Magzter Gold (Sitewide CA)

Magzter Gold (Sitewide CA)

Digital Delivery

Mac & MacBook User November 1st, 2022 Digital Back Issue Cover

Mac & MacBook User Vol 3 2022 (Digital)

(0)

Single Digital Issue

Vol 3 2022

$5.08

Powered By Zinio

Zinio

Satisfaction Guaranteed

Instant Start

Subscribe Instead

1 Year Subscription

4 digital issues

$12.91

($3.23/issue)

Go to Subscription

View Subscription Options

Also available on ZINIO Unlimited logo

Get unlimited access to Mac & MacBook User (Digital) + Back Issues & 5000+ other magazines

1-month free trial

Renews at $8.99/month after trial.
Cancel anytime.

Get unlimited access to Mac & MacBook User (Digital) + Back Issues & 5000+ other magazines. Renews at just $8.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Start Trial Learn more

55 Articles

Mac+MacBook USER

Things never stand still in the exciting world of the Mac. In the last few months, we’ve had some great new Mac notebooks, replete with powerful new Apple Silicon M2 processors, and an amazing new operating system in macOS 13: Ventura. Naturally, we bring you the low-down on all these things and more. Our in-depth look at the new MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros gets right to the heart of the new machines. If you’re undecided whether or not to upgrade, we help you make up your mind. On the software side of things, Apple has just released the latest version of the Mac’s operating system, macOS. The new OS is once more named after a place in California, namely the city of Ventura, in the county of Ventura. The…

Mac+MacBook USER

The M2 Processor and New MacBook Airs & Pros

The New M2 Processor As you might already know, Apple’s Mac lineup is being transitioned to new Apple Silicon processors instead of the Intel models used by older Macs. We’ve already seen several iterations of the Apple Silicon M1 processor, namely the M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max and M1 Ultra, all designed to maximise performance while using as little power as possible. With most of the Mac range already using M1-series processors, it’s time to lift the lid on the next generation of Apple Silicon – the M2. Many processors increase power to gain performance, but the Apple Silicon chips, including M2, do things differently. Power-efficiency is focussed throughout, maximising performance while minimising consumption. It’s built using an enhanced second-generation five-nanometre process, which makes it very thin. This improves power…

The M2 Processor and New MacBook Airs & Pros

The New 2022 MacBook Airs

The first Mac to benefit from the new M2 system-on-a-chip is the latest model of Apple’s ultra-portable notebook, the MacBook Air. Once again, it delivers excellent performance, portability and battery life, but with a few new features thrown in for good measure. The new MacBook Air is based around a whole new form factor. The wedge shape, whereby the rear end of the closed notebook tapered into a thinner front, has been replaced by a new look that’s equally thin but a little more balanced. It’s based on a unibody aluminium enclosure, that is, each notebook body is carved from a single piece of aluminium, making it both strong and light. Efficient integration of internal components results in a 20% reduction in volume when compared to the previous model. The…

The New 2022 MacBook Airs

The New M2 MacBook Pros

The 13-inch MacBook Pro has long been a favourite of Mac users with high needs who also want portability. It has long had an amazing screen, a strong, solid body made from a single piece of aluminium and an amazing battery that keeps you going all day. And now it also has the second-generation Apple Silicon processor, the amazing M2 chip. As you read earlier in this magazine, the M2 chip features a next-generation eight-core Central Processing Unit with advancements in both performance and efficiency cores, along with Apple’s next-generation Graphics Processing Unit, which now has up to ten cores — two more than M1. And with its active cooling system, MacBook Pro is designed to sustain pro performance for those with more demanding workflows. For users working with RAW…

The New M2 MacBook Pros

AirPods Pro, 2nd Generation

If you want a new pair of true wireless earbuds to go with your new Apple gear, you’re in luck. As well as the new iPhones and Apple Watch models, Apple has released the second generation of its popular AirPods Pro. They offer significant advantages over previous models, with a better overall sound and some great convenience features. “The new AirPods Pro deliver even better sound quality, a more immersive listening experience and transformative audio features. With up to double the noise-cancelling power of their predecessor, the world’s bestselling wireless headphones just got even better.”Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing A New Build From the outside, the design of the AirPods Pro hasn’t changed much. How could it? They have to fit in your ears after all.…

AirPods Pro, 2nd Generation

Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh The Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh (known as ’TAM’ to its friends) was a curious creature. Released in March 1997, which was a month shy of the 21st anniversary of Apple’s foundation on 1st April 1976, it launched at a premium price of $7,499/£5,545/€ 6,637. Expensive, but that did include delivery in a limousine and having it set up by an Apple engineer wearing top hat and tails. The TAM used a PowerPC 603e processor clocked at 250MHz and a 12.1-inch active matrix LCD display. It also featured a TV tuner and FM radio, and a bundled Bose sub-woofer. When Steve Jobs returned to the company, he killed this overpriced, underpowered monstrosity. As it was only on sale for a little over a year, they’re quite rare now and…

Stage Manager lets you focus on the app you’re currently using without being distracted by open windows from apps you’re not. Activated from the Control Centre, it groups windows initially on a per-app basis and sends open windows as bundles to the side of the screen. Opening a new app brings it to the centre of the desktop, and the one you were previously using joins those on the side of the screen. Clicking on an already-open app that sits aside the screen also brings it to the fore, with the previously centred app moved to the side. If an app has more than one open window, the top one in the side pile is centred. You can toggle through them by clicking on the app’s pile again. You can…

Improvements to Spotlight

When you’re searching for a document, file or folder in Spotlight, you can now peek at the results using Quick Look. Just click on the item in question in your Spotlight search results, and tap the space bar. You get to see what it is without having to open it. A Spotlight search can also find images from your photo library. Type (for example) ‘Cats’ and it will find all your pictures with a cat in them. It also integrates with Live Text. Type a search term and Spotlight searches for that text inside a photo as well as in text-based documents. Other new features available through Spotlight include starting a timer and running a shortcut. As always, you can use Spotlight to search the web for information, but in…

Improvements to Spotlight

Mail – Email Made Better

Ever sent an email then realised you addressed it to the wrong person, or forgot to add an attachment you were meant to deliver? In the next version of the Mail app, you can recall the email using the forthcoming Undo Send link. This feature is long overdue, and could do much to prevent email embarrassment. In Ventura’s Mail app you can also schedule an email. Simply write the email in the usual way, and instead of clicking Send, you click a chevron in the toolbar that lets you send it at a later time. Conversely, if you’ve received an email you want to go back to later, the new Remind Me feature does exactly what you’d expect. Swipe the message preview to the right and click Remind Me, and…

Mail – Email Made Better

Better Web Browsing with Safari

Tab Groups, introduced with macOS Monterey, allow you to organise browser tabs into groups of related websites. With macOS Ventura, you can share them with other people too. If, for example, you’re collaborating with work colleagues on a shared project, planning a road trip with friends or shopping for furniture with your partner, you can make a Tab Group of relevant websites and share it so everyone involved can take a look. You can see which tabs your friends are looking at, and you can use the sharing menu to connect through Messages or FaceTime too. If Apple gets its way, passwords could become a thing of the past. Instead, we might use passkeys. On logging into a website using a password, you’re invited to create a passkey, a unique…

Better Web Browsing with Safari

A quick look at the Mac’s games roster tells a different tale, with exciting new releases very thin on the ground. This isn’t helped by the paucity of interesting titles on Apple Arcade, a subscriber platform that promises far more than it delivers. Could this change with Ventura? The new operating system offers a new version of Metal, Apple’s application programming interface (API) for graphics processing in apps such as games. Metal 3 offers impressive programming tools such as MetalFX Upscaling, which renders rich, complex scenes even faster than before. Game loading has been improved too, with a new fast resource-loading API. Of course, all these excellent tools are only as good as the games they produce, and to date, developers haven’t been quick to take advantage of what the…

Continuity Features

The Handoff feature, which lets you start a task on one device then seamlessly switch to another, is coming to FaceTime. If you take a FaceTime call on your iPhone while away from your desk, when you get back home or to the office you can transfer the call to your Mac simply by bringing your iPhone close to it. A notification appears inviting you to switch the call to your Mac; click it and it’s transferred without interruption. This works between Macs, iPhones and iPads, in any direction. The Mac’s FaceTime camera has improved with recent releases, but it’s still not as good as the camera on your iPhone, and it probably never will be. So why not use your iPhone as your webcam? With Continuity Camera, you can.…

Continuity Features

The Ten Most Common Questions About macOS Ventura

What is macOS Ventura, and why should we be excited? macOS Ventura is the latest version of the operating system that runs on Apple’s Mac range. It’s packed with great new features and improvements to functions you already have, and like all recent versions of the Mac’s operating system, it’s free too! Ventura brings the Weather and Stocks app to the Mac, and adds some great new features to Mail and Messages. Stage Manager makes it easier to organise open windows on your Mac, and improvements to Spotlight include Quick Look in Spotlight search results and the ability to search your photos. Continuity Camera lets you use your iPhone as a webcam, Metal 3 makes the Mac more attractive to games developers and more. Is macOS Ventura safe to use?…

The Ten Most Common Questions About macOS Ventura

Weather Will it Rain?

1 In this sidebar, you see the locations you’ve saved in the Weather app. Click one to see the weather in that particular town or city. 2 Use this icon to collapse and open the sidebar. 3 The Search field. Use this to find other towns, cities and locations, which you can add to your sidebar. 4 Here you see the current temperature, weather along with the high and low forecast for the location you’ve highlighted in the sidebar. 5 Your by-the-hour forecast. Scroll it left and right for more information. 6 Your ten-day forecast, showing the high and low temperature, and general weather. 7 A precipitation map. Areas where it’s likely to rain are shown in blue. 8 An air pollution indicator. At the moment, it’s low. Useful information…

Weather Will it Rain?

Stocks Watch Your Shares

1 This is the front page of the Stocks app, that is, what you see when you open it for the first time. If you’ve already saved some stocks using the iPhone or iPad version of the Stocks app, they’re synced in iCloud and shown in the sidebar. 2 To find a company and see its current share price, type either its name or its ‘ticker’ – a four-letter abbreviation of the company’s name used by the stock market – in the Search bar. Click the company in the search results. 3 As well as seeing the company’s current share price (top right), you also get a graph showing the fluctuating stock value over time. Drag your mouse over the graph to find the price at a certain time on…

Stocks Watch Your Shares

Clock Time and More

World Clock 1 The first tab is World Clock. The time for your current location is already there. To add cities and towns from across the world, click the ‘+’ icon (top right) and type the name of the location you want to add in the Search field. 2 You can add a number of locations, which are shown on the world map above the clocks, and the time difference and other details are shown below them. To delete a location, hover the pointer over it and click the ‘X’ in the corner. Alarm 1 Click on the Alarm tab to switch the Clock app to the Alarm page. To add an alarm, first click the ‘+’ icon, top right. You can then set a time and a day or…

Clock Time and More

Freeform - Coming Soon

According to Apple, this exciting addition to macOS Ventura is coming ‘later this year’. The idea behind Freeform is to give people collaborating on a task a digital whiteboard to use during online meetings. If you’re on a FaceTime group call, with a single tap you can bring up a Freeform board for scribbles, illustrations and general brainstormings. Every time someone adds something, it appears in real time on everyone’s Freeform board. You can use colours, various weights of pen, stickers, typed text and more. You can even pin pictures, videos and PDFs to the Freeform board. If you run out of space on the screen, no problem – just scroll to a blank section. As people edit in Freeform, their name appears next to where they’re working, so you…

Freeform - Coming Soon

Passkeys A Password Replacement?

Having to log into websites and apps can be annoying, but with Passkeys, the procedure is greatly simplified. A feature arriving with macOS 13: Ventura, iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, Passkeys is a new authentication method that uses Touch ID or Face ID to sign in. Passkeys are synced through iCloud, and you can even use them on non-Apple devices using a QR code. Passkeys can only be used on websites that have made them available. On Passkeys-compatible websites, you can log on using your Face ID, Touch ID or mobile device’s passcode, without having to enter your username and password. This has a number of advantages. As your Passkey never leaves your device, phishing attacks – whereby a user is conned into giving away his or her login details…

Passkeys A Password Replacement?

Stage Manager Organise Your Desktop

1 To open Stage Manager for the first time, click the Control Centre icon in the menu bar (the one that looks like two switches), and in the Control Centre window that appears, click the box titled ‘Stage Manager.’ 2 You’re now shown a screen that explains the new feature of Stage Manager, and invites you to switch it on. Click Turn on Stage Manager to open it, and you see all your open windows move to a space on the left of the desktop. 3 Click on a window on the left, and it’s brought to the fore. Click on an app icon in the Dock and it opens. If a window is too close to the left side of the desktop to allow Stage Manager to be seen,…

Stage Manager Organise Your Desktop

Universal Control On Macs and iPads

Universal Control is available with compatible Macs and iPads running macOS Monterey and iPadOS 15 respectively. They have to be signed into the same iCloud account, and both must have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth switched on. When using Universal Control, you can drag your Mac’s pointer off the Mac’s screen and onto the iPad’s screen, and then operate the iPad with the keyboard and mouse/trackpad from your Mac. Unlike Sidecar, Apple’s earlier Continuity feature that let you use your iPad as a second screen for your Mac, Universal Control lets you use your iPad’s own apps and features, and even drag files between your computer and your tablet. Here’s how to set up and use Universal Control. On Your Mac Open System Settings from the Apple menu (top left), and go…

Universal Control On Macs and iPads

The Keyboard Customised Shortcuts

Finder Shortcuts These shortcuts are available when you’re using Ventura’s Finder features, like windows and folders. Command + [ …………………. Go to the previous folder Command + ] ……………………. Go to the next folder Command + …………………… Navigate up one level Command + ……………………. Navigate down one level Option + Double click ………………… Open the selected folder in a new window and close the current window Command + Double click ………… Open selected folder in a new tab Command + Tab ……………………… Cycle forward through your opened applications Command + Shift + Tab ……………. Cycle backward through your opened applications Space ………………………………………….. Launch Quick Look Command + A ………………………… Select all items in Finder Command + Option + A ……………………. Deselect any selected items Command + N …………………………. Open new…

The Keyboard Customised Shortcuts

Glossary of Mac and Computing Terms

A Accessibility: A series of tools and features designed to make an Apple device such as the Mac and mobile devices easier to use by those with disabilities such as vision or hearing impairments. You can find the Mac’s Accessibility features and customise them in System Preferences. AirPlay: A protocol for streaming sounds and video from an Apple device to a set of compatible speakers, or a device such as an Apple TV. It’s wireless, and easy to use as well. AirTag: A small Bluetooth device that can be tracked using the Find My app. It’s used to locate property like keys or luggage. App: Short for ‘application’, another name for a computer software program. Your Mac comes with a selection of pre-installed apps, and you can buy more from…

Glossary of Mac and Computing Terms

The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max Apple’s flagship phones To no one’s surprise, the iPhone 14 range includes an iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. These are Apple’s high-end models, top-of-the-range models for top-of-the-range needs. As expected, there was a price increase over the launch prices of the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max, but this wasn’t as hefty as we thought it might be. So let’s take a look at the iPhone 14 Pro, and its larger stable mate, the iPhone 14 Pro Max. New Colours iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are made from surgical grade stainless steel, and are available in four new colours, namely space black, silver, gold, and a gorgeous deep purple design that looks far better than the more…

Those who listened to the rumour mill ahead of the iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max’s launch expected the notch atop the screen to go in favour of a pill-shaped window a little down from the top edge, but no one predicted what we got. The new iPhone’s Dynamic Island feature is arguably the most innovative and exciting change to the user interface we’ve seen in years. This window, of course, houses the TrueDepth camera, which has been reengineered to fit into a 30% smaller space. For the first time, the proximity sensor which powers Face ID is positioned behind the display. This allows the Dynamic Island window to do far more than house the camera. Instead, it adapts dynamically to show alerts, background activities, notifications and current information too. For example,…

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus

A new phone in five exciting colours As expected, the Autumn refresh also brought us a regular iPhone 14 model with a 6.1-inch screen (measured corner to corner), but we also got an iPhone 14 Plus, a larger model with a 6.7-inch screen. This is a first for the regular iPhone – previously, only the iPhone’s Pro models came in regular and larger sizes. One thing we didn’t get is an iPhone 14 mini. This is surprising considering the iPhone 12 and 13 series enjoyed a smaller version, but perhaps they weren’t selling. Whichever size of iPhone 14 you buy, it retains the ‘notch’ housing the TrueDepth camera. No Dynamic Island here. Five Exciting Colours The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus come in five different colours; midnight, blue, starlight,…

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus

Health and safety is a keen interest at Apple, and both the regular and Pro models of the iPhone 14 boast some great new features that might just save your life. With Crash Detection, your new iPhone can tell if you’ve been in a car crash and alert the emergency services automatically. It achieves this using a combination of old and new components and some nifty software. Emergency SOS can get help to you even in remote locations with no Wi-Fi or cellular coverage. Your iPhone 14 contacts the emergency services using an overhead communication satellite. Because bandwidth is so limited, a voice connection is impossible. If the service you need accepts text messages, you’re put in touch directly. If not, Apple has set up a series of relay centres…

Continuity Camera with Your iPhone

Continuity Camera is macOS Ventura’s and iOS 16’s new feature that lets you use your iPhone as a webcam, connecting wirelessly with your Mac and giving access to the iPhone camera’s great features such as Centre Stage, Portrait mode and Studio Light which illuminates a user’s face while dimming the background. If your iPhone has an Ultra Wide camera, you can enable Desk View, which simultaneously shows your face and an overhead view of your desk. To set up and use Continuity Camera, use these simple steps. 1: On the iPhone, open the Settings app and go to General > AirPlay & Handoff, and tap the switch marked Continuity Camera Webcam. Close the Settings app. 2: On the Mac, open whichever video app you intend to use, such as FaceTime,…

Continuity Camera with Your iPhone

The FaceTime App Audio & Video Calls

First Steps with FaceTime 1 To start a FaceTime conversation from the Contacts app, first find the contact card of the person you wish to call. If that person’s email or phone number are registered with FaceTime, you can see FaceTime icons for both audio (the telephone receiver) and video (the camera). Tap one to make the call. 2 There are several ways of starting a FaceTime call from the FaceTime app. Tap the New FaceTime button (top right). Add the name of the person you want to call (or their phone number or email address if they’re not in your Contacts), then tap a button for either a video or audio FaceTime call. 3 The FaceTime app also shows a list of recent FaceTime calls, showing whether they were…

The FaceTime App Audio & Video Calls

The Find My App Find Your Devices

The People tab 1 Tap the People icon at the foot of the screen. To start sharing your location with friends or family members, tap Start Sharing Location. Enter the name, Apple ID email, or phone number of the person you want to share with. 2 As is usual, you can tap the + sign to the right and select a person from your Contacts app. Add as many people as you wish, and tap the Send link. Then you can choose whether to share for an hour, the rest of the day or indefinitely. 3 The people you shared your location with can now see you as a blue spot on the map. Pinch and spread to zoom in and out. Tap a name for options. From here, you…

The Find My App Find Your Devices

Unlock Your Mac with Watch

1 To unlock your Mac with your watch you can use any model of Apple Watch, as long as it’s running watchOS 3 or later. Your Mac must be running macOS Sierra or later, and be reasonably new. On your Mac, open System Settings Then click the Touch ID & Password option. 2 Under ‘Use Apple Watch to unlock applications and your Mac’, check the box next to your current Apple Watch. If it isn’t there, your Mac’s too old. Your iPhone and Apple Watch must be nearby and unlocked. Enter your Mac’s password when asked, and wait until the feature is switched on. 3 From now on, when your Mac is asleep and you approach it with your Apple Watch unlocked and on your wrist, it wakes up. Your…

Unlock Your Mac with Watch

Unlock Your iPhone with Watch

1 For this function to work, both your Apple Watch and your iPhone must have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on, though you don’t need to be connected to a network. Your Apple Watch must be on your wrist and unlocked, and it must have Passcode and Wrist Detection turned on. 2 To set up Unlock Your iPhone with Apple Watch on your iPhone, open the Settings app and then tap Face ID and Passcode. Type your passcode, and then turn on Unlock with Apple Watch. If you’re asked to turn on Wrist Detection, do so now on your Apple Watch. 3 With the feature switched on, even when your face is covered, you can unlock your iPhone by simply raising it or tapping its screen. You get a haptic feedback from…

Unlock Your iPhone with Watch

More Great iOS 16 Features

The Freeform App It’s coming soon, but it wasn’t ready in time for iOS 16, iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura. The Freeform app helps you work collaboratively across your Apple devices by offering a flexible digital canvas available to all parties during a FaceTime chat. Ever been in a meeting where ideas were expressed on a whiteboard? If FaceTime video chat can replace the meeting, Freeform supplies the whiteboard. You can add images, notes, scribbles, documents, web links, PDFs and more. Edits are made in real-time, and everyone can pitch in with their ideas. The Freeform app is due for release ‘later this year’, and will probably arrive with an iOS 16 update. Door Detection A new accessibility feature helps users who are blind or have very poor vision. Door…

More Great iOS 16 Features

FRITZ!Box 4060 Internet router

Unlike most of AVM’s range of wireless routers, the FRITZ!Box 4060 lacks a built-in modem. This means regardless of how your network interacts with the Internet, you can use the 4060 by connecting it to your existing modem, which was probably supplied by your ISP. Whatever your type of Internet connection (be it ADSL, fibre, cable or mobile data), even if your Internet Service Provider forces you to use their own modem hardware, you can switch off the router section of your ISP-supplied device and connect the FRITZ!Box 4060 instead. But what advantages does this bring? As you’d expect, the router’s wireless capabilities include compatibility with the new Wi-Fi 6 protocol, which gives faster speeds, and is much better at dealing with multiple, simultaneous connections. If you’re working on your…

FRITZ!Box 4060 Internet router

WD My Cloud Home 6TB Network drive

Western Digital’s My Cloud series of network attached storage (NAS), drives are highly respected. With support ending for older versions of the My Cloud operating system, and therefore My Cloud NAS drives that cannot be updated beyond them, it might be time to update to a modern release, such as this My Cloud Home single-drive device. It’s available in capacities from 2TB to 8TB, or 4TB to 20TB if you opt for the dual drive version. Here we’re reviewing the 6TB model with a single hard drive. The idea behind a NAS drive means instead of connecting it directly to your computer, you attach it to your network. As is typical for such a drive, you connect it to your router using the bundled Ethernet cable, after which you can…

WD My Cloud Home 6TB Network drive

AOC AGON Pro AG324UX Monitor

As you’d expect from a monitor in AOC’s respected AGON range, the Pro AG324UX is built for gaming. That’s not to say it isn’t a capable screen for creative design or general computing, but the focus is on keeping the joypad jugglers happy with fast, smooth updates at a very high resolution. The IPS screen is 31.5 inches corner to corner, and has a pixel resolution of 3840 x 2160; that’s over eight million pixels in total. It has a refresh rate of 144Hz and a response time of 1ms. These are excellent figures, but if the screen rate drops, a little ghosting is evident; make sure you have a Mac that has the power to keep things snappy. The display can connect to your Mac through its DisplayPort 1.4…

AOC AGON Pro AG324UX Monitor

Hubble for tablet Port expansion hub

The tablet has really come on as a go-to machine for both business and leisure. Today’s tablet is so versatile it can replace your notebook when you’re out and about. It’s with this in mind that Birmingham, Alabama startup Fledgeling built the Hubble for tablet. Available for the tablet Pro 12.9” and 11”, and the fourth-gen tablet Air, the Hubble connects to your tablet’s USB-C port. It’s not available for any tablet with a Lightning port or 30-pin dock. It greatly expands the tablet’s connectivity options, offering (from left to right): a headphone socket, HDMI port, SD and microSD card readers, a USB-A port, two USB-C ports (one for charging and one for data), and a travel switch for saving energy when you’re not using the tablet. The whole truth……

Hubble for tablet Port expansion hub

Backbone One smartphone Controller

We’ve all seen these devices before – gaming controllers that sandwich your smartphone between two sets of controls, effectively turning it into a mobile console. But the Backbone One is a controller with a difference. As well as being compatible with your smartphone games, including those downloaded with Apple Arcade, it also supports Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Google Stadia and GeForce Now. Subscribers to these services can stream games directly to their smartphone without needing their console or PC to be on. It also supports Xbox Remote Play, PS Remote Play and Steam Link, so you can stream your purchased games from your console or PC too. Backbone One is compatible with all smartphones running iOS 13 or later, and you can even connect a cable to any USB-C screen…

Backbone One smartphone Controller

SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive Luxe 256GB

You can use this double-ended flash drive to transfer files between devices, and back up your photos and videos from your tablet or smartphone. Available in 64GB, 128GB or 256GB capacities, it has a USB-C 3.1 plug on one end, and a Lightning connector at the other. You can only copy media and contacts from an smartphone or tablet, using the iXpand app, but plug it into a Mac and you can copy any file. Transferring files to the flash drive is super speedy; it’s certainly faster than its predecessor, the iXpand Flash Drive Go. The iXpand app is easy to use too. It’s a great way of getting more from your mobile device’s internal storage, without clogging it up with things that could be stored elsewhere. Info// SanDisk www.westerndigital.com…

SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive Luxe 256GB

Kensington StudioDock Charging Stand

This handy, mains-powered device is more than just an tablet stand. Sure, it can hold your tablet Pro (2018 or later, either size), or tablet Air (2020), in Landscape or portrait mode, so you can watch media, draw with your Apple Pencil or type comfortably by connecting a keyboard and mouse. But it’s also a wireless charger for your smartphone and/or AirPods. Just place them on the pad at the foot of the stand. You can also buy an optional Apple Watch charger that fits on the side of the device. The stand connects to your tablet’s USB-C socket, and you can plug in peripherals using the ports at the back. There’s three USB 3 ports, a HDMI port and an Ethernet port. There’s an SD Card reader and headphone…

Kensington StudioDock Charging Stand

Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell

Netatmo’s Smart Video Doorbell has been around for a couple of years now, but thanks to two new transformers, designed and built to accompany it, the doorbell can now be installed in a wider variety of situations. These transformers, sold as separate items or in a pack with the doorbell, come in two varieties: a plug-in transformer that simply needs a wall socket, and an in-wall transformer that’s a little more demanding regarding installation. If you’re not a talented DIYer, you’ll need a professional electrician for the latter. Whichever transformer you use, the video doorbell can be used with or without a chime. When someone rings the bell, you get an alert on your phone. If you wish, you can also have it ring on your smart speaker. It’s compatible…

Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell

devolo Magic 2 WiFi 6 Multiroom Kit

At AppleUser, we’ve long championed devolo’s excellent range of powerline adapters. By connecting an adapter plug to your router, and positioning the others around the house, you can extend your cabled and wireless network using your home’s electrical cabling to transfer data. The powerline adapters plug into your regular electrical sockets and offer Ethernet ports for cabled connections, wireless access points for Wi-Fi or both. What plugs you get, and how many, depends on the pack in question, but whichever you buy, you can always purchase and add individual adapters later. This particular pack is devolo’s Magic 2 WiFi 6 Multiroom Kit, which gives you three powerline adapters, all of which offer two gigabit Ethernet ports and a Wi-Fi 6 access point. Wi-Fi 6 is the latest wireless standard, and…

devolo Magic 2 WiFi 6 Multiroom Kit

Sites that collate Internet radio stations aren’t exactly thin on the ground, but Radio Garden does it differently. Instead of listing broadcasters by genre or country, it locates them on a globe which you can rotate on the screen, and zoom in and out of for a better view. Every shining dot on the map is a radio station (or for pedants, an Internet streaming broadcast). Click on a dot, or drag the globe until it’s in the centre of the circle in the middle of the screen, and that station plays. Using the controls at the foot of an smartphone screen and in the bottom-left on an tablet or Mac, you can play and pause the stream, or move to the next or previous local station. Tap the heart…

PureRAW 2 is designed for serious photographers. Harnessing the power of DeepPRIME learning, the app corrects errors and blemishes that can reduce the quality of a photograph taken as a Raw file; the photo format favoured by pro snappers with quality cameras. According to developer DxO, over ten million photographers use the Raw format, and 90% of them also use Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom. DxO’s PureRAW 2 is designed to work hand in hand with Adobe’s apps, and can be used as a stand-alone app or as a plug-in for Photoshop or Lightroom. As professional photographers know, Raw is a lossless photo format with the absolute minimum of processing, as produced by the camera’s image sensor. PureRAW 2 analyses a Raw photograph and removes distortions such as mosaicking and noise.…

UUByte ISO Editor

An ISO file, or image if you prefer, is a computer file that recreates the contents of an optical disk. It’s ideal for backing up CDs and DVDs, and also for downloading a disk image and burning it to a disk or onto a flash drive as bootable media. These are the tasks UUByte ISO Editor is built to do, as well as managing and organising files on an ISO, or even creating one from scratch. It’s easy to use. From the Home page, you can opt to Burn (make a bootable disk or USB flash drive from an ISO), Extract (access the contents of an ISO), Create (make a new ISO), Edit (add, delete and rename an ISO’s content), or Copy Disc (make an ISO from an optical disk).…

UUByte ISO Editor

Carbon Copy Cloner 6

The latest release of the popular Carbon Copy Cloner backup software offers several major advances over previous releases, but the app has gained a major drawback; thanks to changes in macOS rather than any failing on the application’s part. The Carbon Copy Cloner user interface has had a major overhaul. It now offers Dark Mode, as well as a smaller, tighter window with clearer controls. While a cloning is in progress, you now get a detailed visual indicator of what’s going on, including data transfer rates and an estimated completion time. The menu bar app has been overhauled too. As well as starting, stopping and monitoring your backup tasks, it now also tracks the disk usage consumed by snapshots. Built for speed… Perhaps the most impressive update is a speed…

Carbon Copy Cloner 6

Musicians rejoice! StaffPad is built for composers, and it’s an amazing piece of software. With StaffPad, you can write and edit musical notation in your own handwriting, using your finger or better still, with an Apple Pencil. Handwriting is converted into a typeset score, and it even makes corrections where necessary and lets you know if you put too many or two few beats in a bar. After putting together a composition, you can have the app play it back to you. You can play, import, record and edit audio too. The core library, bundled with the app, includes over 55 instruments. If you need more, StaffPad has partnered with sample library producers such as Cinesamples, Orchestral Tools, Spitfire Audio and others to compile extra sounds available as in-app purchases.…

Rogue hackers have infiltrated cyberspace, spreading disinformation and trying to influence votes. Data that passes through unsecure servers is potentially compromised too. Did you know telecom providers have to store the content of voice calls, data, images and text messages on these servers for six months, and their metadata such as: time, location, message sender and recipients, for 3 years? Worrying, isn’t it? SpyBuster, a free security app from Kyiv-based developer MacPaw, identifies applications, services and sites connected to potentially unfriendly countries, and blocks them if you wish. It also analyses app behaviour on the fly, scanning connections in real-time and alerting you if any are compromised. You can then choose to disable them, or place them on a whitelist for those you’re happy to allow.SpyBuster is a great free…

We all love the macOS App Switcher; hold CMD and tap the Tab key and you can cycle through the apps that are currently open on your Mac, switching from one to another quickly and easily. But if you’ve previously used a PC, you might miss the Windows switcher. That’s where AltTab comes in. With this free app installed, two new keyboard shortcuts are added. The first lets you cycle through all currently active windows, not just the apps that created them, and the second does the same for all windows associated with the app you’re currently using. So if you have, say, three different Safari windows open, you can use AltTab to get straight to the one you want. Unlike the macOS App Switcher, it opens windows that have…

Total War Medieval II

Feral Interactive’s Mac and Apple mobile conversions of SEGA’s Total War strategy games have quite a following. Fans of the franchise have long lauded Medieval II as one of the best, perhaps the best game in the series; and it’s now available on the tablet and smartphone as a universal app. We wouldn’t recommend playing it on a regular-sized smartphone, though. It’s far too fiddly on the small screen. Set in the Middle Ages, the action takes place across three continents – Europe, North Africa and the Middle East – as 17 playable factions vie for supremacy. Six factions are available at the start; England, France, Venice, The Holy Roman Empire, Spain and The Moors. The other 11 must be unlocked by defeating them in the main campaign game, or…

Total War Medieval II

Cut The Rope: BLAST

Do you remember a little green monster who lived at the bottom of your smartphone’s screen? He was just about the cutest little monster ever. Om Nom was his name, and he was rather hungry; famished, in fact, and if you didn’t feed him up pronto he might just waste away. You didn’t want that on your conscience, right? I certainly didn’t, and I wasn’t alone. Om Nom and his Cut the Rope series went from strength to strength, not only on the App Store. Cartoons, toys and the usual merchandise turned heads for a while until the series’ mainstream appeal waned, returning the series to its gaming origins. Fortunately, the game itself was brilliant! It was 250 levels of rope-swingy, physics-based puzzle gameplay that kept you well entertained. The…

Cut The Rope: BLAST

Remember Mokoko, the awesome Mac game that drew its inspiration from arcade classics such as Volfied, Qix and Gals Panic? Remember how you patrolled the perimeter of the gaming area, nibbling away at the central, silhouetted area until you’d captured a given percentage of the screen? Remember how the enemies would maraud around, causing you to die if they touched or shot your trail while you pressed on into enemy territory? If you completed the game but would welcome more of the same, developer NAISU has released a sequel; Mokoko X. The new game offers 32 levels in total, comprised of 24 levels with unique bosses and minions, and eight mega-levels where you fight three bosses from the previous levels at the same time. There are eight different anime-influenced girls…

Anomaly Warzone Earth

The tower defence game is a staple of the App Store. The real-time weapons placement and short gameplay bursts seem perfect for a portable touchscreen device. While we’re big fans of this genre, we’ve found ourselves getting a little tired of the predictable gameplay. The setting and plot may change, but the concept of defending your base using various static weapons from waves of approaching enemies has remained the same. However, just as fatigue appeared to have set in, Anomaly Warzone Earth has blasted onto iOS and tabletOS and flipped the tower defence genre on its head. This time you take control of the attacking craft as they battle through the landscape, avoiding or destroying the enemy’s defences. Role reversal This role reversal is the key to the huge success…

Anomaly Warzone Earth

Another World – 20th

Part game, part interactive movie, when Another World was first released for the Amiga it was more than just another game. It was a real interactive experience. Rather than falling into one of the established genres of the time, Another World was neither a puzzle game, a shoot-’em-up nor a platformer, but it was all of these and more. Playing it now it’s easy to forget how revolutionary it was at the time. The spookily realistic sprite animation still looks very nice, but it was gob-smacking in 1991. The game begins with a scientific experiment gone wrong, which transports the main character to a strange, dream-like world and so begins the adventure where you take on challenge after challenge as you try to stay alive and figure out a way…

Another World – 20th

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Major franchises tend to have an instalment that fans consider a misstep. A few (un) popular examples; Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier, Super Mario Sunshine, Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness, any Star Wars movies that don’t have Part 4, 5 or 6 in the subtitle… The list is endless and, of course, 100% personal. But what about those games or movies that were largely ignored or disdained despite being not bad at all? With that in mind, let’s head back to Liberty City, albeit in a way you’ve never seen before, or again. Launching with very little fanfare in 2009, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars was the first original instalment in the monster franchise developed with the handheld market in mind. Retaining the core of the current 3D console…

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Dragon’s Lair 30th Anniversary

As a retro gamer I love the fact that Apple’s mobile gear is creating a new platform for classic games, and Dragon’s Lair 30th Anniversary (a subtitle which I will now ignore as it essentially screaming “YOU ARE SO OLD” in my face!) is one of the best to join this trend. In the arcades, the game used a laser disc at the core of its technology. You had to press the joystick or the button at the correct time to cause the disc to skip to the next section. Press the wrong direction or take too long and the disc skipped to one of the many comic-book death sequences. This version of the game is just like the original, but with all the crisp, hand-drawn animated graphics preloaded on…

Dragon’s Lair 30th Anniversary

In This Issue

Description

Details

Reviews

Recent Digital Issues Browse all

Recent Mac & MacBook User Digital Issues Browse all back issues

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Subscription December 1st, 2022 Issue

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Vol 4 2022: $5.08

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Subscription November 1st, 2022 Issue

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Vol 3 2022: $5.08

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Subscription June 1st, 2022 Issue

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Vol 2 2022: $5.08

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Subscription March 1st, 2022 Issue

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Vol 1 2022: $5.08

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Subscription March 1st, 2024 Issue

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Vol 9 2024: $5.04

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Subscription December 1st, 2023 Issue

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Vol 8 2023: $5.04

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Subscription September 1st, 2023 Issue

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Vol 7 2023: $5.08

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Subscription June 1st, 2023 Issue

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Vol 6 2023: $5.08

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Subscription March 1st, 2023 Issue

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Vol 5 2023: $5.08

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Subscription December 1st, 2022 Issue

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Vol 4 2022: $5.08

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Subscription November 1st, 2022 Issue

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Vol 3 2022: $5.08

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Subscription June 1st, 2022 Issue

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Vol 2 2022: $5.08

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Subscription March 1st, 2022 Issue

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Vol 1 2022: $5.08

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Subscription March 1st, 2024 Issue

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Vol 9 2024: $5.04

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Subscription December 1st, 2023 Issue

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Vol 8 2023: $5.04

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Subscription September 1st, 2023 Issue

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Vol 7 2023: $5.08

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Subscription June 1st, 2023 Issue

Mac & MacBook User (Digital) Vol 6 2023: $5.08

Reviews