FEBRUARY 2024 IPHONE 15 MASTER THE HIDDEN FEATURES 10 GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR NEW iPHONE INSIDI HOW STOLEN DEVICE PROTECTION KEEPS YOUR iPHONE SAFEa teat Te ee: | For wildfire prevention tips, visit ‘ad| i) RTC Cid ster ad eSMacworld FEBRUARY 2024 CONTENTS MACUSER 2eBook is coming—but not for while 15 AirJet fan tums a MacBook Ait into a MacBook Pro 17 MacUser Reviews 21 Hot Suft33 iOSCENTRAL 1 Protection 10S Central Reviews 51 ix hidden iPhone 15 feat WORKINGMAC Diagnose iPhone ancl Mac problems $n Apple Store 71 {oMail app 73 n'tbe deletedin a p using APES 76 ‘Add number as text fleld in Numbers 78 PLAYLIST “Tunes Movies and on Apple TV 81 More Atmos tracks on A Join Zoom meetings on Apy Puro Sound Labs 812200 Reviews Bluesound Pulse M92 HELPDESK ny Find My tems take @ while to update, 99 FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 3Macworld EDITORIAL ORECTOR Wat Egon DESIGN DIRECTOR Rober Schulte EXECUTIVE EDITOR Nichsel Simon Editorial Joe Keel, Ke MeElneam, John Mat, Dan Maren 3200 Snell COPY EDITOR Gai Nelon-Bonebrake Design ARTDRECTOR Stove Teynor DESIGNER Rob Woods Advertising Water Boy Genevieve lord 4 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024“cco your scion scout onlne—24 Neus ad. 7 doa a weil Nippa nowonaconrns Yuen ae nine lbsepton font som your acer rah ange Your eer our err ou ee, ‘Digt owas taMequeey ated muster, et masrscony To ropa mang Hse er Pe Pee al sspponomonnosoenonscoe TUSMAL Moosols Sacer Deswimert Soriva Seat sue 50 San Fence CA 07 Fyre wing cbt on a canrt ame ude your tan ere cece aoe yes) A suparnacyots eso 6rd you name an We ea ares Wen yu on ya [2 tum unspon ee SES. he oye, SRT, and eer, 7857 Ceca mat {ors poe scarey Mewar Passa toe wee teas be aes on eg NEN {= dnose yur Moe eens phn oa Yuan coi App tle 0 O00 0998.0 at Comp cate aac ‘tr aoa ne 2084 ound fray Bs Canennesta ne Ate eas Peat Neco en hasta op oe peed Vocenas esto! Gus rn on ed anette by nary Aza, he Ale go Mos Mecho ae fete Voemars fh FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 5M yAXe ng) iS = R News and analysis about Vie eOSec nani What’s in store for the Mac in 2024? A whole lot of nothing De More routine lutionary. Put it all rand ot the makings of a very dull year MACWORLD 7Pees THE MAC IN 2024 CHIP CYCLE PLATEAU The M3 chip got a lot of attention leading up to its October release in the iMac (fave. co/3sOuRai) and MacBook Pro (fave. co/3GLO3sG). I's the first 3nm chip to be used in a Mac (or any personal computer), and with it being the third generation of the M-series, there was a lot of speculation about how Apple would handle the rollout. But since the M3's arrival, there hasn’t been any buzz about upcoming chips. Since Apple released the base, Pro, and Max versions of the chip at the same time, the only M3 chip variation to look forward to Is the Ultra, which will probably happen in the spring or at Worldwide Developers Conference in June. And we have a basic idea (fave.co/38hcErH) of how the Ultra will be configured—Ultra chips are basically a The Mac Studio with an M3 Ultra will probably be revealed in the spring of 2024 or at WWDC. @ MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 pair of Max chips tied together with a super-fast interconnect, so it's not a totally new concept. We pretty much know it'll be a 28-core CPU and an 80-core GPU. Then after that, Apple will go through generations of 3nm M-chips for some time, until chip manufacturer TSMC has the 2nm process ready in 2025 or 2026 (fave. co/484PTR)). We'll see enhanced 3nm before that, but it's unlikely to demonstrably change much for the user. We could see an M4 chip toward the end of 2024, But even if we do, we've entered a maturation phase of the M-series, similar to what we experienced with Intel chips. The performance boosts are going to be incremental, about 15 to 20 percent, if Apple continues with a typical product progression. While any performance improvement is always good, it may never reach the scale that we saw when Apple switched from Intel to its Mt, Apple is always tinkering, however, as we've seen with the M3 Pro CPU core configuration (fave. co/3GNzxiV). The company could do something completelydifferent to the chip structure that changes how it works or enhance the Neural Engine and the media codecs. Or maybe Apple will even increase the base amount or unified memory (fave. co/48Hagg)). There's plenty that can be done to make the chips better than ever. DESIGNS ARE SET If you're holding out on investing in a new Mac because you're waiting for Apple to introduce new designs, you're going to wait a long time. Apple’s current lineup is almost certainly set from a design standpoint for the next few years. The MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Studio, and iMac are all relatively recent designs, and they aren't dated from a technological standpoint. Apple won't be changing them, and they have no reason to. The Mac mini’s design is 13 years old, but it still works—maybe it can be smaller, but Apple would've done that already with the M1 or M2 release. The Mac Pro's design is actually only 4-plus years old, and it's a Mac that sells in such small Maybe Apple will come up with a new color, but don’t expect the MacBook Pro design to change anytime soon. quantities that a new case would just be a design exercise. NEW MODELS ARE FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD Maybe it’s not new designs you want. Maybe it’s a completely new model, like an iMac Pro with a screen bigger than 24 inches, If there’s going to be big Mac news in 2024, an iMac Pro would be it. Reports do say an iMac Pro is in the works (fave. c0/301zgI6), but it’s hardly a lock and it’s almost certainly not coming in 2024. Both Mark Gurman of Bloomberg (fave. co/3tpvnMc) and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (fave.co/489NqoY) have said that Apple has 2024 in mind, but they have pushed the anticipated ship date to 2025—if it is released at all. Or maybe it's a cheap MacBook you want. Rumors have floated around that Apple is working on a Chromebook-like FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLDTHE MAC IN 2024 has been set for decades, and excitement comes: with implementations of new technology. And those implementations happen periodically, not annually, That actually makes it easier for you to buy a new a Mac when you need The rumored rebirth of the iMac Pro may not happen next year. It You don't have to worry about missing laptop to address the education market ‘out on something major that’s around the (fave.co/3NxqsQa). If this is truly the case, _ corner. You can feel safe and secure in this laptop won't be available until 2025. your investment. That's a nice feeling— In any case, 2024 looks like a year that even if it makes for a pretty boring year. m won't see Apple introduce new Mac models into the lineup. What you see now is what you're getting WE'VE COME TO. THE EVENTUALITY The M-series Mac was going to get to this point of routineness eventually. After all, the Mac is a very mature product—itll be 40 years old in January. It’s been reported that Apple is working on a Chromebook-like Its core functionality laptop to address the education market, 10 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024After 3 years, Apple’s cheapest MacBook is a terrible value It’s almost Dee 4 and Apple still sells the 2020 MacBook Air at th re $9 hree years ago today, Apple's M1 chip had a tremendous debut in the Mac mini (fave. co/33ho0Wa), 13-inch MacBook Pro (fave.co/2PXzhbw}, and MacBook Air (fave.co/3h67n8s). Since then, those Macs have gone through their cycles and have had chip upgrades—or have been replaced altogether (fave.co/485F958). But a single M1 Mac remains in Apple's current Mac lineup: the M1 MacBook Air (fave.co/3GR7eBs). Apple keeps the M1 Air around because at $999, it’s the company’s only ‘sub-$1,000 laptop (yes, by only a $1, but, you know, marketing). It’s actually a decent MacBook by today’s standards, but it's also a three-year-old laptop that's no longer worth that price—especially when the M2 model is just $100 more. RUARY 2024 MACWORLDPeeesy | APPLE'S CHEAPEST MACBOOK 3-YEAR-OLD LAPTOP, 5-YEAR-OLD DESIGN The $999 price was the original price back in November 2020. But the price isn't the only thing that hasn't changed—the M1 MacBook Air uses a design that was introduced in 2018 (fave.co/4aD8R3k). When the M2 MacBook Air (fave. co/3zbn71) was released, Apple redesigned the laptop. Along with the retirement of the wedge profile, the new design has thinner bezels, and the keyboard has full-size Function keys Apple also added Midnight and Starlight to the Space Gray and Silver color choices and dumped the Gold option. The system originally sold for $1199, but Apple cut the price to $1,099 when it introduced the 15-inch model. The M2 MacBook Air (left) has a more modern design than the M1 MacBook Air (right). EBRUARY 2024 The Mi MacBook Air has the classic wedge design that people love, but its bezels are thick, which cuts down on the usable screen area. It has half-size Function keys, and the color choices are limited to Space Gray, Gold, and Silver. At $999, customers are paying a premium for an old design that cuts down. on functionality. But the wedge shape holds some sentimental value, and some customers mourned its disappearance in the new design. It's not worth $999, though, PRICE, PERFORMANCE, AND THE M3 An argument can be made that design is mostly a matter of taste and that the 2020 MacBook Ait’s shortcomings don't really affect productivity. Fine. But processing speed does, and we're coming close to a point where the price you're paying is too much for the performance you get, The 13-inch M2 MacBook Ai is $1,099 and is 20 percent faster than the M1 MacBook Ar. That's not a badGEEKBENCH 6 Multi-core — deal—$100 more for a boost you can feel. If you really don't want to pay over $1,000 for a laptop, the M1 Air Is a fine option—but not at $999. But the introduction of the M3 also brings some intrigue. Apple will upgrade the MacBook Air to an M3 at some point, and if the M3 MacBook Pro is any indicator (fave.co/3RmjazS), It's going to be about 40 percent faster than the M1 model. That's a huge boost. Ifthe M3 MacBook Air is stil priced at $1,099 and offers performance similar to that of the M3 MacBook Pro, then the $999 Mi MacBook Air becomes an afterthought. For $100 mote, you get 40 percent more performance, Now that's a deal! GEEKBENCH 6 Single-core JUST LOWER THE PRICE, AND BOOM! As it turns out, the M3 creates an ‘opportunity for Apple and its customers. If an M3 MacBook Air starts at $1,099, then $999 for an M1 MacBook Air is way too much. Apple could lower the price to $899, which would be more palatable. After all, Amazon regularly sells the M1 Air Imagine if Apple lowered the price of the M1 MacBook Air to $899. It could spark Mac sales. FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 13Picea APPLE'S Ch PEST MACBOOK for $750—and you can get a $150 gift card if you buy one from Apple during its Black Friday shopping event, so Apple would definitely still make a tidy profit at $899. At that price, it would continue to sell even if itis over three years old by the time the M3 MacBook Air is out. Going forward, Apple could even copy the iPhone product cycle, where the nev model is released, the old model it replaces is still on sale but with a price reduction, and the model that is two cycles older than the brand-new one is still on sale at an even cheaper price. So the M1 would be $899, the M2 would be $999, and the M3 would be $1,099. That $899 MI MacBook Air in particular would be very popular and could be the ‘The M2 MacBook Air could become the new $999 option. i MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 Mac that boosts the lagging sales numbers (fave.co/3uAHoOY) that have the company ed ($849 or $799 would be even better, but Apple loves its margins). concer FOR APPLE, IT’S NOT THAT SIMPLE The M1 MacBook Air situation seems like it has a simple solution that's a win for Apple and its customers. But Mac sales aren't like iPhone sales, so an iPhone product cycle like | just described may not create the Mac sales results the company wants. A $899 MacBook Air will cut into sales of pricier, more modern Macs. Apple doesn't want to have a three-year-old laptop be a top-selling product What's more likely is that when the M3 MacBook Air is introduced (probably in the spring of 2024), the M2 model will become the new $999 option and the M1 MacBook Air will be discontinued. That would be too bad. It's still a good laptop, and at a lower price, it could be the Mac that breaks the sales barrier for Mac. If the M1 MacBook Air's run does end next year, it was a good one. mIf you’re waiting for a 5G MacBook, it’s coming—but not for a while pe i ole plans to bri lar conn ce itr t lular modem. But that's likely going to take year ESOT acBooks ar t portable about Appl in-house chip computers, but theylackone development. One major project Apple key feature for true, on-the- has been working on is its own cellula road usability: cellular modem, which has been in the works for connectivity. That may chai MacBook—but it's ina future some time (fave.co/3qU3bz Gurman fake a while. reports that the moc joing m could be ready In his latest Powe newsletter by 2026, but it will take (fave.co/3RVW6i1), Bloomberg’s Mark two or three al years” for it to be used in the Gurman provides a pr ess report Jatch (both of which can ppl FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 15[cme SC MACBOOK Many MacBook owners are forced to use their iPhone as a hot spot. be bought with Qualcomm modems), and yes, the Mac. If the modem is ready in 2026, why so long for it to be used in the Mac? Gurman says Apple needs that time to figure out how to integrate the modem into the System on a Chip—the Meseries chip at the very Mac. Speaking of the SoC, Gurman heart mentions that Apple will eventually create chips using a 2-nanometer (6 MACWORLD EBRUARY 2024 process, but no timeline is provided. The M3, which Apple uses In the new iMac (fave.co/3sOuRai) and MacBook Pro (fave. co/41w6LOh) that just started shipping less than two weeks ago, is made with the 3nm process, a process that welll likely see for a couple of generations at least. A cellular-equipped MacBook would be a boon for users, especially those who often work on location, Public Wi-Fi isn't reliable and often not secure—if Wi-Fi is available at all. (Gurman also reported that Apple is working on its own combined WLFi and Bluetooth chip.) Lots of MacBook users resort to using their iPhone as a hot spot, which means battery life is being expended by two devices. Alas, it looks like those solutions will be it for now, and we'll have to wait until the end of this decade to see what cellular connectivity looks like on the Mac. i A cellular MacBook would be a boon to those who work on location.The incredibly thin AirJet fan turns a MacBook Air into a MacBook Pro CINE Iper-slim cooling chip fits in Apple's thinnest la ost PCs use fans to help their chips maintain an optimal operating temperature. These fans are bulky and noisy, which is why the super-thin MacBook Air doesn't have one. But Frore Systems (fave. co/48kOAxp) has a solution—its new cooling system, AirJet (fave.co/3tnFK Ae), is super thin—thin enough to fit ina current MacBook Air and boost its performance while under heavy load. Since the MacBook Air doesn’t have a fan for the SoC, its performance will throttle down during processor- intensive work to VIDEO: AIRJET AND Lees? eeu FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 17fos AIRJET FAN maintain a proper operating temperature. The M2 13-inch MacBook Pro, on the other hand, has a fan that expels excessive heat 50 the chip can keep chugging along. The AlrJet is what Frore calls a “solid-state active cooling chip” that measures 27.5%41.5*2.8 mm, a lot smaller and thinner than a typical computer fan. It’s so thin that Frore was able to take an M2 15-inch MacBook Air and fit a set of AirJet chips inside the laptop. AirJet can keep the MacBook Air temperature at a proper level so the chip doesn't have to throttle down. Using the Cinebench R23 benchmark (fave.co/3q2vLw4), an off-the-shelf M2 MacBook Air was 7 percent slower than the M2 MacBook Pro. But the modified M2 MacBook Air with an AirJet setup matched the Cinebench scare of the MacBook Pro. This video by our sister Alook inside a 15-inch M2 MacBook Air with the AirJet and fin stack installed. 1 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 CINEBENCH R23 Multi-core AMO Ryzen Thresdripper2 ne eee oo ed Intel Xeon CPU X5650 _ simcen incre 6507 HI 4004 Intel Core177700K Eisen ‘The M2 MacBook Pro's Cinebench R23 score isg7m. site, PCWorld, explains how it works: fave.co/3v6C5Y2 How is AirJet able to be so thin? The company has a blog post that goes into greater detail on how AirJet works (fave.co/4auZOwc), but essentially, inside it are several different materials used to vibrate membranes. This creates back pressure to pull in air through intakes on the case of the device,such as a laptop. While heat moves from the chip to a fin stack, AirJet then uses the air to expel the heat out of a vent. In the MacBook Air demonstration, Frore added intake vents near the hinge and used the speaker holes as exhaust. AirJet isn’t a consumer product— consumers can't buy it and modify their own MacBook Air, nor does Frore plan to create a kit for consumer sale. Frore’s Air demo is a proof of concept that it can be beneficial in a MacBook. Its thin form factor could open up possibilities with Apple CINEBENCH R23 Multi-core eae ce AMD Ryzen Threadhpper Amo yeen7 00x EY ImetteoncPUES 2607-2 BER Intel Corei9-9880H Aoolena ou Sco) RY ‘AppleM2 (dential System) Ineraoncruxseso — I 6357 Intel Coret7-7700K tecenindcor7nesor MM soa ineeoremserone 22s mceninatcrernso7 Hil 3769 ‘An unmodified M2 MacBook Air posted a Cinebench R23 score of 8,238. products. For example, if Apple were to use AirJet instead of the fans it uses in the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro, it could free up space that the company can use for, Say, a bigger battery. Another example. is with the Mac Studio, which, as you can see in iFixit's Mac Studio teardown (fave co/486RF4C), has a gigantic heat sink and two large fans—AirJet could allow Apple to create a smaller cooling system, thereby shrinking the Mac Studio, m@ CINEBENCH R23 Multi-core settee" TS Ineore 1 98604 ‘Apple Ma (Your Score) ‘Apple M2 (identical System) Intel Xeon CPUES:2697 v2 ‘Apple 2 ‘Apple na Intel Xeon CPUXSE50 Intel Corei7.7700K Imcerimaicre 6507 HIM 904 wetcaerse6040 HD soo, rmoenmeicre 507 HI 579 With an AirJet installed, the M2 MacBook Air's score (8,720) equaled that of the M2 MacBook Pro (8,711). FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 19Small acts of kindness can have a big impact in making people feel welcome. PSR EL Reem USM TOR RSC cm cM nT PRR SCC RR UCT Bea CML CUT MOL Oe =a Sa PT BELONGINGBEGINSWITHUS.ORG Ped Us) ARTWORK BY STEVE SHAD + RUIERORG& custom Sean BITMEDIC PRO ANTIVIRUS: SOME GOOD FEATURES, BUT FALLS SHORT IN OTHER AREAS BY CHRIS BARYLICK acu: eta de oO rose Privacy @ Syetam Settnas There's generally a difference between a product's marketing copy and what the software is capable of living up to. For all its bluster on the Mac App Store, BitMedic Pro Antivirus (version 31.3 at by Pocket Bits, Is a good antiviral program, albeit with some shortcomings that need to be the time of writing), develope worked through. The program, which retails for $10 on the Mac App Store (fave.co/3Rm4Zus), features a nice complement of tools, Including an Antivirus Scan module, an Adware Cleaner module, a Result Log, a Custom Scan module, a Browser Privacy module, and a System Settings module EBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 2!Pos REVIEW: BITMEDIC PRO ANTIVIRUS STAN @ Antvieus Sean © dwar Clesner é Result Log ==) ex FA] scone iy Oz é ee ee ‘The BitMedic Pro Antivirus home screen, complete with access to all of its modules. A lack of specific descriptions as to what the infected files were and their full location, even after a drop-down arrow was clicked, felt frustrating. While BitMedic Pro Antivirus downloads an updated list of virus definitions before each scan, this, along with the lack of an elapsed time for the scans, felt like a part of the user interface that that allows you to schedule deep scans, had been skimped on. customize system behaviors, and create a The inclusion of an Adware Cleaner whitelist of files not to scan. Just download module is a nice touch. It performs well the software and assign it the requisite and runs quickly. It's curious to see this permissions, and you're good to go. tacked on as its own unique feature, Initial tests with the Antivirus Scan module's — cacti quick scan and deep scan went well, and BitMedic Pro Antivirus was able to find several phishing-based emails in an archive | didn't know about. Still, this felt hampered by the fact that nti the application crashed SCAN COMPLETED: 152.0280 tes sannos ‘20 treets found twice during testing under — macOS Ventura 13.5.1, with the tests having to be restarted afterward, how many threat's it’s discovered. 22 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 ‘Once it’s finished scanning your Mac, BitMedic Pro will reveallogins, bookmarks, SOE aise remove all extensions, and reset the preferences on your browser, but this also feels overbroad. Yes, a given extension might be causing problems, but this feels as if you're destroying the entire category of software as ADWARE FLES CLEANED Le opposed to opening the ® Somme Sm | web browser, going into The Adware Cleaner module performs well and runs quickly. the extensions menu, and specifying which though, as this could have fallen under the extension to disable or delete. Clicking the general category of viruses or malware. “i" icon next to each function falled to pull While it's nice to have a Results Log up an information window describing the module, this doesn't feel like it could offer choice at hand, and this risks potentially everything it could. The reports divide deleting useful extensions that'll have to results into categories of Summary, Viruses, and Adware, and offer a Time Machine-esque timeline as to when each instance was ISU discovered, but don't offer aul fle name, location, or description of what each © won Perot infection does on your Mac, © S mamtonn which any user would be curious about The Browser Privacy 8 renee mas module functions as a Soot toms to emova rom Crome The Browser Privacy module is a quick and easy way to clean quick and easy way to up your history, auto logins, bookmarks, remove all extensions, clean up your history, auto and reset your browser's preferences. FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 23Pos REVIEW: BITMEDIC PRO ANTIVIRUS ‘Thank you for downloading our appl sono OO. ‘One of the many pop-up screens in BitMedic Pro Antivirus asking the user to subscribe to the company newsletter or offer an App Store review. be relocated and reinstalled again after you get rid of the problematic element. The Custom Scan and System Settings modules are where BitMedic Pro Antivirus shines. It's easy to designate where a custom scan takes place with the Custom Scan module, and this came in handy for quickly scanning a USB flash drive in a pinch. It's simple to use the System Settings to schedule a scan, as well as create a whitelist of files to avoid scanning and designate custom system behaviors, such as scanning an external drive once it's mounted by the macOS. Still, there are issues to 24 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 $8 BitMedic Pro Antivirus. + Fast, simple tous, handy set ofmeduesto work wih, + Onestime $10 payment no need to worry about annual subscriptions, + Chany user interface, lack ‘of description as to where lnfected tes are or what thei eect canbe. so Pocket Bits contend with. While the virus database that's downloaded and referenced against is frequently updated, the BitMedic Pro Antivirus application itself hasn't been updated since 2020, and the antiviral cleaning seemed to be hit or miss. A deep scan removed a chunk of the controversial MacKeeper utility but stil left other elements, which was curious. Add in the fact that even after paying the $10/€10 fee for the software, the application continually bugs you to write an App Store review and rate it, and the issues get annoying quickly. VERDICT There's a decent core functionality here, but it feels as if its lost in Pocket Bits’ portfolio of products. If the developers took the time to see what their competitors were doing well, where they might be falling short, and what could be fixed in version 4.0, you'd arguably have a great contender. Until then, this might be worth its $10/£10 price point that doesn't argue for a subscription—but it’s not worth much more. iALOGIC CLARITY PRO TOUCH & CLARITY PRO MONITOR: 27-INCH 4K DISPLAY ADDS TOUCHSCREEN AND RETRACTABLE WEBCAM BY SIMON JARY I) One of our favorite third-party displays is Alogic’s Clarity ( ), a great- looking premium 27-inch 4k monitor that can pivot from landscape to portrait orientations and boasts a back- mounted USB-C hub. Alogic has now added two new monitors to its Clarity range: the Clarity Pro and Clarity Pro Touch. The Clarity Pro adds an all-important webcam to the display. The Clarity Pro Touch also has a webcam, but adds a touchscreen display that you can use FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 25Pos REVIEW: ALOGIC CLARITY PRO TOUCH & PRO MONITOR, much like an iPad with on-screen tap, swipe, slide, and pinch. SCREEN PIXELS AND COLORS Of course, the most important consideration when buying a display is the picture quality. As with the original Clarity, the Alogic Clarity Pro and Pro Touch offer a 4K (3840*2160 pixels) screen, capable of displaying over a billion colors at a 60Hz refresh rate. Apple's own monitors offer SK or 6K resolutions, but at a cost—the Apple Studio Display, fave.co/3E5nXk4 (5,120x2,880_ resolution) costs a third more than the top-end Clarity Pro Touch and lacks the touchscreen functionality. The Studio Display is twice the price of the entry-level Clarity. Apple's Studio Display can go brighter (600 nits versus 400) but Alogic’s display supports HDR (High Dynamic Range) 600 content, which means that the whites of the display are very bright and clear, and the blacks much deeper, giving the same effect as 600 nits The Clarity uses QLED (Quantum Dot LED) screen technology that helps produce brighter and more vibrant colors than usual While the Studio Display offers a higher-end screen, the Alogic Clarity screens will be bright and impressive enough for most users. The Clarity Pro ($999) and Clarity Pro. Touch ($1199) are both cheaper than the Apple Studio, so if 4K is good enough for 26 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 you, you get a lot of screen for your money with the Clarity range. TOUCHSCREEN CONTROLS, The most obvious advantage the Clarity Pro Touch has over the Apple Studio Display and other premium screens is its precision, 10-point multitouch, One Glass Solution (OGS) touchscreen. We are all experts on a touchscreen, which we know from our phones and tablets—but few of us, especially Mac users, are used to interacting with our computers via a touchscreen. There are real benefits to computer touchscreens, especially for professionals ‘such as creatives and scientists. Many popular creative programs— Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, SketchUp, ‘ZBrush, Autodesk Maya, Blender and Inkscape, for example—allow for freehand input, such as drawing or sculpting Alogic has an optional accessory, the $199 Clarity Fold Stand (fave.co/48qYHku), to better facilitate comfortable drawing or interacting onscreen—the articulating stand securely holds the monitor raised at an angle like a drafting board. It can rotate 360” 0 that you can share work with colleagues. It's a more intuitive way to fine-tune. levels and effects in photo editing or music mixing, in applications such as Adobe Lightroom and Audition, as well as Apple Pro Logic.The touchscreen Itcan also substitute for a variety of analog input devices, such as MIDI synth controllers or live streaming control decks, in apps such as Ableton Live, OBS and XSplit. Getting hands-on or stylus-on with the screen in front of you encourages spontaneity and experimentation. For noncreatives, it's fun to move folders around, open tabs, and double- and triple-tap text with a finger. Suddenly, the desktop mouse starts to seem rather old-fashioned You can use your fingers or any capacitive stylus to interact with the onscreen content. Alogic sells its own Active Surface Stylus Pen for $49.99 (fave.co/475uOVF} Alogic’s use of One Glass Solution technology, which combines the monitor's protective layer with its input layer via a play will be popular with creatives. conductive medium, keeps the Clarity Pro Touch's screen as thin as those of the other Clarity monitors while maintaining the monitor's bright picture. This is a major advantage over lower-cost capacitive touchscreen monitors that often appear darker because of the extra layer of glass required by a touchscreen, The Clarity Pro Touch supports capacitive styluses on Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS—as well as Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP) compatible active styluses on Windows. While it’s a quality touchscreen, the Clarity Pro Touch doesn't support pressure-sensitive touch. TOUCHSCREEN MAC SETUP Setting up the touchscreen was not as simple as we expected. As the macOS offers much less support for touch functionality than Windows, Alogic requires the Clarity Pro Touch users to download drivers and a UPDD configuration app to provide more functionality on Mac. On our first basic monitor-to-computer setup (we used an M2 Pro Mac mini), we had basic touchscreen controls working fine, We could move folders around, switch FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 27Pos REVIEW: ALOGIC CLARITY PRO TOUCH & PRO MONITOR, Alogic requires Clarity Pro Touch users to download drivers and a UPDD configuration app to provide more functionality on Mac. between tabs, close windows, and so on. However, to get full pinch-and-zoom touchscreen capabilities, you have to download special drivers and a text file you'll need in the setup. Alogic includes a QR scan code in the user manual so you can quickly get to Clarity touchscreen drivers. The drivers can also be found on the Clarity Pro Touch product page. It's quite a fiddly experience—not difficult but with plenty of aspects and settings to configure. The downloaded UPDD Commander app lets you customize a long list of touch gestures involving one, two, three, or five fingers with taps, presses, drags, and swipes. A one-finger tap substitutes for a mouse click. A two-finger tap can be set as a double-click. 28 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 oS oscce Meter) eget ote tad WEBCAM AND AUDIO The original Clarity lacked a webcam. OfF course, you can add your own separate webcam to dangle from the top of the monitor, which would give you more flexibility and choice than having a fixed in-screen cam. The Clarity Pro and Pro Touch earn their “Pro” title with the addition of a webcam. This one is clever as it automatically raises itself from within the monitor when an app—such as FaceTime, Zoom, GoogleApple Studio Display's static camera and lack of any adjustability to the monitor. With the Clarity Pro and Pro Touch, you will mainly use the monitor's own super stand to center yourself onscreen, Alogic’s Clarity display features two SW speakers. It’s OK for video calls, but you wouldn't The UPDD Commander app lets you customize a long list of touch gestures. Meet, Slack, or Teams—requires it, and then auto-retracts when it's no longer needed This maintains the straight-line looks of the monitor when the webcam is not in use, and also gives you privacy protection as it ensures that the camera has no chance of spying on you if malware has somehow gotten into your system. It's an 8-megapixel webcam that offers a decent-quality image, and audio is fine, too. (The Apple Studio Display features a fixed 12-megapixel webcam). While it's clever, the retractable webcam feels a little flimsy, and the adjusting scroll wheel at the back doesn't give a lot of camera maneuverability— although it's more than you get with the want to listen to music on it— you'd be better off with a separate higher-quality speaker. The built-in 3.5mm audio jack can be used to connect external speakers. BUILT-IN MULTI-PORT HUB AND POWER To have full use of the touchscreen and webcam, you must connect your Mac to the monitor via either the USB-C or the USB-B port at the back of the display. Alll Alogic Clarity monitors boast the The 8-megapixel webcam offers a decent image quality. FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 29Pos REVIEW: ALOGIC CLARITY PRO TOUCH & PRO MONITOR, You'll find a wide array of connectivity ‘options on the rear of the monitor. back-mounted hub that includes @ USB-C upstream port, which supports DisplayPort 14, plus an upstream USB-B port and two USB-A downstream ports, as well as a DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 21 ports, and a 3.5mm audio port. You connect from your Mac to the screen for Extended or Mirrored display modes via the USB-C, DisplayPort 1.4, or one of the HDMI 21 ports. But connecting Via the video ports will not allow the webcam or touchscreen to work. Given that, the extra video ports at the back of the Clarity Pro and Pro Touch are rather redundant if you want to have full control of all the features—you can't daisy-chain the video ports. Using USB-C or USB-B, it can connect to your computer not just for the display but also to charge a laptop at up to 65W at the same time. The original Clarity monitor offered 90W charging for the laptop, but the Pro and Pro Touch require around 25W for the webcam. However, Alogic has reduced the power supply from 180W to just 1SOW, so a higher level of laptop charging could maybe have remained if the original power 30 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 supply had been retained The bonus of charging your laptop from the monitors means you don't need a separate power supply for your laptop. You can just connect with one cable to get an external display and keep even a medium- size (13- to 14-inch) laptop fully charged. ‘The Apple Studio Display connectivity hub has one upstream 96W PD Thunderbolt 3 port to connect to the computer and three 10Gbps USB-C ports for connecting peripherals and storage devices. If the computer is connected to the USB-C port on the display, the USB-A ports will operate at a rather lame USB 2.0 (480MBps) speed, because the video traffic shares the USB-C cable with the USB data. This is where the Studio Display’s higher- bandwidth 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 connection and fast USB-C ports are superior. USB 2.0 is fine for most peripherals (keyboards and mic, for example), but not for high-speed storage devices such as external hard drives and USB flash drives. However, if the computer is connected to the display’s USB-B port, the USB-A ports operate at SGbps USB 3.0 speed. This makes the USB-B connection the mostsensible, and both USB-C and USB-B connections are acceptable for touchscreen use. To connect your Mac to the display via USB:B, you will need an extra USB-C to USB-B cable, which strangely isn't included, The Clarity monitors come with three cables: USB-C to USB-C (10Gbps), HDMI to HDMI and, curiously, USB-A to USB-B. Despite the multiple display connections you cannot—for You can easily adjust the height of the Clarity monitors. now, at least—daisy-chain other displays to the Clarity’s hub, so the two, ‘Studio Display, but its curved back means you HDMI ports are pretty much redundant. won't notice from the front. Unlike with the static Apple display, you can easily adjust the DESIGN AND LOOKS height of the Clarity monitors. The excellent All the silvery Clarity monitors look great stand is height-adjustable up to 150mm. next to a Mac. This is no uninspiring The screen can tilt and swivel, as well black-plastic monitor. as rotate into portrait and landscape It's little deeper than the stim Apple orientations. A gravity sensor detects the rotation and adjusts the picture to match the orientation The Clarity displays measure 56.5cm tall (22.2in), 62.4cm (24.5in) wide and 22cm (87in) deep. The Clarity Pro and Pro Touch are just To [— a a touch heavier than the webcam-less. The silvery monitors look great in any Mac setup. Clarity—weighing FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 31rate sence Alogic’s touchscreen display offers both style and substance. 7.6kg versus 7.5kg, The Studio Display measures 47.8cm tall (18.8in), 62.3cm (24.5in) wide, and 16.8cm (6.6in) deep. It weighs 6.3kg. PRICE For a quality 27-inch display, Alogic’s entry-level Clarity is competitively priced at $799.99 (fave.co/3rl65rz), With the addition ofa retractable webcam, the Clarity Pro costs $999 (fave.co/3Y1Zbtb). With a touchscreen, the Clarity Pro Touch is priced at $1199 (fave.co/472JC8»). For a large 4K touchscreen display, 32 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 REVIEW: ALOGIC CLARITY PRO TOUCH & PRO MONITOR, this Is attractively priced, Compare those prices to Apple's $1,599 (fave.co/3SI2W35) price tags for its Studio Display, which has a SK screen but lacks an adjustable stand or touchscreen. VERDICT The Alogic Clarity Pro Touch adds touchscreen functionality for Mac. It's a premium-looking 27in 4K touchscreen soe logic Clarity Pro Touch & Clarity Pro monitor = inpressive ak 60H touchscreen, + Fantastic adjustable stand + Bultin USB hub. + AK, not SK + Fay Mac touchscreen sofware ial + Hub doesn’ das.chan otra spay. from $799 ate display with built-in USB hub and a fantastic height-adjustable, tilt and pivot stand. Artists and video pros will appreciate its touchscreen and the fact that itoperates as a quality display with a retractable webcam in normal use. With the webcam, the non-touch Clarity Pro is a worthy upgrade on the entry-level Clarity, but if you prefer a more flexible separate webcam, the original Clarity is still an excellent option—maybe as a second display next to either the Pro or the Pro Touch. mWhat we're raving about thismonth OWC EXPRESS IM2 SSD owe.com You absolutely can't beat the versatility {any USB or Thunderbott port), or the performance (over 3GBps) of OWC’s Express 1M2 external USB4 SSD. Is a tad large and looks like a giant silver heatsink, but its super sturdy. I's available in 1TB, 278, 4TB, or STB capacities, or you can buy an empty enclosure and supply your own SSD module, ~JONL JACOB FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 33Pores Hot Stu AMAZON ECHO FRAMES amazon.com v ‘Amazon's third-generation Echo Frames smart glasses arrive with several welcome improvements, including new styles, thinner temples, better audio, and improved battery life. IF you find Alexa indispensable and you want the voice assistant hovering around your temples all day, the Frames are an easy recommendation. But you'l still want your AlrPods when it comes to music.~BEN PATTERSON 34 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024CLICKS CREATOR KEYBOARD clickstech This iPhone case has a hardware keyboard at the bottom and makes the iPhone look BlackBerry-ish. It's compatible with the iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro. When you use the keyboard for typing, ho touchscreen keyboard appears, so you can get a full view of what's on the IPhone display.-ROMANLOYOLA FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 35Tar ey totean easier for me to J ital ekeaicans a Y than to ‘ie help myself Veteran, when someone raises their hand for help, you're © the first one: nd, But it’s also okay to get help for yourself e with ntal health or finé ources at VA.GOV/REACHaie zeal Stolen Device Protection: How the new iOS 17.3 feature keeps your iPhone safer 173 aims to make it harder for thieves to mes: passcode he Wall Street Journal (fave co/4atyEdV), Called Stolen Device co/3GQ0bZz) in late December —_Protection, it's a new setting that makes it had the scoop on a new more difficult to make major changes to unannounced iPhone security your Apple ID and digital life using only feature debuting in IOS 173 (fave. your iPhone's passcode. The feature FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 37ios STOLEN DEVICE PROTECTION comes after a WSJ report early in 2023 (fave.co/40uFLh1) highlighted how thieves would watch users enter their six-digit iPhone passcode before stealing the phone, and then use that passcode to lock the users out of their Apple ID, view their passwords, apply for the Apple Card, send money, and more, The basic idea is simple: With Stolen Device Protection activated, your iPhone will require biometric identification (Face ID oF Touch ID) to perform many actions— your iPhone passcode will no longer serve as a fallback for most of them. In addition, some of the most sensitive operations (like changing your Apple ID password) will require a one-hour wait followed by an additional biometric authentication. That delay won't apply when the phone is at a familiar location like your home or work. HOW TO ENABLE STOLEN DEVICE PROTECTION Enabling or disabling this feature is easy. It first appeared in the IOS 173 beta, so the procedure may change before release. Open Settings, tap Face ID & Passcode (it might say Touch ID & Passcode), and scroll down to find Stolen Device Protection HOW STOLEN DEVICE PROTECTION WORKS When you have Stolen Device Protection disabled, your iPhone's six-digit passkey 38 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 Setting up vor GD --e Stolen Device oa Protection is easy. seorintrtenre can be used to do all sorts of things, like change your Apple ID password, create a recovery key, turn off lost mode, transfer settings to a new device, disable Find My, access your saved Keychain passwords, and more. This is a big problem. Ifa would-be thief watches you enter your passcode, they can steal your iPhone and effectively lock you out of it. With your passcode they can tum off Find My so you can't find them, lock you out of your Apple ID so you can’t use iCloud to disable your phone, and log Into all sorts of accounts for which you have your password saved. When you enable the feature, your IPhone passcode will no longer work asa fallback for blometric authentication for some features. You'll have to use Face ID or Touch ID to perform the following actions: > Access iCloud Keychain passwords > Apply for a new Apple Card > Erase all content and settings > Tum off Lost Mode > Send people money with Apple Cash > Use your iPhone to set up a new device > Use payment methods saved in Safari That’s not all. Some of the most sensitive and important operations will require Face ID or Touch ID authentication, followed by a one-hour delay, then another Face ID or Touch ID authentication. The one-hour delay and reauthentication would not apply if your iPhone is at a trusted location like your home or work, but you still need more than your passcode to perform the following actions: > Change your Apple ID password > Enable your recovery key > Change your trusted phone number or contact > Add Face ID or Touch ID > Remove Face ID or Touch ID > Disable Find My > Tum off Stolen Device Protection Bear in mind that this new feature does not prevent a thief from unlocking your iPhone, and it could still access any app that isn’t protected by its own password, The thief could also open your email, which means that any account whose password could be reset with just a confirmation email Is vulnerable. It's not a foolproof way to stop iPhone thieves from messing with your life. But it makes it a lot harder to get away with it, especially since it prevents them from locking you out of your Apple ID or disabling Find My—it will be much easier to locate or at least remotely erase. i Once Stolen Device Protection has been enabled, you'll need to use Face ID to access some features. FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 39Cesc Apple missed its deadline to deliver next-generation CarPlay in 2023, but here’s what we know so far. t Worldwide Developers Conference in 2022 ( ), Apple briefly unveiled what it called “the next generation of CarPlay.” The vision, expressed in fancy mock-ups rather than real cars, was impressive. CarPlay would take over all your car screens! What Apple had done for awful infotainment interfaces, it would do for awful everything interfaces. 40 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 After about a year and a half, we haven't seen any new details at all about this next evolution of CarPlay. We were told back in June 2022 that vehicles would “start to be announced late next year” Apple blew past that deadline, and now it’s looking at this year. On the appar t cusp of finally getting those car announcements, t's fascinating to note that we're left with more questionsthan answers about the new CarPlay. And even if we get a bit more information before the first cars roll out, we're not likely to get many answers. WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT NEXT-GEN CARPLAY Despite the slick presentation in June 2022, we still don't really know much about this next-gen CarPlay. We know it takes over the entire instrument cluster in supported cars, showing data that is currently unavailable to CarPlay: your speed, state of charge or amount of gas, mileage, engine temp, oll, and more. Apple will have lots of themes to let you customize your view, from modern layouts to those that resemble the instrument gauges of old. Customizable widgets will let you choose what information you want to see on the expansive super-wide displays of upe hich will stretch across ming cars, many of the entire dashboard Your iPhone will still drive the display(s) but will receive important real-time vehicle data from your car (“in an on-device, privacy- friendly way,” according to cluster. Obviously, your car will need to provide access to systems CarPlay currently can’t access, like climate control or the radio, We also got a slide of car brands that will support the new CarPlay, including > Acura > Audi > Ford > Honda > Infinity > Jaguar > Land Rover > Lincoln > Mercedes-Benz > Nissan > Polestar > Porsche > Renault > Volvo Apple) in order to manage your whole instrument The new CarPlay will be able to adjust climate control and your radio, but this requires new hardware and new communication between your car and iPhone. FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 4ios CARPLAY IN 2023 WHAT WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT NEXT-GEN CARPLAY The teaser Apple gave us leaves us with more questions than answers. Like... > Which actual cars, not brands, will ship with support for this version of CarPlay and what will they cost? > What experience do you get if you don't have an iPhone or you leave your iPhone at home? > What happens if your iPhone is driving your entire instrument cluster and it crashes or the battery dies? > What will it actually look like? With the first cars coming nearly two years after the mock-up in Apple's teaser, we can probably expect plenty of changes. > How does it work with cars that have, rear-seat displays? > Will it have access to car functions like opening the rear lift gate or hood or front trunk, or adjusting seat or steering wheel positions? What about wipers or defrost functions? > Ifit takes over all your car displays, how does it integrate with external car cameras like back-up cameras, integrated dash cams, or side and lane change cams? WE PROBABLY WON'T LEARN MUCH VERY SOON Apple's official CarPlay page still says “Vehicle announcements coming in late 2023,” and there hasn't been any 42 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 guidance that suggests otherwise. But | would caution you not to get your hopes up for too much illumination. New car models are announced months (sometimes years) before they ship, and often with deceptive “starting at” prices that may not reflect the options packages that could be necessary for the new CarPlay experience. If the very first cars to support the new CarPlay are indeed announced in the next month or so, it’s likely to be a relatively small number of luxury models. And outside of perhaps a new mock-up interior shot or two, the announcement is likely to focus on the car and not deliver the details of CarPlay. What's more, we shouldn't necessarily expect the cars to support this new CarPlay as soon as they hit the road. There's a perfectly good chance that we'll need software updates in both the car and our iPhones before it's enabled. It's not at all far-fetched to think Apple might demonstrate the real next-gen CarPlay—not just a mock-up—at WWDC in June, with the caveat that the first cars will get a software update to enable it later in the year when iOS 18 is released. In other words, we might get our first new information about the next- generation CarPlay in early 2024, but it's probably best to anticipate getting no more than crumbs. m2023. ns Lanchi, you read 17 books HA® wane vara your 2023 poner aug How Apple can take on Amazon— and win It’s time EN turn the page on Books- pon seeing the Apple announcement in late 2023 (fave.co/3TyTMU) promoting the top titles of the year from Apple Books, along with a new Year in Review feature, | likely had the same thought that et serious many did: ‘Apple still cares about selling ebooks?” To be fair, you can't blame the company for being gun-shy. Ten years ago, Apple found itself in the crosshairs of a Department of Justice investigation over FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 43os HOW APPLE CAN TAKE ON AMAZON—AND WIN price-fixing ebooks, and the fallout of that case not only Impacted Apple's existing foray into ebooks (fave.co/3igtloQ), but also likely cooled any fervor it had for competing in the market in the future. Unfortunately, that case also ended up solidifying the dominance of the market's biggest player, Amazon. So a decade on, could Apple still mount an effective challenge to that behemoth? Maybe. But not only would it have to be present, but the company would have to take some pretty bold steps. CHECK IT OUT It's somewhat of a surprise even to myself that | do most of my reading in ebook apps these days. As much as | love paper books, it's Increasingly hard to justify the space they occupy in my home—plus, it's hard to beat the instant gratification. 44 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 But the thing that's tipped me over the edge more than anything else is access to a wide swath of free ebooks—legal free ebooks available from my local library. The Libby (fave.co/41DgX01) app allows me to easily check out ebooks and read them on my Kindle or Kobo e-readers, as well as maintain holds on a queue of books | want to read when they're available. (Yes, holds can take a long time, and library licensing from publishers is overly restrictive, but that’s a story for another time.) However, Apple Books is nowhere to be found in this arena, Yes, you can read a book directly in the Libby app on your iPhone or iPad or have it delivered to your Kindle reader. You can even download an ePub file in Adobe's awful Digital Editions copy-protection format to read elsewhere, though it requires jumping through so many hoops that you'll think you're on an obstacle course. But the best-in- cee class experience remains Kobo's: Once you've linked your Kobo reader to your library account, books that you check out just show up on your e-reader. can't help but think that Apple is missing a huge opportunity here, and | wonder if part of thestruggle Is the split mentality between Apple Books as a reading app and Apple Books as a revenue- generating service. The thing is, improving the former ultimately helps the latter, and not having any way to link e into library loans means that lots of people—people who like to read books—will never even open the Apple Books app, much less become customers. TAKE A DRM-AMINE Let's flip the page to the Apple Books store experience. Sixteen years ago, when I'd only recently started my tenure at Macworld, one of the hottest topics around was the application of Digital Rights Management (DRM) in the burgeoning online music market. Songs and albums were overwhelmingly sold with embedded encryption, which meant you could only play them on approved hardware, frustrating those who wanted to listen to the music they'd legally purchased wherever they wanted. It seemed unlikely Ebooks purchased through Apple are copy protected, so they can't be, read on non-Apple devices. that music publishers would loosen their grip, especially given the rampant fears of piracy, even though, as | argued at the time, it was in their best interests to do so (fave.co/3v8Fsh8). But that unlikely scenario is, amazingly, exactly what happened. Big vendors like Apple and Amazon actually did start selling DRM-free music—and, in fact, if you purchase music @ la carte today from Apple, it still is. However, that news became irrelevant in relatively short order with the rise of music-streaming services. Ebooks, however, have largely remained DRM protected, meaning that customers still can’t move them between devices. So if you buy a book from Apple Books and want to read it on your Kindle, FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 45os HOW APPLE CAN TAKE ON AMAZON—AND WIN you're generally plumb out of luck. = = The use of DRM is a choice by both vendor and publisher: Most stores allow a publisher to request that its titles a bbe sold without DRM. — That includes Apple pote . Books, but even in that am case, the company doesn't make it easy to of numbers. move your books around. (Where are your purchased ebooks stored on your Mac? Why, obviously, they're in “/Library/Containers/com. apple.BKAgentService/Data/Documents/ iBooks/Books/ with a file name that’s just a random string of numbers.) Nor does Apple make it easy to figure out if the title you're purchasing has DRM. Even once you buy a DRM-free ebook and find the file on your Mac, you still generally have to go through an extra step (unzipping the ePub using a special utility, fave. c0/48tzEgD) before you can get it into a format other apps and devices can read. This is all incredibly user hostile and, bottom line, it isn’t doing Apple any favors. Moreover, Apple is missing an opportunity to both differentiate itself from the competition and provide a worthy competitor to Amazon by pushing publishers to adopt DRM-free and easily 46 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 Finder window showing epub files named with random sets portable ebooks, for the exact same reasons it did so with music. (Would it make piracy easier? Probably, but ebook piracy isn't exactly scarce now, and | maintain that most people—especially book customers—will buy legally if given the option. The sheer existence of illegal alternatives doesn’t by default turn people into criminals.) If you download a Kindle book, you can read it on your phone or iPad in the Kindle app, as well as on a Kindle reader and even via the web, But Apple's books are forever locked to its own devices, which is a reason many customers don’t even consider buying them A HARDWARE PROBLEM TO SOLVE This leads us to the last issue: the reading experience. Apple Books is a niceenough app, but for those who don’t want to read on an iPad, an iPhone, or a Mac, it's a nonstarter. Ebook readers are one of the few single-category devices that have continued to be popular in an era of smartphones and tablets, by virtue of the fact that they provide a nicer experience than multipurpose devices. ove my iPad, but I rarely want to read books on it: For one thing, it's much heavier than my Kindle or Kobo readers— try holding an 11-inch iPad Pro over your head in bed without dropping it on your face. (You should probably wear safety goggles.) Most ebook readers are far more power efficient; they can be left for days if not weeks between charges. They're also significantly cheaper than iPads. And as nice as the iPad's displays are, e-ink screens are far more pleasant to read in sunlight or at night in bed without disturbing anyone else (not to mention easier on the eyes). Apple has generally taken to heart the old Alan Kay (fave.co/3tqpMVX) maxim that “people who are really serious about software should make their own hardware.” But when it comes to books, the company seems to think the iPad is good enough, and frankly, it's not. Do | expect Apple to come out with its own e-reader? Not really. But if the company is starting to get serious about ebooks again, then figuring out how its hardware can be a better reading device Is at the top of the list. BOOK ’EM The long and short of itis that Apple remains a bit player in the ebook market—a fact to which I can attest firsthand. I've had the dubious honor of seeing the Apple Books experience from multiple angles: as an author (fave.co/ 3v8FC8e) of traditionally published books, as a producer of a few self-published stories, and as a consumer. My experiences are by no means universal, but for works that I've published myself on most popular ebook marketplaces, Apple Books accounts for only 10 to 20 percent of sales—and | expect those numbers are inflated because, well, I'm a person with a Gisproportionately large number of customers in the Apple ecosystem. A few of my titles have appeared in the Apple Books bestseller lists, which just reinforces the idea that you don't need to sell that many copies to show up there. But Apple is one of the few companies big enough to challenge Amazon's dominance. And though it might be reticent given the legal challenges it's faced in the past, there remains an enormous opportunity here. Plus, let's face it: With its small market footprint, what does Apple really have to lose? m FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 47Ce Pay no attention to the police— NamebDrop is perfectly safe for kids No, you don't need to disable it red t's not uncommon for local police departments and local news to warn parents about imaginary risks. Not a single Halloween goes by without breathless warnings to protect your kids from poisoned or drugged candy, though there's no evidence that such a thing has ever actually happened. Now they're starting to send out needless warnings about protecting your kids from. NameDrop. 43 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 Yes, local police departments are broadly misunderstanding the feature that lets you more easily share contact info ifyou choose to, and sharing warnings on social media. Here's one from the Crenshaw County Sheriff's Department (fave.co/3RRGze7). And here's another from the Middletown, Division of Police (fave.co/48ptmLs). This ‘one from the Oakland County Sheriff's Office (fave.co/48pYiyr) seems to sort of understand that you have to deliberatelychoose to share your info but warns you to turn It off anyway. The craze seems to have spun out of a widely shared TikTok video warning about the feature that misrepresented how it works, claiming all you have to do is have your iPhone in close proximity to another iPhone. NameDrop was introduced with iOS 17 and added to newer Apple Watches in iOS 171 as an extension of the iPhone's AirDrop feature. Though it has been around for over two months, many local police seem to have Just caught wind of it. The feature is enabled by default, and works like this: You bring the top of your iPhone next to someone else’s, a slick animation plays with vibration, and then you are given the option to share your contact info. You can choose to Share (sending your contact info and receiving theirs) or Receive Only. To cancel, just move your phones away from one another or lock one. They key missing detail here is that not only do you have to hold the top of your devices very close together for a few seconds, but you have to deliberately decide to share your contact info. Nobody can just “suck up” your children’s contact information with this feature. If you really want to turn it off anyway, Just go to Settings + General + AirDrop an look for the Start Sharing By header, then turn off the toggle for Bringing Devices Together (1) For some reason, these (ae -=-- police a departments comer couldn't be ee bothered to Seuce test the feature on their own iPhones, in which case they would have realized, “Oh wait, that TikTok video is BS." It's much easier to post a dite warning on Facebook. That said, it goes to show that Apple needs to do a better job of letting users know what features are added in iOS updates and how they work. The little splash screens and popups used to highlight features today are almost universally ignored, as most users simply tap or swipe them away without reading so they can get back to what they were doing. We've been conditioned by dozens of daily popups for ads, cookies, terms and conditions, EULAS, and so forth to just click through to what we want to get at, and it may be time to consider other ways to make sure a billion iPhone users understand the major new features in a software update. ml FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 490 ee Pepe ws at Ae Pr@r Pe ~~ Il eee 1s rr peeis Pr @lrrF a @ l & aL eiurceacha Cgaet(Leg te Erxr.ke@cri gl AMERICA’S DEADLIEST SHOOTINGS ARE ONES WE DON’T TALK ABOUT brothers, partners, and friends Id be prevented. Store your guns 9 EndFamilyFire.org BRADY ad|eed POWER BANK ‘A power bank for your iPhone Piercy (© 2 necessity unless you stay BASEUS MAGNETIC POWER BANK: REAL ili one cce So PORTABILITY WITH schedule. Mobile power banks used to be a POWER TO SPARE metal slab with a port for attaching a cable to connect the battery pack to your power- fading phone. With Apple’s smart MagSafe technology, a new species of portable BY SIMON JARY power bank became available. MagSafe has been available on all iPhones since the iPhone 12. It allows you to magnetically clamp a compatible accessory to the back of your iPhone. The best usage Is for wirelessly charging your iPhone. Wireless charging will never be as fast as using a cable attached to a EBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD SiREVIEW: BASEUS MAGNETIC POWER BANK charger, as it Is inherently less efficient. However, It is often far more convenient than locating and then carrying around a charger and cable. (Experts warn against leaving your phone charging overnight, as best practice says you should keep your phone charged between 30 percent and 80 percent to preserve battery health. The iPhone 15 has a setting to stop charging at 80 percent, and there are charging tips [fave. co/3v50cJA] for older iPhones, too.) MagSafe makes wireless charging more efficient by magnetically clamping the iPhone in place for a more tightly aligned connection between the phone's charging coll and the charger itself MagSafe-certified chargers can wirelessly supply 15W of power to the phone; noncertified but compatible magnetic chargers are usually rated at 75W. The Baseus has a built-in USB-C cable, so it’s especially useful for iPhone 15 owners. 52 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 ‘The Baseus Magnetic Power Bank Is one of our favorites—especially, but not exclusively, for the iPhone 15 family. It boasts its own builtin USB-C cable, so it’s, especially useful for Phone 15 owners, but it works wirelessly for iPhone 12, 13, and 14 users as well. The cable can be used to connect to an iPhone 15 or to any USB-C charger (fave. co/AIXxQsW). BEST PERFORMER IN OUR BATTERY TESTS Ithas a huge battery capacity of 38.5Wh or 10,000mAh. Most iPhone power banks offer less than half that capacity, but even with alternative 10,000mAh power banks, the Baseus Magnetic Power Bank came on top in our tests. Our testing process involved running an iPhone down to 10% and then using the power bank to take the phone back to 100 percent. Then we run the phone down again until the power bank runs out of juice to keep the phone charged, The Baseus Magnetic Power Bank twice took the 10 percent— charged iPhone to 100 percent, with a little over for a small third charge. In our test metrics, that measures as a 187 percent score. The closest any other similar wireless power bank has gotten in our tests is 149The power bank is available in four colors, Including yellow and teal. percent. The OtterBox 2-in-1 Power Bank with MagSafe gets close at 185 percent However, i's a much larger multifunction device that’s portable but not pocketable like the Baseus power bank Another record-breaker for the Baseus Magnetic Power Bank is its fast-charging performance. Wireless charging at 7.5W isn’t the fastest we've seen—although it matches nearly all other power banks—but if you charge using the power you can use to connect a USB-C to Lightning charging cable instead of relying on the built-in cable. That port or the integrated USB-C cable can recharge the power bank at 18W. SIZE AND DESIGN Measuring 4,3*27%08 inches, the Baseus Magnetic Power Bank is larger than some power banks, but the size is in the same range as other power banks with @ 10,000mAh capacity. It weighs a reasonable 73 ounces (206g). The power bank is available in four colors: white, black, teal, and yellow. PRICE The Baseus 30W 10,000mAh Magnetic Power Bank is priced at $45.99, either direct (fave.co/4802xRA) or via Amazon (fave.co/3NXLhV). VERDICT bank's builtin USB-C cable, itcan —pageus Magnetic —-With its built-in USB-C cable the reach an impressive 30W. Baseus Magnetic Power Bank is The integrated 5.5-inch cable Tyihe pateycapcy designed for the iPhone 15 family, is areal boon, as it means you « utinusB-cable. but it works as well as any other don't have tofind a spare cable *75Wwheesser0M'mred__ wireless power bank tested here when you need to refill he power cons with the other MagSafe iPhones. bank, and for the IPhone 15 family = Butin USEC It boasts a huge battery you can connect the power bank and phone directly. However, if $45 you don't yet own an iPhone 15, fear not, as there’s a USB-C port Beseus capacity, MagSafe-compatible wireless charging, and the fastest wired charging we've tested so far on any iPhone power bank. FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 53ANKER PRIME 12,000MAH POWER BANK: PETITE POCKETABLE POWER BY THOMAS BERGBOLD. 54 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 As a photographer, | need a Macworld aes power bank for my iPhone, MacBook, and camera that | can stash in a backpack while traveling on my motorcycle, A small power bank like the Anker Prime 12,000mAh Power Bank is ideal. DESIGN & BUILD Measuring 5.29*217%136 inches (13.4*5.5%3.5 centimeters), the Power BankIs very compact given its 12,000 mAh power capacity, and its brick design sits comfortably in the hand. It comes equipped with a 2-foot (I50-cm) USB-C charging cable and a soft transport bag, The Power Bank has two USB-C Power Delivery 3.0 ports to charge two devices simultaneously. It also provides high output power for a MacBook— each port delivers a maximum of 65 watts of power. The possible combinations of voltage and current for the input and output are SVIBA, 9V/BA, 10V/2.25A, 1BV/3A and 20V/3.25A This is enough for a variety of different mobile devices. The display on the Power Bank is not new for Anker but is still great. It covers the entire width of the device and only lights up when you press the button on the side or make a connection. The display is divided into four parts, a large part of it taken up by the capacity display in percent with a clockwise circle. A timer is indicated next to it in small letters, showing either the approximate time required to charge the The large display is very informative. Power Bank or how long it can continue to deliver power. The bottom row shows the power delivered or received during charging for the two USB-C ports. The Both of the USB-C ports offer fast charging up to 65 watts. FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 55= REVIEW: ANKER PRIME 12,000MAH POWER BANK Daa) USB-C cable anda call display also shows info such as battery health, charging cycles, and temperature. BATTERY LIFE AND CHARGING The Power Bank can not only be charged via a 65-watt charger, but also via a 100-watt. charging station. | used the new Anker Prime 735 67-watt charger to charge the Power Bank, which $998 percent, an thinch iPad Pro by 36 percent, and an M! MacBook Air by 34 percent. PRICE The Anker Prime 12,000mAh Power Bank is available in the U.S. directly from Anker for $89.99 (fave.co/47culvk), tis, also available on Amazon (fave. c0/47501PP), which sometimes ‘Anker Prime took around 45 minutes with a BeapomAh Pewer offers price discounts down to as maximum of 63 watts, That pros low as $79.99, matches what Anker says about Kaomnpacd, charging the device with a 65.watt *Momahe donb. VERDICT charger. ‘cons The Power Bank is also quite fast when charging IPhones and see other devices. When connected to $89 the Power Bank for 30 minutes, an cewrenr iPhone 13 was charged by 52 56 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 + High-goss top prone to scratches, + Fest charghg times. The Anker Prime 12,000mAh Power Bank is a nice innovative device in a small package. With its ability to fast-charge even a MacBook, i's ideal for power-hungry users who are always on the go. iWhen you help care for a loved one, you take care of everything. But are you taking care of yourself? ‘AARP can help with information and useful tips on how you can maintain a healthy life balance, care for your own physical and mental well-being, and manage the challenges of caring for a loved one. ‘Ask family and friends for assistance. Seek advice from other people caring for their loved ones. Don't forget about your own needs. I's just os important to make « plan to take core of yourself as itis to create o caregiving plan for your loved one. AARPorg/caregi of information, including legal and fina has. wide array guidance. You're there for them. We're here for you. Find free Care Guides to support you Ed and your loved one at /caregiving= MIDDEN iPHONE 15 AVEO = ) YOU NEED TO DISC@MMER RIGHT NOW MASTER THESE HIDDEN FEATURES TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR NEW iPHONE.TUR 6 HID: IPHONE he iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro have plenty of great new features, but some are not quite as obvious as a 5x zoom lens and an Action button. If you just picked up one of the latest iPhones, you have more options, settings, and functions than you realize, many of which you have to know where to find. You could be missing out on something that will totally change the way you use your new iPhone. Here, we'll reveal several of our favorite “hidden” features of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Some only apply to the Pro models, some apply to both, but all of them are worth knowing about. 1. All modern iPhones have an Optimized Charging feature, but the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro let you take ita step further by enforcing an 80 percent charge limit Set this and your iPhone will never charge past 80 percent. Why would you do this? Well, rechargeable batteries degrade much more quickly when kept fully charged, gradually losing total Apple's latest iPhone lineup introduces some fantastic new features. 60 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024Stopping at 80 percent charged may seriously prolong the lifespan of your iPhone battery. capacity. So stopping at 80 percent charged may seriously prolong the lifespan of your iPhone battery. Ifyou're the kind of person who never gets close to running out of power throughout the day, you should consider trying this setting. In the Settings app, go to Battery * Battery Health & Charging + Charging Optimization. You'll see an option to choose between Optimize Battery Charging, 80% Limit, or None. 2. EXPLORE BATTERY STATS Speaking of battery longevity, iPhone 15 models include some useful battery stats that you won't find on other models. Under Settings + General + About you can scroll down to find a new Battery section that lists the manufacture date of the battery in your iPhone, the date it was first used, and the number of complete charge cycles it Manufacture Date First Use September 2023 Cycle Count M4 iPhone 15 models include battery stats you won't find on older handsets. has endured This info could prove useful down the line in determining how old the battery is In your iPhone and how much life it should have left in it. It's great for those considering buying a used iPhone as well Generally speaking, iPhones are rated to retain 80 percent of their full charge capacity after 500 charge cycles, but in recent years, users have been complaining that batteries are degrading faster than they should (fave.co/4asni5S) 3. TAKE AUTOMATIC PORTRAITS AND QUICK OBJECT PORTRAITS While it was promoted as a feature of the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro, many people don't realize that when you take a photo with a person, dog, or cat in frame, it will automatically save the depth data necessary to make it a Portrait shot. You'll know it's doing this because of the f symbol in the viewfinder. EBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD GiFd © IPHONE TUR When your iPhone 15 is going to capture depth information, you'll see this symbol. You don't have to enable Portrait mode—just snap the pic. Then you can the image later in Photos and tap Edit, and you'll see the f symbol again to let you adjust the amount of Portrait effect. You can tap on a subject to the focal point. wi joose at you also might not realize is that you can very quickly do this same thing with objects. Just I in Camera as usual, tap 0} up your shot an object in e the fF symbol appear. Now it will save the the viewfinder, and you'll s depth information necessary to do a Portrait ed ust like it does with people and pets. Once again: iPhone 15 and 15 Pro save depth information to enable portrait mo in edits wt ver you see the f symbol It's automatic when the camera recognizes a person, dog, or cat, but you can tap an object to force it on. 62 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 4, UNLOCK ADDITIONAL LENSES IN YOUR MAIN CAMERA (PRO ONLY) The iPhone 15 Pro can take images with three different focal lengths using the main 48 megapixel camera: the equivalents of 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm. These should be enabled by default, but you can turn the 28mm and 35mm “lenses” on or off as desired. Open Settings + Camera + Main Camera, and you'll see toggle switches for the 28mm and 35mm lenses, as well he option to pick one as the default. When you're taking photos, simply tap the 1x zoom level button in the Camera app to quickly swap between lenses. It will swap between tx (24mm), 1.2 (28mm), and 1.5% (35mm). The iPhone 15 Pro’s main 48 megapixel camera can take images with three different focal lengths.Cy The iPhone 15 Pro gives you the option to choose ProRAW or HEIF formats. 5. SHOOT 48MP IN PRORAW OR HEIF (PRO ONLY) The iPhone 14 Pro added the ability to shoot 48 me: xel main camera images, but only if you shot in ProRAW format. With the iPhone 15, you can shoot 48 megapixels, but ProRAW is not supported he iPhone 15 Pro gives you the option to choose ProRAW or HEIF. ProRAW is a good choice for those who do lots of image editing ke Lig) fe of the sensor inf in prox oom, as it preserve nation. But if all ye ye about 15 times smaller (roughly SMB p want is a good supe high-res image, should choose HEIF, because they're photo for 48 megapixel HEIF versus 75MB for ProRAW), Open Settings + Camera # Formats. n Pro Default to change the default resolution and format for those shots, Want to do this even faster? Press and hold the RAW Max, RAW 12, or HEIF Max indicator in the Camera app, and you'll be able to select a new option. 6. HIDE THE SILENT MODE BELL (PRO ONLY) With the addition of the Action button on the IPhone 15 Pro, you can't sin ly tell if you phone is on Mute by looking at the position ofthe mute switch. So Apple added z Control Center button, and a ttle “mute bell” icon in the status bar, next to the time. his bothers you, don’t worry—you can hide it. Open Settings + Sound and Haptics and you'll see a oe QD --e ene big red Silent caadaal Mode toggle up top, followed by a toggle for Show in Status Bar. That will let you put your iPhone on silent without the bell icon up top. You can now put an your iPhone on sia silent without the little bell icon up top. FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 63A HISTORY OF APPLE’S MISTAk PN eA Re Se AND HOW IT ta TO a ite FROM THE iPOD SHUFFLEA HISTORY OF APPLE'S obody’s perfect. We all make mistakes, from the littlest kindergarteners to the world’s most valuable and powerful corporations. What's most important is how we respond to our mistakes, of course, Do we lear and grow? Do we deny and deflect? Or do we just give up? What I'm saying is that sometimes Apple learns important lessons from its failures that inform its future attempts. but sometimes it seems to just shrug its shoulders and give up. ADORABLE FAILURES AND THEIR REACTIONS Apple is a proud company that hates making mistakes and hates owning up to them even more. When Apple corrects a Apple began to remove the butterfly keyboard, i to its MacBooks in 2015, in 2019. 66 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2024 MISTAKES AND FAILURES mistake, it generally does so by pointing ‘out how much better the correction is and how customers are just going to love it. It doesn't dwell on the past—and it doesn’t want anyone else to do so, either In 2015, Apple introduced a new keyboard that it bragged about. It was thin and light and clearly an improvement on what had come before. The “butterfly keyboard,” it turned out, had limited key travel that turned off many laptop users, and reliability problems (fave.co/3nB4D4G) that made it a nightmare for others. (And, of course, laptop users can't swap out their keyboards for an alternative—so it was a pretty critical failure) For years, Apple tried to modify the keyboard to make it more reliable. Did it finally succeed? It's hard to say, because in 2019, the company began replacing the butterfly keyboard entirely. The new Magic Keyboard design was more like the external keyboard by the same name. When the company explained just how much effort it had invested in researching and designing the new keyboard, it came about as close to apologizing (fave. co/3tp8zvY) as It'll ever do. My favorite Apple failure roduced reaction came in the wake ofthe introduction of the third-generation iPod Shuffle (fave.co/3RNCLIE). If you don't remember, the iPod Shuffle (fave. co/47ifsS9) was a very small iPod music player with no screen, just a set of buttons to control play/pause, next/previous, and volume up/down. But for the device's third generation, Apple introduced a model with..no buttons at alll Instead, to control the iPod Shuffle, you had to use compatible headphones with a microphone (for voice control) and a set of inline control buttons. If your preferred headphones weren't compatible—well, tough. itwas a disaster. A litle over a year later, Apple released a “fourth-generation” model (fave. co/484AMYe) that was a complete reversion to the second-generation model (fave. co/48k4W9m), with a complete set of controls on the device. | don’t know if can recall another time when Apple immediately tossed out a new design and returned to the previous one. What a failure! But at least it got the message and responded PAPA HOMER, YOU ARE SO LEARNED As Homer Simpson taught us, when you fail, you learn the most important lesson of all: never try. Sometimes Apple reacts You needed to use compatible headphones to control the iPod Shuffle (3rd generation). to failure by running away from the scene of the crime, never to return. | don't really like it when this happens because if something's worth doing, it’s worth trying until you get it right. Take the Touch Bar. A lot of people are still out dancing in the streets at the discontinuation of the final Mac laptop with a Touch Bar (fave.co/485LY6H), which happened last month. And | agree: The Touch Bar was a failure for so many reasons. But is the lesson that Apple should Just never try to do anything new and different with its keyboards? | sure hope not. Sitting next to my Mac’s keyboard is a FEBRUARY 2024 MACWORLD 67