THE DAWN OF THE Al iPHONE: HOW IT CHANGES EVERYTHING May 2024 APPLE’S BEST LAPTOP: Ms BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IT’S EVEN BETTER THAN BEFORENOT DISORIEN- TATI on. 1, ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATIONMacworld MAY 2024 CONTENTS iPhone 15 review MACUSER 4 PC hardware ideas that would be better on the Mac 7 Macks Pro review 11 The M3 Mai ‘Apple Siicon mpletes the MacBook worth buying 19 ming, not this year 24 MacUser Reviews 25 Hot Suff35 iOSCENTRAL partment sues Apple 39 ‘oming tothe IPhone 42 Seenthe last ofthe Apple Car? 45 that should have come from Apple 48 IPhone isnt sharing personal nfo St (0S Central Reviews 5S WORKINGMAC ‘Apple's new Manuals, Specs, and loads page 5a g Ugreen Revodok Max 213 Thunderbot Dock rev Review: Intego ViusBarrier Scanner 101 PLAYLIST ‘AiPods Proto get ‘hearing aid mode’ 105 FaceTiming on your Apple TV 4K? You dor't have to hold your iPhone 107 JBL Xtreme 4 speaker review 109 iPhone setting hat affects a speaker 113, HELPDESK using Time Machine QuickTime while recording audio or video, Tweak your SOS settings 117 MAY 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 (CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, INTERNATIONAL DATA GROUP Wate Boy £0,106 Genevieve lord 4 MACWORLD MAY 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 May 2036, ots 4 sue 5 ‘tr Boo ne 2084 ound Haraty Bs Canennestna re As esd ea Pat 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 MAY 2024 MACWORLD 5He's i 1”, leita texcraT Two external displays with up to 6K. resolution at 6OHz over Thunderbolt > One external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one extemal display with up to 4K resolution at 144Hz over HDMI > One external display over HDMI at 8K resolution at 60Hz, or one display at 4K resolution at 240Hz M3 > One external display with up to 6K resolution at 6OHz Everything else about the two laptops is the same—no difference in the display, webcam, speakers, Keyboard, or trackpad.CPU PERFORMANCE The SoC inside our review unit is the slimmed-down version of the M3 Pro, which has 11 CPU cores (five performance cores, six efficiency cores). The base M3 has eight CPU cores (four performance and four efficiency cores). The M3 Pro that we tested also has more memory: 18GB, compared to 86GB in the M3. The M3 can be upgraded to 16GB, but not 18GB, and that upgrade will cost an extra $200, half of the price difference between the M3 and M3 Pro. laptops. Both the M3 Pro and M3 laptops include a 512GB SSD. The M3 Pro has upgrade options for 1TB, 278, and 4TB, while the M3 options are only for 178 or 2B. For the test of the CPU, we use Geekbench 6 (fave.co/3g8CyNZ) and Cinebench 2024 (fave.co/3q2vLw4). The scores from each laptop are compared to gauge the performance of each and to note the differences. In the benchmark results involving single-core performance, there are hardly any differences between the different M3 variants in Geekbench or Cinebench. That's to be expected since all chips use the same core technology. The differences stand out with the multi-core test results. In Geekbench, the M3 Pro had a 44 percent boost GEEKBENCH 6 Single-core oer ————~ ——€ soon om, "I over the M3. In the Cinebench test, the MB Pro increases was 31 percent compared to the M3. We also included Geekbench results for the M2 Pro with a 12-core CPU. That M2 Pro performed better than the 1l-core MB Pro, because it has eight performance cores—two more than the M3 Pro. During the test with Cinebench 2024, we used the power metrics Terminal utility (fave.co/43wq5f) to display the core frequencies and power consumption of the CPU. The M3 Pro clocks both the efficiency cores and the power cores CINEBENCH R24 Multi-core Sraueene Ma MacBook Pro ov cee: eT) MAY 2024 MACWORLD 13,ce REVIEW: 14-INCH M3 PRO MACBOOK PRO BLACKMAGIC DISK TEST Read; Mbps M3 Pro MacBookPro no Mactoaktre wa promecdookbre See slightly lower compared to the M3. In terms of power consumption, we see an increase from the M3 with around 20 watts to the M3 Pro with around 23 watts. This is about 13 percent more, with a performance increase of 31 percent The MacBook Pro M3 Pro has two fans to maintain a proper operating temperature. These worked well and were very quiet iMOVIE: STABILIZE Seconds WoProtacbookho 7 weongane arene IMOVIE: EXPORT 4K Seconds. ‘nour ee | ion: eT 4 MACWORLD MAY 2024 BLACKMAGIC DISK TEST Write; Mbps eae Ma MacBookPro wane MacoookPe Ma Max Mactook Pro even when all the CPU cores were working ‘at maximum speed. With the MacBook Pro MB, its one fan had more and was louder. Although the M3 Pro and M3 in our testing have the same size SSD at 512GB, the M3 Pro's drive was faster, especially when reading. In general use, however, this is probably only noticeable if you must write or read larger amounts of data iMOVIE: ROLLING SHUTTER ‘Seconds [Ma Pro MacBook Pro M2 MacBookPro [M2 Pro MacBook Pro iMOVIE: EXPORT 4K (HIGH) ‘Seconds [Ma Pro MacBook Pro M2 MacBookPro M2ProMacBook ProHANDBRAKE 6.1 H.265 x265; seconds "| —— ereem enero ° ETS When working on 362 images in the Photos app, we didn’t notice any hitches in performance on the M3 Pro, but we did see that the 18GB of memory was not enough for the app and several gigabytes of the SSD were used as virtual memory. In iMovie, there are no unpleasant surprises when editing and exporting projects with the M3 Pro and Its 18GB of memory—we had issues with the MacBook Pro M3 and its 8GB of memory. In addition, the M3 Pro handles editing of 4K video from an iPhone 14 much faster than the M3. When converting a 67GB 4K movie with Handbrake, the M3 Pro also finished faster than the M3, but only takes about as long as the M2 Pro. GPU PERFORMANCE The MB Pro in our test has a 14-core GPU, which Is four more than the M3's 10-core GPU. In Geekbench's Compute Metal test, the M3 Pro has a significant performance increase of 44 percent compared to the HANDBRAKE 6.1 H.265 Video Toolbox; seconds a ———€ =n M2MacBookPre GEEKBENCH 6 Compute ceerenrs SE acoso a" eee TT —— ae M3, Compared to the 16-core GPU in the M2 Pro, however, the M3 Pro is slower. The Cinebench 2024 GPU test gives another picture. The M3 Pro surpasses the. MB by a whopping 65 percent, and the M2 Pro with 19-core GPU by 58 percent. 3D WILDLIFE EXTREME [Ma Pro MacBook Pro Ma MacBookPro [Ma Pro MacBook Pro ne TTS MAY 2024 MACWORLD 15totes You'll find the MacBook Pro M3 Pro noticeably faster than the M3 model. When testing with 3D Wildlife Extreme, the M3 Pro was 47 percent faster than the M3. The M3 Pro and the M2 Pro practically had the same results. We also noticed that the M3 Pro clocks the GPU minimally higher than the M3 and requires around 6 watts, which is around 35 percent more power than the M3. BATTERY LIFE After about ten hours of use the MacBook Pro M3 Pro's reached 19 percent, which is still enough for a two-hour movie in Amazon Prime. After standard watching the movie, the battery reached 10 percent. You can cons easily get over a working day + Quiet. with this laptop. In a battery test with the Endurance: CPU Stress Test (fave.co/3TrUaZ"), the M3 Pro (6 MACWORLD MAY 2024 $oegs ‘Winch M3 Pro ‘MacBook Pro + 1868 unified memory + Good perfomance + Low peor age ove N2 Po. REVIEW: 14-INCH M3 PRO MACBOOK PRO lasted about 2.5 hours before reaching the 4 percent mark at which the performance COU cores switch off. The M3 lasted two hours. Using only the clocked-down efficiency cores both laptops continued to work for 30 minutes, Fully charging the laptop battery took about 90 minutes using the 70-watt power adapter. VERDICT The MacBook Pro M3 Pro proves to be a good work tool for everyday tasks. I's noticeably faster than the MacBook Pro M3—the extra money you must pay to upgrade from the M3 to the M3 Pro is well spent. The MacBook Pro M3 isn’t a bad laptop—it's Apple's pricing that's out whack. As a replacement for a MacBook Pro from the Intel era, or a M1 MacBook Air or a 13-inch MacBook Pro, the lower-end M3 Pro itis a great step forward. However, if you have an M2 Pro MacBook Pro, the lower-end M3 Pro does not offer any added value that 2 makes a switch seem sensible—the lower-end M3 Pro just doesn't provide enough of a boost over the M2 Pro.- —_ The M3 MacBook Air completes the Apple Silicon transition For the first time since Apple dum Pee ore than four months after unveiling the M3 chip in the new 14-inch MacBook Pro (fave.co/43KC21n, Apple has finally updated the other laptops in its family, the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air, The new machines are essentially a Intel, there's a la top for every want and need specifications bump that should make buying a laptop a simpler process. Apple's three plain-Jane M3 machines range in price from $1,099 to $1,599, and this time around you won't need to be a computer scientist to figure out which one to buy. Here’s how the pricing breaks MAY 2024 MACWORLD 17fos M3 MACBOOK AIR COMPLETES APPLE SILICON TRANSITION down at the simplest level: > MB MacBook Air, 13-inch, 8-core CPU/8-core GPU, 256GB: $1,099 > M3 MacBook Air, 13-inch, 8-core CPU/10-core GPU, 512GB: $1,299 > M3 MacBook Air, 15-inch, 8-core CPU/I0-core GPU, 2566B: $1,299 > M3 MacBook Pro, 14-inch: 8-core CPU/I0-core GPU, 512GB: $1,599 Rounding out the entry-level MacBook offerings is the M2 MacBook Air, which replaces the aging M1 model at the same $999 price point. All of the models come with 8GB of RAM and are customizable to 16GB for $200 or 24GB for $400. Apple also charges $200 to go from 256GB of storage to $12GB and another $200 to go from 512GB to 1TB across the board With the M's discontinuation, all of the current MacBooks now have a very similar design, with simple at-a-glance differences: The Airs are thinner and lighter, and the Pros bring more ports. You can get in the door with a modern MacBook for $999 and need to spend at least $300 more than an Air for a Pro model. You can pretty easily divide the lineup Into Steve Jobs’ famous Consumer/Pro quadrant. The top left is the M2 Air, the top right Is the 15-inch Air, the bottom left is the 13-inch M3 Air, and the bottom right is the 14-inch Pro. None of them break the bank '@ MACWORLD way 2024 and no one Is going to feel cheated by what they decide to buy. > Spend $999 and you'll get a fantastic machine with an older but stil excellent chip. > Spend an extra $100 and you'll get the same machine with a faster chip and Wi-Fi and the ability to run two extemal displays > Spend another $200 and you're getting an even better chip with either a larger display or twice the storage. > Spend $300 more and you're getting a far superior display with much more ‘expansion. > Finally, raise your budget to $1,999 (another $400) and you can get one of the high-performance Pro machines. It might seem like a small thing, but for the first time since Apple switched from Intel to its own silicon, the entire MacBook line is updated with the latest chips, designs, and specs. The difference between the M3 Airs and the Pros is clear, and there's an excellent budget model that, doesn't sacrifice newer features. The whole lineup makes sense and there’s no need to dive into tech specs to pick out the model you want. You can take umbrage with 8GB of RAM, but pound for pound, this is the strongest MacBook lineup Apple has ever offered. And for the first time in the Apple Silicon era, the question is what you need, not how much you're willing to spend. iApple finally has a $999 MacBook worth oe ok Air has be C far-superior M2 rr or the sar long with the launch of the new M3 MacBook Air in March (Fave. co/3TMugjT), Apple shifted around its laptop range to make room for a new budget model. Gone is the M1 MacBook Air (fave.co/3h67n8s) that had been in the lineup since 2020 and in its place is a new $999 model: the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air (fave.co/3zbn71\). While the pi newest budget laptop is a huge upgrade rice is the same, the in value. The Mi model had Apple's old design, chip, and screen, while the M2 model is an upgrade in every way. It has a newer design with slimmer bezels, a larger and brighter display with rounded comers, 1080p FaceTime camera, and spatial audio support. MAY 2024 MACWORLD 19Poesy APPLE FINALLY MacBook Air in 2020 for $999, and despite Its older design, it was an excellent budget machine However, without a price cut in more than three years, the M1 Air hasn't been worth its price tag since the M2 arrived in mid-2022 Amazon and other retallers are stil selling the Mi MacBook Air for $749 The M2 Air is an upgrade over its predecessor in every way. (fave.co/3WdhUG), a Apple is offering the M2 MacBook Air in the same four colors as the M3 models—midnight, starlight, space gray, and silver—along with two processor options. The previous M1 MacBook Air was only available with the lowest processor, an 8-core CPU with a 7-core GPU, but you can upgrade the M2 processor from an S-core GPU to a 10-core GPU for $100. However, we would recommend getting the M3 model at that point, which also $1,099. Apple launched the costs 20 MACWORLD MAY 2024 savings of $250 until supply runs out. Ifthe M2 model sees similar discount later this year, it will be one of the best Mac bargains ever. But for now, even at its full $999 price, the M2 MacBook Air gets our full recommendation. mReport: macOS redesign is coming, but not this year Maybe Apple will fix the System Settir A s design. nthe latest version of the paid edition of However, the iOS 18 facelift is Apple's the “Power On” newsletter (fave.co/ priority (as usual), and the macO$ one 49chdwk), Bloomberg's Mark Gurman won't be ready for WWDC. More likely, reports that Apple has OS redesigns in _ it'll be introduced within the next two mind. The company is focused on one for _years. Since the macOS redesign has IOS 18 (fave.co/3Tsxtnu), which will debut just begun, no specifics are provided as this summer at Worldwide Developers to what the redesign will entail. Apple Conference. Gurman also reports that a last redesigned macOS with Big Sur in macOS redesign Is in the works, too. 2020, which would be more than five 1st: MAY 2024 MACWORLD 2fos MACOS REDESIGN IS COMING Apple is currently focused on redesigning iOS. be coming to macOS. Vision Pro and the Mac are very closely aligned due to the ability to share screen via a Virtual display, so it's possible Apple looks to unify the two interfaces. However, let's hope Apple takes this opportunity to put the iOS-ification of macOS into perspective, Sometimes the carryovers don't work as well as they could—the System Settings years old when this new design overhaul _redesign introduced in macOS Ventura (fave. is expected to arrive. co/3SpevUJ) is one example. While using Apple's approach isn't surprising—it's 1OS-inspired elements can work in macOS, what the company has done over the past. Apple needs to remember that people use several years. iOS takes the lead, andthen _the Mac ina much different way than the Apple incorporates many of the ideas iPhone, and the Ul needs to reflect that. ml developed there and implements them into macOS. So once iOS 18 is released, we'll get an idea of what could be coming to macOS. Gurman specifically claimed that Apple isn't looking to bring visionOS's design language to iOS, but he didn't mention whether the headset's circular design elements would 22 MACWORLD MAY 2024 It’s not known whether the Vision Pro's circular design elements would be coming to macOS.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wali) 4 dir he scary? POC Pear tact ahah PSC aE La: Don’t drive distracted. NHTSA &DOUGH SPECTRUM ONE: AN AFFORDABLE STUDIO DISPLAY ALTERNATIVE BY ROMAN LOYOLA re es; REVIEWS Apple makes nice displays, but sheesh, they are expensive. So when a display like Dough's Spectrum One with Gorilla Glass is released, it certainly catches a shopper's eye. Priced at $898 (that's $799 for the display and $99 for the stand), it's considerably cheaper than the $1,599 Apple Studio Display (fave.co/SE5nXk4). It's easy to find a 27-inch, 4K display that’s cheaper than the Studio Display, but they are not usually on par with Apple's quality. The Spectrum One, however, comes very close—so close that for a lot of people, it's a viable alternative to the Studio Display. As you might expect, a few compromises are made, but you also get a MAY 2024 MACWORLD 25PIGIEeM REVIEW: DOUGH SPECTRUM ONE few features that you either can't find or have to pay extra for in the Studio Display. If you are thinking of buying the Spectrum One, you should know about Dough's history. It used to be Eve, but it developed a bad reputation due to problematic products and customer service. | can't speak to the company’s current service record, but the switch to Dough (fave.co/3Py3mtw) involves efforts to provide better service and products to reestablish itself and clean up its image. SPECIFICATIONS Size: 27 inches Glass front: Corning Gorilla Glass with DXC Aspect ratio: 16:9 Native resolution: 3840x2160 Panel type/backlight: IPS/white LED Response time: 5 ms typical, ms overdrive Contrast ratio: 1,000:1 Frequency: 48Hz to 144Hz Color depth: 10-bit Brightness: 450 nits typical; 750 nits maximum Dimension with stand (horizontal): 23.9%22.5%8.9 inches (607571227 mm) highest height; 23.9%177*8.9 inches (607449227 mm) lowest height Weight with stand: 18.8 Ibs (6.7 kg) 26 MACWORLD MAY 2024 DESIGN AND BUILD Here's a nitpicky detail that only Mac users can understand. One of the problems with non-Apple displays is that they don’t match the Apple design aesthetic. This is a trivial issue, but doggonit, third-party designs are often downright ugly. That's not the case with the Spectrum One. It doesn't look like an Apple product, but it does look nice. The display’s aluminum stand is a gray shade that’s not the same as Apple's Space Gray, but it doesn’t clash with It Overall, the Spectrum One feels like a solid, sturdy display. That's especially important if you want to pivot the display from time to time, which you can do. The display has a thin bezel that's, about a quarter-inch thick around the top and sides, and they're thinner than the Studio Display’s half-inch bezel. The Ce LY Vk The top, left, and right bezels on the Spectrum One are thinner than those on the Apple Studio Display.Spectrum One’s bottom bezel Is thicker, but it doesn't stand out. The Spectrum One display in this review has a Corning Gorilla Glass with DXC front, and according to Dough, this glass increases the ambient contrast ratio by 40 percent and reduces reflection by 70 percent when compared to other Spectrum One displays, which have glossy or matte glass. Compared to the standard semi-glossy glass on the Apple Studio Display, the Gorilla Glass appears more matte-like and does a better job of diffusing glare. With a completely black Desktop, the Studio Display’s black looks deeper, while the Spectrum One has a bit of a frosted look DISPLAY STAND The Spectrum One’s stand does not come with the display but is a separate part that you'll have to pay $99 for. The stand attaches to the VESA mount; it snaps into place and can be easily removed. The stand does offer a good array of adjustments: Its vertical tilt goes 7 degrees up or 23 degrees down, it can pivot 90 degrees, and it has a height adjusting range of 122 millimeters, Sold separately for $99, the Spectrum One’s stand offers titt and height adjustment and can pivot 90 degrees. If the $99 for the stand is a letdown, consider that the stand included with Apple's Studio Display does not have height adjustment. Apple does offer a stand with that, but you'll have to pay an additional $400. PORTS The Spectrum One connects to the Mac through a USB-C port that also supplies 100 watts of power throughput to charge a connected MacBook. A Mac can also use one of the two HDMI 211 ports, but by connecting through USB-C you'll also be able to use the display as a hub and its other USB-C port (15 watts), the two USB-A ports, and the 3.5 mm audio jack. There's also a USB-8 port so PCs can use the May 2024 MACWORLD 27Pos REVIEW: DOUGH SPECTRUM ONE display as a port hub and DisplayPort BUILT-IN CONTROLS The back of the Spectrum One has a mini joystick that's easy to reach when sitting in front of the display—it's at the bottom center of the back When you push it down, a control panel appears and the Joystick Is used to navigate settings, including Picture settings such as Brightness, Contrast, Color temperature, and Sharpness settings. It's important to know about this control panel because you'll need to access it to tweak the image quality—especially the Brightness, which I'l discuss in the “image and video quality” section. You can connect multiple devices to the Spectrum One, even a game console like an Xbox of PlayStation. (After all, the Spectrum One was initially designed as a gaming display.) And thanks to its variable refresh rate—which includes the ability to run at 120Hz—gameplay will be smooth. You can't get 120Hz on a Studio Display if you're able to connect a console to it in the first place—it doesn't have HDMI, so you have to use an HDMI to Thunderbolt adapter. In macOS's Display System Settings, the Spectrum One can be adjusted for its refresh 28 MACWORLD MAY 2024 | Acconnection hub and on-display control joystick are on the back of the Spectrum One. rate. You can set it to Variable, which adjusts the rate on the fly between 40 and 144Hz, or you can select a rate. You can also turn on the option to adjust the display to show high ‘dynamic range (HDR) content and pick a color profile. The brightness can't be set through System Settings, only through the display’s control panel. IMAGE AND VIDEO QUALITY lused macOS Sonoma's terrific wallpapers (fave.co/3HEdNrc), as well as some personal photos and videos, to test the Image quality of the Spectrum One, and overall the image quality is impressive. The colors are rich, vibrant, and accurate, and the detail is sharp. To me, the Spectrum One looks more accurate in some instances in which the Studio Display comes off as too lively.But as | mentioned when | covered Display System Settings, but if you're the Gorilla Glass on the display, the viewing or working In HDR content, you'll Spectrum One's black isn’t as rich or definitely want it on—it makes a dramatic deep as that on the Apple Studio Display. difference. When viewing HDR videos, | It doesn't detract from the overall image noticed an improvement in the contrast quality, it’s just...different. and detail with HDR. For example, in this The 4K videos | played ran smoothly, _ video, you can see much more skin and | didn't notice any off-putting artifacts. To check the Spectrum One's response rate, | ran Resident Evil: Village with macOS Sonoma’s Game Mode turned on. The difference was subtle when switching between 6OH2 and 144Hz, but the game did look smoother at the faster refresh rate, which is key for first-person shooters. The variable and higher refresh rate feature is one that you can't find on the Studio Display, which is fixed at 60Hz One major advantage the Spectrum One has over the Studio Display is that it supports HDRI10, a standard high-dynamic range format. HDR can be turned on and offin the The Spectrum One at its highest and lowest heights. MAY 2024 MACWORLD 29Pos REVIEW: DOUGH SPECTRUM ONE texture with HDR on the Spectrum One than with HDR off or compared to the Studio Display. Though the Spectrum One has a typical brightness of 450 nits, its maximum brightness is 750 nits, which is 150 more than the Studio Display. The brightness, however, is a big factor when you're setting up the Spectrum One. According to the display’s built-in control panel, the default brightness is set to 50, which | assume Is 50 percent of the maximum 750 nits. In any case, it looks too dim, especially when sitting next to a Studio Display. When | turned it up to 80 and 90, it looked to be more on par with Apple's display, and turning it up to 100 The Spectrum One can pivot to a vertical posi 30 MACWORLD MAY 2024 made ita tad brighter by comparison Turning up the brightness also helped cut down the glare of the glass. MULTIMEDIA FEATURES. The Spectrum One does not have builtin speakers, microphones, or a camera. If you want these features, you'll have to resort to external solutions. If you're particular about audio and image quality, you'll probably prefer to go this route even if those parts are built in because you can get speakers and a mic that produce much better quality As for the camera, you can use an iPhone and take advantage of macOS's Continuity Camera (fave.co/3rCtVAN). The iPhone's camera is much better equipped to handle different lighting situations and it produces great video quality. You will need to get a mount such as Belkin’s iPhone Mount with MagSafe for Mac Desktops and Displays (fave.co/ S3TWQTCF, $39.99) The Spectrum One has a nifty feature called Split Screen mode, where the display can show two sources at once. Unfortunately, the two screens don't completely fill the display; each screen occupies 50 percent of the horizontalThe Spectrum One is very good for even professional- level image work. display width. Split Screen is turned on through the display’s control panel. PRICE The Spectrum One with Gorilla Glass is $799 without a stand You can supply your own stand to connect to the VESA mount, or you can pay an additional $99 for a stand. Even at $898 {including a stand), that price is much more palatable for a lot of customers than the $1,599 Apple Studio Display with the semi-glossy standard glass and a stand that does not offer height adjustment. Other 27-inch 4K displays can be found for under $799, but they don't offer a variable refresh rate or a glass front like the Spectrum One's Gorilla Glass. They also may use twisted nematic (TN) or vertical alignment (VA) display technologies, which are cheaper but tend to have lesser overall image quality than IPS or LED. VERDICT The Spectrum One with Gorilla Glass is worth a look if you're in the market for a display and cringe at the $1,599 starting price of the Apple Studio Display. There are a few trade-offs: I's 4K resolution rather than SK, and it lacks speakers, a microphone, and a sees Dough Spectrum One + Good image ually. + KOR suppor, + Can be used wit matte devices + Stand sald separately or $99, + Blacks aren't as deep as on Apple StuloDispiay. + No busin speakers, microphone, or webcam. $799 Dough webcam. Its overall image quality isn't as good as that of the Studio Display, but it's still very good, even for professional-level image work. Ithad a few advantages over the Studio Display, such as a variable refresh rate to a maximum of 144Hz, a higher maximum brightness, height adjustment on its $99 stand, and the ability to connect to game consoles at 120Hz. Overall, i's a display that's worth the investment. li MAY 2024 MACWORLD 31PEAK DESIGN EVERYDAY BACKPACK: SMART STORAGE WITH A SNAP BY THOMAS BERGBOLD 32. MACWORLD MAY 2028 With the Everyday Backpack, Peak Design has created a fets(elfer§ backpack that's robust and adaptable for many activities. And it looks chic, too. In the backpack's notebook compartment, Peak Design came up with a very clever height adjustment. If you have a 13-inch MacBook Air, you don't have to reach very deep to pull it out. Thecompartment Is well padded, so even if you drop the backpack your precious MacBook is protected. The large main compartment can be divided using three Velcro separators, Without a separator, the compartment is big enough to hold, say, a All this stuf fits into the 20-liter version of the Everyday Backpack. stack of three A4 binders and books, along with a separator __from inside the pockets and latch onto the to make room for a camera at the bottom, _ backpack to keep items secure. and books or an iPad above it. Inside, there's a softly lined The main compartment can be compartment for glasses. It is accessible accessed from three directions: via the via the same zipper as the notebook large side covers on the left and right, or compartment. from above. The cover flap has Peak The zippers—Peak Design calls them Design’s MagLatch, which can be locked —_—_UltraZips—are weatherproof and the in four stages with a magnetically snapped hook—it's an elegant way to accommodate items that are bulging at the top of the backpack The two outer side pockets are perfect for a drinking bottle, umbrella, or tripod. These pockets don't have zippers, but there are straps that extend The backpack’s sturdy straps are smartly placed. MAY 2024 MACWORLD 33REVIEW: PEAK DESIGN EVERYDAY BACKPACK recycled 400D nylon, the Everyday Backpack has a pleasing canvas structure and is coated with a durable water repellent to ensure good weather protection. The backpack is easy to clean. The Everyday Backpack is available in three colors (Black, Charcoal, and Midnight). The 20-liter size The Everyday Backpack is easy to clean and looks great. (which is also available in an Ash color) is $279.95, openings are wide for easy access.Each and the 30-liter size is $299.95, of the two side covers has a magnetic closure compartment. These are good VERDICT places for small things such as USB sticks, Peak Design has put a lot of thought into adapters, cables, or keys. the Everyday Backpack, and it shows—it’s The backpack has a large, comfortable, _a sophisticated and universal backpack. and minimalist-looking leather strap at the top. The backpack straps are large and well padded, making them comfortable to wear. The backpack straps have a chest strap, and an optional Everyday Hip Belt strap is available for $29.95 (fave.co/3VweWd0), There are also straps for fastening a sleeping bag or bicycle helmet to the backpack. Made of 100 percent 34 MACWORLD MAY 2024 It's a great fit for a variety of $9888 users, like photographers and oa videographers who carry a lot Everyday Backpack of gear, workers and students ae ca going to where they need to pockets go, oF athletes who need to + Magnetic closures. carry equipment. Yes, it’s eee expensive, but the Everyday cove Backpack is a high-quality ~ Ro comparimentserP&S —_Broduct with workmanship and ence material designed to last. The From $279 Peak Design Everyday Backpack lives up to Its name and is one of the best backpacks we've reviewed.FUJIFILM X100VI MIRRORLESS DIGITAL CAMERA fyjflm-x.com Social media is in love with Fujifilm’s latest, and with good reason—i’s a small yet powerful camera that’s easy to use for novices but has features pros will love. This fixed-lens camera has a 40.2- megapixel sensor that can capture 6K video, five-axis in-body image stabilization, a hybrid viewfinder, and 20 film simulation mades to help you get the look you want. -ROMANLOYOLA MAY 2024 MACWORLD 25MACUS Mot Stuff WACOM ONE 13 TOUCH wacom.com Wacom’ tablet display works with the Mac-if you've ys wanted to be able to use a stylus for graphies arts, connect this 13:inch display to a USB-C port on a Mac, and you can put your digital pen to digital paper (so speak) The display also offers multitouch pability so you use your fingers, too. -ROMANLOYOLA MACWORLD MAY 2024BENQ PD3225U beng.com This 32-inch, 4K display is made for professionals who demand color accuracy. It has a 2000:1 contrast ratio, Color Match for Macs with its M-book Mode, and support for 98 percent of the P3 color space. This Thunderbolt 3 display also includes a KVM switch th connect two Macs, -ROMANLOYOLA allows usets to MAY 2024 MACWORLDIF YOU are |wantyouto ston, look around anywhere 274 oren your heart. in your Revelintne abundance ; ames ey journey With Siistance use disorder substance waishatyouare use disorder, "™"™"™ Fill your existence with beauty, purpose and a life of service. And your substance use disorder— your history of addiction, the things you may have done that you are not proud of—will one day be small enough to deal with while allowing you space to live this life of jou. Hold on. We are not the sum of our scars but rather a beautiful mosaic of the life they hold together. Joseph Washington, DC In recovery from substance use disorder Learn how substance use recovery can ‘StartWithHo} for Mental | i Shatterproot WellbeingU.S. Justice Department sues Apple over its ‘iPhone monopoly’ The DOJis joined by 16 and district attorneys general in claiming that Apple has vi Section 2 of the Sherman Act Bae he US. Department of Justice, The government alleges that Apple Joined by 16 state and district used contractual restrictions and attorneys general, has filed a civil _ technological restrictions to limit developers antitrust lawsuit against Apple in such a way that it is more difficult for ( ) for monopolization or them to compete with Apple's own attempted monopolization of smartphone —_ products and services, and more difficult for markets in violation of Section 2 of the IPhone users to switch to Android Sherman Act. You can read the full text of | “Apple undermines apps, products, and the filling here ( , PDF) services that would otherwise make MAY 2024 MACWORLD 39U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SUES APPLE users less reliant on the iPhone, promote interoperability, and lower costs for consumers and developers. Apple exercises its monopoly power to extract more money from consumers, developers, content creators, artists, publishers, small businesses, and merchants, among others.” USS. Dept. of Justice The suit also claims, “Unless Apple's anticompetitive and exclusionary conduct Is stopped, it will likely extend and entrench its iPhone monopoly to other markets and parts of the economy.” It should be noted that the suit does not allege that Apple maintains a majority of the smartphone market, and it is not about whether consumers can choose to buy smartphones other than the iPhone. Rather, the suit charges that Apple is using its market strength to give an advantage to its own apps, services, and products over others—for example, forcing third-party smartwatch makers to use application programming interfaces that limit their access and capabilities compared to what Apple can do with its own Apple Watch, or making it Impossible for third-party 40 MACWORLD MAY 2024 location trackers like Tile to work as well across devices as Apple’s own AlrTags. The DOJ breaks down its major complaints into five main categories: Blocking innovative super apps: Apple has disrupted the growth of apps with broad functionality that would make it easier for consumers to switch between competing smartphone platforms. Suppressing mobile cloud streaming services: Apple has blocked the development of cloud-streaming apps and services that would allow consumers to enjoy high-quality video games and other cloud-based applications without having to pay for expensive smartphone hardware. Excluding cross-platform messaging apps: Apple has made cross-platform messaging worse, less innovative, and less secure for users so its customers must keep. buying iPhones for the iMessage platform The suit charges that Apple has limited the functionality of third-party smartwatches.Diminishing the functionality of non-Apple smartwatches: Apple has limited the functionality of third-party smartwatches so that users who. purchase the Apple Watch face substantial out-of-pocket costs if they do not keep buying iPhones. Limiting the capabilities of third- party digital wallets: Apple has prevented third-party apps from offering tap-to-pay functionality, inhibiting the creation of cross-platform third-party digital wallets. While these are the big-ticket items, the complaint says that Apple's anticompetitive conduct extends even beyond them, including “web browsers, video communication, news subscriptions, entertainment, automotive services, advertising, location services, and more.” Apple has issued the following response to the suit: At Apple, we innovate every day to make technology people love— designing products that work seamlessly together, protect people's privacy and security, and create g magical experience for our users. This lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets. If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple—where hardware, software, and services intersect. It would also set a dangerous precedent, empowering government to take a heavy hand in designing people's technology. We believe this lawsuit is wrong on the facts and the law, and we will vigorously defend against it. Apple The Department of Justice began its Inquiry into Apple in 2019 and has built a case that is much broader than most other regulatory agencies. The European Union, for example, focused on the App Store and tap-to-pay functionality. Apple has successfully defended itself against other antitrust suits, most recently against Epic Games, but the scope here is much broader. Whatever the outcome, itis unlikely to have a material effect on users for quite some time. These cases can take years to resolve, and then any forced remedies are often given deadlines even further out to give the company time to comply. For at least the next couple of years, the most, likely way this will impact Apple users is if Apple preemptively makes minor changes to its policies and contracts in an effort to argue that any past issues are already resolved and prevent the government from imposing a bigger remedy. m MAY 2024 MACWORLD 4Cesc Al is coming to the iPhone—and it could change eve rythin fter years of the market complaining that Apple is behind” on artificial intelligence, the company is poised to make a big push in the technology with its platform updates is year. It’s a rare move that's confirm: by no less than CEO Tim Cook himself ( ), who said in the company’s most recent financial results 42 MACWORLD MAY 2028 call that the com y would “share the details of our ongoing work in that space later this year.” Of course, the company’s not really a to this space: Apple has spentplenty of time deploying machine learning technology in a variety of areas for years, from photography to autocorrect. But the industry's focus of late is on generative Al, the technology that underlies the products that have captured the zeitgeist, from chatbots like ChatGPT to image creation tools like Dal-E and Stable Diffusion. The big questions that hover over all of this are how Apple will bring those technologies into its existing operating systems and what choices it will make in rolling them out. The company tends to be on the judicious side when it comes to deploying new features, but there are still plenty of places on its platforms where generative Al—contentious as it may be—might find a foothold with users. GET THIS CONVERSATION STARTED If there's an obvious place for generative AA, it’s what is often considered the heart of intelligence on Apple's platforms: Siri The virtual assistant turns 13 later this year, and in many ways it has not advanced appreciably from its earliest days. I've advocated for a Siri 2.0 (fave.co/40XjHLY) for almost a decade, if not more, and generative Al feels like the opportunity to finally put that into fruition. And it doesn't even necessarily have to. be full of all the whiz-bang capabilities that ChatGPT or Copilot have to offer; I'd settle for a virtual assistant that reliably understands what I'm asking for or that can handle two instructions at once. One of the strengths of tools like ChatGPT is its conversational manner, which is good enough that it can make you feel like you're interacting with a person rather than ‘a machine. Siri might have the trappings of that with its voice models, but you get enough canned responses to let the bits shine through Siri is also the locus of a lot of Apple's other intelligent features, including search and interaction with other services both on the device (texts, calendars, email, and so on) and off. Apple, with its dedication to bringing processing to the device itself, may be able to leverage the interaction with users’ data stores, but it does still raise the question of what happens when you need to deal with more than just the data on a device. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF Al That on-device processing isn't anything to sneeze at: Apple has included its Neural Engine, a specialized piece of hardware designed explicitly for machine learning tasks, as part of its chips since 2017, Still, as tuned as those might be for machine learning tasks, there are some things that might simply necessitate more horsepower than a chip in an May 2024 MACWORLD 43Cesc Al IS COMING TO THE IPHONE A recent report said that Apple is discussing the possi of licensing Google’s Gemini Al technology. iPhone or even a professional desktop can handle. That's one reason why the news this week that Apple had entered discussions with Google (fave.co/3TolSVq) and OpenAl for the use of their technology makes sense. For better or worse, those cloud-based technologies offer a lot more power, especially when tt comes to generative features—and it also means offloading potentially battery-consuming features. But it's likely that such te nology Is Just part of a suite of solutions. I's not as if Apple has been standing still on the Al front: Just this week, it published a research paper on training Al models (fave, co/498uG8P). While Apple's Al tech may be best suited for specific cases dealing with its own devices, the company has been working on generative features for less time than competitors, and bringing in those sources to complement the 44 MACWORLD MAY 2024 company’s own in-house developments provides the best of both worlds for users. Al EVERYWHERE Perhaps the biggest thing I'm hoping to see from Apple’s Al ambitions is just that: ambition. There are tons of places throughout the company’s platforms that could benefit from Al—whether It's summarizing an email message (and perhaps using that summary to help inform spam filtering), improving image editing (by, say, letting you remove unwanted people or objects from a picture), or helping developers (from those who write apps to those like myself who just dabble} generate code. I realize that Als the current buzzword of the industry, and everything and its cousin is bragging that it's powered by attificial intelligence these days, but this is where I'm hoping Apple can bring some sanity to the process. There are very the technology, and Apple has the opportunity to come up with ideas that none of us can foresee. That's legitimate use! ‘one of the places where the company traditio ally excels—providing capabilities, that at once seem obvious and have a potentially huge impact on the way we all Interact with our devices. i