dynamic Bass EQ, once when you enable it.

The only problem I had with this arrangement is that I couldn’t see the LEDs when sitting directly in front of the speakers. I wish there was an LED indicator on the front of the speaker to indicate the power and Dynamic Bass EQ status.

You can also control The Fives with the included remote, which is small and simple. Along with a power The comprehensive set of inputs on the primary speaker on/off button, it provides a includes HDMI ARC, phono/line (switchable), 3.5mm stereo analog, optical digital, and USB. A sub output lets you connect play/pause button, volume an external subwoofer. The 4-pin connector at the bottom up/down, subwoofer volume right (left, when viewed from this angle) connects the primary up/down, mute, and speaker to the secondary speaker using the included cable. dedicated source-select USING THE KLIPSCH THE FIVES buttons, along with a Sub Reset button that The top of the primary speaker offers two resets the subwoofer level to its nominal knurled knobs that are embedded with value as well as enabling and disabling only a portion of each one extending Dynamic Bass EQ. above the surface. One selects the source, The free Klipsch Connect app for iOS and the other adjusts the volume. The and Android offers another control option knobs feel very sturdy and substantial, just for several of the company’s products, like the rest of the speaker. including The Fives. But the current The source-select knob has six white version only provides a setup routine, LED indicators next to it. In addition to firmware update, and product registration. identifying the selected source, the LEDs At first, I didn’t want to register the product also indicate the volume when you change since it’s a review sample, but the app AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 127

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wouldn’t go beyond that point without it, so I input my info. The app offers a quickstart guide with videos, which is basically an enhanced version of the printed guide.

As I played with the app, I discovered that the speakers had firmware version 1.5.0 and version 1.5.2 was available, so I performed the update. The download took less than a minute, while the process of updating the speaker took several minutes. This process is far better than downloading the update to a computer, putting it on a USB flash drive, and plugging that into the speaker.

Otherwise, the app isn’t very useful.

According to Klipsch, the app will be updated with EQ and other functions later this year.

The sturdy-feeling top-mounted controls let you select the source and adjust the volume.

The LED source indicators also form a volume ladder when you change the volume.

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The included remote is small and simple with dedicated sourceselection buttons.

PERFORMANCE As usual, I used the Tidal Master library as my source material playing via Bluetooth from my iPhone XS. Also as usual these days, I started with some Jacob Collier— this time, “All I Need” from Djesse Vol. 3. This wonderful track follows the best tradition of Earth, Wind, and Fire updated for the 21st Century. On The Fives, the vocals were superclean, but the highs were slightly veiled and the bass was just a bit bloated. Disabling Dynamic Bass EQ helped, but I couldn’t really hear much difference between on and off.

Next up was “Ojos Negros,” a new single by Paula Cendejas and Girl Ultra.

This upbeat Latin track has lots of electronics and deep bass, which again was slightly bloated on The Fives. The highs were a bit laid back, but the vocals were smooth and clear.

Another new discovery for me is saxophonist Nubya Garcia. “The Message

Continues” from her debut album Source is a basic jazz combo of bass, drums, electric piano, and tenor sax. The bass is quite prominent in the mix, and as before, it was a bit overblown on The Fives.

The sax and piano sounded excellent, while the highs in the cymbals were a tad recessed.

Turning to some classic country, I cued up “Devil in Klipsch deserves credit for including a dedicated remote control so you don’t need to pull out your phone for everything. a Sleepin’ Bag” by Willie Nelson from his remastered album Shotgun Willie. The the Muncher Philharmoniker under Fives sounded smooth if a bit restrained, Sergiu Celebidache. As before, The and as I had come to expect, the bass was Fives sounded smooth and a bit a bit overblown. Willie’s voice sounded— restrained, especially in the upper well, just like Willie. frequencies, with no appreciable bass For some solo piano, I was surprised to bloat as I had heard on other tracks. In find Chick Corea playing classical literature my notes, I wrote that the speakers had live in Paris on Chick Corea Plays. I a “sophisticated, polite sound.” listened to Scriabin’s Prelude #4 from Op. COMPARING KLIPSCH THE 11, in which Corea injects a jazz FIVES TO FLUANCE AI60 interpretation in a few spots. The piano During my listening sessions, I played sounded smooth and cohesive, and I each track on the Fluance Ai60 wireless didn’t notice any bloat in the bass on this bookshelf speakers, reviewed at fave. track. The speakers still sounded a bit co/36dFkNv, in addition to The Fives for restrained, though. comparative purposes. The Ai60s have a Moving on to a larger symphonic 1-inch silk-dome tweeter in a shallow sound, I played the finale from Berlioz’ waveguide and a 6.5-inch woofer in a Symphonie Fantastique as performed by AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 129

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sealed cabinet, and they list for $299.99, cleaner bass that was better balanced with less than half the list price of The Fives. the rest of the spectrum. Some might I placed The Fives on top of the Ai60s, consider the Ai60s somewhat brash and which worked out well, since the Klipsch splashy, more like ear candy and less speakers are a bit smaller. I set the Ai60s’ sophisticated than The Fives, but this EQ to a flat response and disabled The didn’t bother me—in fact, I preferred the Fives’ Dynamic Bass EQ, which sounded sound of the Ai60s overall. better to my ear. Thanks to Tidal’s user interface, I was able to switch between BOTTOM LINE them seamlessly.

The Fives are obviously a high-quality On every track, the Ai60s sounded product, derived from more than seven brighter and more open than The Fives decades of speaker excellence. The with crisper highs—in some cases, they sound is smooth, refined, and sounded just a tad overbright in direct sophisticated, though it’s tipped slightly comparison with The Fives. For example, toward the bass and away from the mids on the Scriabin piano piece, they and highs. And the bass can be a bit sounded ever-so-slightly strident. Also, overblown. the bass was cleaner, better defined, The wide range of connection options and deeper with no sense of make The Fives well suited for bloating. The deeper bass is many applications, including mmmm completely understandable, Bluetooth, computer and TV Klipsch The Fives since the Ai60s’ lowaudio, and even direct input PROS frequency extension is from a turntable. And the build • Smooth, refined, sophisticated sound. specified down to 35Hz, while quality is top notch.

• Extensive connection The Fives are spec’d down to At $799 a pair, The Fives options.

• Extremely well built.

50Hz. are not cheap. But if your taste CONS Overall, The Fives sounded tends toward a refined sound, • Bass is slightly overemphasized, sometimes smoother and more refined they could be well worth the a bit bloated. than the Ai60s, though also a investment. On the other hand, • Mids and highs are often a tad recessed or even slightly bit restrained in the high end if you crave more excitement in veiled. with slightly overblown bass. the sound of your speakers, PRICE $799 By contrast, the Fluance the Fluance Ai60 is a better COMPANY speakers were brighter and choice, and it’s less than half Klipsch more open with deeper, richer, the cost. ■ 130 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

2021 Siri Remote: A worthwhile upgrade for your Apple TV Apple’s new remote is a huge improvement, but quite expensive.

BY JASON CROSS

I

f you already have an Apple TV 4K, it’s not worth replacing. Sure, the second-generation Apple TV 4K (fave.co/3AsBP3G) can play back 4K HDR content at 60fps, but there’s not much need for that yet. And there’s eARC support, too. If you’re an edge case where those features really matter IMAGE: JASON CROSS

a lot to you, then you might consider buying the new model.

For everyone else, just hang on to the Apple TV 4K you’ve already got. (If you have Apple TV HD, however, it’s probably time to upgrade). The Siri Remote, on the other hand, may be worth your money. You can buy it alone for $59, and it works with AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 131

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existing Apple TV HD and 4K units. That price tag inspires a bit of sticker shock for a fairly simple remote, but it really improves the usability of Apple’s streaming hardware.

BIGGER, BUT STILL LITTLE The old Siri Remote was absolutely tiny.

At 4.8 inches tall and a quarter-inch thick, it sort of got lost in your hand. Worse, it was so symmetrical, with all the buttons right in the middle of two flat areas, that you’d often accidentally hold it upside down. The upper area was an edge-toedge clickable touchpad that felt just like the blank lower area, seemingly designed to encourage as many accidental taps and swipes as possible.

The new design takes some design cues from the old 2nd-generation Apple Remote. Just a half-inch taller and a little narrower, it’s still quite small. But that half inch makes all the difference. Together with the asymmetrical controls on the face, it’s now easy to use without looking—a critical feature of any remote.

commands because that’s what every other platform in the world uses. Those apps were a chore to use with the old Siri Remote, and now they just feel right.

Apple’s also got a new scrub feature that’s sort of hit-and-miss. If you pause a video, and then touch the navigation circle and hold for a second, you’ll notice the seek bar will get a round “jog dial” icon.

Now you can run your finger around the circle to scrub through the video. It feels like using the old iPod click wheel and is a great way to get where you want to be quickly and precisely. There’s a good reason professional editing stations often

NAVIGATION MADE EASY Gone are the accidental taps and swipes of the old click pad. The new Siri Remote has a circular, touch-sensitive D-pad with a clickable touchpad in the center. You can still swipe around as needed, but streaming apps often have interfaces that are built around discrete up/down/left/right 132 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

The new Siri Remote is just a half-inch taller than the old one, but the bigger size makes a huge difference in manageability.

have jog dials, after all.

But it doesn’t work all the time.

I had no problem engaging it in any content streamed from the TV app, Hulu, or Netflix, but apps with their own playback interfaces such as Peacock or YouTube don’t work with it yet.

Using the remote like an iPod click wheel to scrub through video feels absolutely right.

The Menu button is now the NEW BUTTONS Back button, but it’s just a naming change, IN NEW LOCATIONS not a change in function. (Menus really The new circular direction-pad-and-clickever popped up when you hit the Menu pad is a huge improvement, but the addition button, after all.) However, Apple TV apps of a couple new buttons also helps. are a little inconsistent about what they do There’s now a power button in the when you hit the Back button. Some stop upper right, flush with the face so it’s hard playback and back you up a step, while to accidentally press. Hold it down for a others clear away interface elements couple seconds to put everything to sleep without stopping playback, and you can and turn off devices controlled by HDMInever quite tell when you’re going to back CEC. You could always hold down the TV out of an app or just back up to a higherbutton for a couple seconds to bring up level interface. This has always been an control center and then choose Sleep, but issue, and Apple could stand to enforce this is faster and easier. some standards a little better now that the The new Mute button is a long-overdue button is specifically labeled, but it’s hardly addition. Apple reasoned that people used the remote’s fault.

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to watch on-demand video and just pause it, but live-streaming video (or music) is nothing new, and adding a mute button is a years-overdue correction.

The Siri button has moved to the right edge, placed high but still within easy reach, so using it is similar to It makes a lot more sense to place the Siri button on the side. holding the side button on your iPhone. It’s more natural and less prone to so you realize that you absentmindedly left accidental activation. it in another room or that it slipped It’s not all new functionality—some of between the couch cushions. the old features are gone. The old Siri BOTTOM LINE Remote had an accelerometer and Let’s face it, $59 is too much for this gyroscope sensor that was used in a remote. An entire Roku Ultra handful of games. The new (fave.co/33jWMOR) is just $10 one gets rid of those, but they mmmm more than that! probably won’t be missed by 2021 Siri Remote But unless you have a most users.

PROS • Sleek but ergonomic high-end programmable More frustrating is the lack design. remote like a Harmony, the Siri of Find My support. It makes • Intuitive clickpad.

Remote is likely your one and some sense why Apple • Better button placement.

CONS only way of interfacing with the wouldn’t want the extra • Overpriced.

Apple TV hardware. It’s so expense of putting a U1 chip in • No Find My support. important, and the old Siri the remote, but it’s got PRICE $59 Remote is so bad, that it’s Bluetooth 5.0. There’s no COMPANY worth considering an upgrade reason it couldn’t have Find My Apple to this new one. ■ support if only to make a chirp 134 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

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

ScreenForAutism.org

#Dadication

fatherhood.gov

HELPDESK

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 CHANGE YOUR NAME ON YOUR MAC’S USER ACCOUNT People wind up with a new name, often one that better reflects who they are or have become, for all sorts of reasons. You don’t have to keep staring at your past identity indefinitely—macOS can keep up with the name you use now. It’s not IMAGE: APPLE

obvious, but you don’t have to dig into the guts of macOS, either. Just take care to follow these steps carefully.

There are a couple of requirements: > You can’t change the name of an account while you’re logged into that account, so you have to have least two separate accounts set up on the Mac. > You must have administrative AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 137

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access from the account that you log into in order to change the other account’s full name.

Warning! As with anything involving system-level changes, I strongly recommend initiating a manual Time Machine backup or updating a clone on an external drive before you start in case something goes wrong.

It’s easy to set up a new account in macOS: 1. Open the Users & Groups preference pane.

2. Click the lock icon at the lower-left corner and authenticate yourself.

3. Click the plus sign (+) at the lowerleft corner to add an account.

4. Fill out details, but be sure to choose

Administrator from the New Account pop-up menu.

With an existing account you want to elevate to an administrator: 1. Open the Users & Groups preference pane.

2. Click the lock icon at the lower-left corner and authenticate yourself.

3. Select the account in the list at left.

4. Check the box “Allow the user to administer this computer.”

5. macOS notes that you have to restart your Mac for that to take effect; do so.

Once logged into a different account than the one you’re changing and out of the account you’re changing (if you have fastuser switching enabled), you can proceed.

1. If you want to change the folder name in the Users directory for your account, start by following these steps; it’s optional: 2. If you’re sharing that user directory, start in the Sharing preference pane, select the File Sharing item in the left-hand menu, click the shared folder in Shared Folders, and click the minus sign You can upgrade an existing account to have administrator privileges. (–) to remove it.

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3. Controlclick the account name to change and select Advanced Options.

4. Carefully change the “Full name” field.

5. If you changed the Users directory for the account above, change the “Home directory” field to exactly match what you entered Advanced Options for a user account lets you change the account’s display name (Full name) and path to the user’s directory. after /Users/ (you can also 3. Now, in the Finder, choose Go → Go to click Choose and navigate to the new Folder, type in /Users/, and click Go. folder to avoid having to type the name 4. Rename the account folder without in again). any spaces.

6. Click OK. Enter the current account’s password 7. Restart the Mac. when prompted.

8. Log into your account, which should Now you can proceed to the account’s now show the updated name. full name. (Warning! Changing any other item than those noted in these steps could HOW TO LOCK FILES IN MACOS cause problems.)

BIG SUR’S FINDER 1. Open the Users & Groups File locking has a long tradition in preference pane. computing: You want—or independently 2. Click the lock icon at the lower-left running software wants—to make sure corner and authenticate yourself. that a file doesn’t get modified or AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 139

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deleted when it’s needed or in use.

Because macOS is Unix based, it offers file-level permissions flags that control how a file can be manipulated and by whom.

But macOS has While macOS used to show an overlaid lock icon in Mojave, that’s no long had a longer the case in Big Sur. separate way to lock a file from the Finder that also Lock and unlock via the Finder in prevents it from being modified, deleted, macOS Big Sur or renamed from the Terminal or from Turning the lock on and off in the Finder other apps. Lock, unlock, and status is incredibly simple. Select one file or commands are also available via the folder and choose File → Get Info; or command line in Terminal. select multiple files or folders and hold (Note that Finder-oriented locking is down Option while choosing File → Show entirely different from setting a file to Inspector—the Option key opens a read-only permission either in the Finder single Get Info window for the multiple or via the Terminal, which involves items called Multiple Items Info. A changing Unix permissions. I recommend Locked checkbox can be selected or that you not use read-only status for files deselected. It shows a dash (–) if the and folder you work with in the Finder items selected are in a mixed state of and via apps, as the Finder doesn’t locked and unlocked; clicking will lock honor those permissions for files that are all the files. assigned to you in macOS via Unix permissions. That typically includes everything in your home Big Sur prompts you to confirm removing a locked file. directory.)

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This image shows the change from Mojave: In the Finder in Big Sur, you no longer see that lock indicator.

Prior to Big Sur, a locked file would have a lock image overlaid on its icon in the Finder. Big Sur only shows that lock overlay in the Get Info dialog box.

Once the file is locked, it can be moved around in the Finder, but not renamed or modified via apps. It can also be deleted, but only if you confirm the operation.

Apple’s apps and those of third parties that support the convention also let you lock and unlock documents from the titlebar: Click the downward-pointing arrow to the right of the file name and then select or deselect the Locked checkbox.

Using the Terminal If you like to poke at macOS’s internals via Terminal, launch Applications → Utilities → Terminal and navigate to a folder that you’ve locked an item in. If your file is on the Desktop, you can type this to get there: cd ~/Desktop

macOS reveals the lock status with a special flag on the Unix file-listing

command, ls. Enter the following (that’s a capital letter O there): ls -lO front_door.jpeg

You can replace front_door.jpeg with an asterisk (*) to list everything in the directory, use another specific filename or enter a wildcard pattern, like license*, which matches all files and folders starting with “license.” The same is true for the file name example in all the below cases.

Terminal will show you the term uchg as a “flag” for any locked file, as in: -rw-r--r--@ 1 gif staff uchg 150293 Mar 8 2020 front_door.jpeg

To lock and unlock a file in the Finder, you can directly modify that uchg flag: > To lock a file: chflags uchg front_door.jpeg

> To unlock a file: chflags nouchg front_door.jpeg

If you want yet another method, you can use SetFile, which lets you change attributes on a file: > To lock a file: SetFile -a L AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 141

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“soundboard” for keyboard symbols.

Modern fonts can contain tens of thousands of unique characters (or “glyphs”). A large portion correspond to PUT EMOJI, MATH, AND OTHER glyphs used in scripts (like the Latin script SYMBOLS AT YOUR for most of Western Europe and the FINGERTIPS WITH A CUSTOM Americas, and Devanagari used in a large MAC SOFTWARE KEYBOARD number of southeast Asian languages). But Podcasters and sound engineers often put there are piles of specialized symbols for together what’s called a “soundboard,” a math, phonetics, currency, and, yes, there collection of frequently used short audio are emoji. clips that they can trigger with a click.

I’ve written before about Character Sometimes these are used for humorous Viewer (fave.co/36bMXE3), a macOS purposes, such as on “morning zoo” radio floating palette that provides easy access shows, but you also find them used in aural to individual symbols, including a search gameshows (for right and wrong answers) option. But what if you routinely use a set and for quick access to transition music. of symbols, such as for math or logic? The Some people need the equivalent of a viewer requires a lot of scrolling and clicking.

The answer is a free third-party tool, Ukelele (fave.co/2TFQvMd), from SIL International, a global organization devoted to preserving ethnolinguistic diversity—helping groups of all sizes keep the languages and scripts that were suppressed by governments or are used by relatively few living speakers vibrant with support from technology.

The Character Viewer gives you straightforward but tediously arranged access to symbols and other characters.

Ukelele is one of those front_door.jpeg (capital L)

> To unlock a file: SetFile -a l front_door.jpeg (lowercase l)

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as just another keyboard layout selecting via the Keyboard preference pane’s Input Sources tab.

The software is fairly easy to learn to use, as it has few controls.

One important note: When you You can install a custom keyboard created in Ukelele in macOS with a couple of clicks. create a new keyboard layout tools, as it allows the creation of custom and install it, you need to log out of your keyboard layouts. These can be used for current session and back in to avoid input onscreen entry via the Keyboard Viewer problems and ensure it’s recognized.

(System Preferences → Keyboard → Show HOW TO SHARE YOUR MAC’S Keyboard and Emoji Viewers in Menu bar), SCREEN THE QUICK AND EASY or typed directly if you know which keys WAY IN MESSAGES are supposed to correspond to which—or For nearly 20 years, Apple has offered attach labels to those keys. macOS allows screen sharing as a basic feature in what quick switching among keyboard layouts was once OS X and is now macOS. This from the same menu that offers the included a way to share your screen keyboard and symbols viewer. remotely with other people and let them Ukulele lets you just drag characters share yours. (At one point, it was easy to from the Character Viewer or other parts reach your Mac while outside your local of macOS and drop them onto the network and access your screen, but Apple appropriate keys, including the use of removed Back to My Mac from macOS.) modifiers like Control and Option. Once The feature has changed and arranged, you can install a macOSmigrated over time—it was once part of compatible layout file for your macOS AOL Instant Messenger!—so you may not account or all users of the Mac, and use it AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 143

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iMessage is in use, per above. know that it’s tucked away in Messages. It 3. Click the info button (an i in a circle) also works only with people who use their in the upper-right corner. iCloud account with Messages, which 4. Click the overlapping rectangles— allows you to communicate through the screen sharing icon. (This icon will be Apple’s iMessage system. grayed out or absent if screen sharing isn’t You can check that iMessages is in use available with the other account.) by either looking at a conversation and 5. Select either Invite to Share My seeing blue bubbles for text messages, or, Screen or Ask to Share Screen, as the when starting a new conversation, seeing case may be. that the person whose name you select as 6. If you invite someone, they receive a recipient appears in blue text. If their an alert in Messages and can click to start; name or the messages are green, it’s if you request someone else’s, you have to regular SMS text messaging and screen sharing isn’t available. It’s also available only for one-to-one conversations. macOS Big Sur made additional changes to its appearance, but it’s not far off from its location in macOS Mojave and Catalina.

Here’s how to use it: 1. Open Messages.

2. Select a conversation or start Messages requires a little navigation to get to the screen-sharing a new one, and feature, which is quite useful when someone else needs visual help— make sure or you do. (Big Sur shown. Portions of image blurred for privacy.)

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wait for them to approve the request.

When the session starts, both you and they see an indicator in the system menu bar that screen sharing is underway. You can use the Screen Sharing menu (also two overlapping rectangles) to choose Disconnect and end the session on either side.

One reader asked recently about a problem they had when someone sent them an Ask to Share Screen request.

They had two Macs logged into the same Apple ID account with Messages.

The “wrong” machine received the request. The reader put that Mac to sleep, and their counterpart tried again.

It still didn’t work.

Apple sometimes has a problem with presence, which is figuring out where you currently are among multiple devices connected to the same account. This is certainly one of those problems, and person-to-person screen sharing doesn’t let you target another person’s devices, only their account.

The answer in that situation is to select Invite to Share My Screen from the specific Mac you want to share from. The service is essentially always symmetrical, so if someone can request access, you can offer it, too.

For unattended remote access to your own devices, we published a round-up of some popular tools a while ago—for more,

see fave.co/3hjnMGk.

HOW TO RESERVE TIME MACHINE SPACE ON AN APFS DRIVE In macOS Big Sur, you can finally use APFS-formatted volumes as Time Machine destinations. They aren’t backward compatible with macOS Catalina or earlier versions of macOS, and they require erasing an existing HFS+ (Mac OS Extended) disk to reformat—you can’t convert HFS+ to APFS for Time Machine and retain the drive’s data in place as you can when upgrading your macOS startup volume to High Sierra (SSDs), Mojave (Fusion Drives, HDDs), or later. (See “macOS Big Sur supports Time Machine on APFS-formatted drives, but there are a few catches,” at fave. co/3AwprzO, for more details.)

However, what if you want to share that APFS drive, dividing space between Time Machine and other purposes? Apple has quite specific advice on how to proceed: Add a volume, not a container.

A brief refresher: APFS is Apple’s modern, SSD-optimized replacement for the once-modern filesystem that’s been in use for many years. APFS is much more sophisticated than HFS+, allowing more flexibility for how data is structured and kept secure and separate, as well as offering particular features suited to SSD. AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 145

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The units of measure on an APFSformatted drive are containers, which are collections of volumes. In HFS+, drives were partitioned solely into volumes. One way to think about it: HFS+ was a carton of eggs, each egg a volume. APFS is a box that contains cartons of eggs.

Each APFS container has a fixed portion of the drive’s storage space allocated to it (as in partitioning) or can fill the entire drive. But volumes within a container share the container’s allocation dynamically. In most cases, adding volumes to an existing container makes more sense than adding containers, because volumes can grow or shrink without any work on your part. This allows the greatest flexibility.

However, a disk used for Time Machine backups is quite particular. As explained in the column referenced above, Big Sur adds a new “role,” or volume type, called “Backup.” But, as Apple additionally notes in the Big Sur manual (fave.co/3hwDufY), that Time Machine volume requires the entire disk. That’s a little confusing, isn’t it?

(A few readers have written in wondering what it means, in fact.)

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lives a Time Machine volume. If you want to use the disk for other purposes, don’t add a container; instead, use Apple’s advice and add a volume within the existing container (fave.co/3woWouQ).

That is limiting, because the Time Machine backup could eventually swell to fill the entire available storage in the container (and disk), crowding out the other volume or volumes you create.

However, Time Machine automatically purges older files and attempts to keep itself to a reasonable size, while still offering significant points to revert to. You can also delete older backup snapshots and backed-up files following this advice from Macworld UK (fave.co/3jJKcSp). ■

Ask Mac 911 We’ve compiled a list of the most commonly asked questions we get, and the answers to them: go.macworld.com/mac911faq to see if you’re covered. If not, we’re always looking for new problems to solve! Email us at mac911@macworld.com including screen captures as appropriate.

Mac 911 can’t provide direct email responses or answers for every question and we don’t provide direct troubleshooting advice. For that, turn to AppleCare, an Apple Store Genius Bar, or the Apple Support Communities.