MacFormat UK - August 2020

9000 9001
The UK’s best-selling Apple magazine

Issue 354
macformat.com @macformat
THE AMAZING NEW Make docs

great again
> Do more with Pages, Numbers
and Keynote – we show you how
> Ultra-portable powerhouse on test – the definitive verdict

> 10th-gen Intel processors > More storage > Magic Keyboard WIN!
ONE OF 10 LUMINAR
4 LICENCES, PRIZES
WORTH OVER
£800
Digital detox tips 5 best laptop bags Photoshop for iPad

> Restore order to your Mac > MacBook messengers on test > Make the most of Adobe’s app
Mac iPhone iPad Watch iCloud iTunes Photos

If you’ve been lucky enough to have
been able to work from home for the Meet the team
last few months, you’ll have no doubt
developed a renewed interest in
Apple’s productivity apps – Keynote,
Jo Membery
Numbers and Pages. And with good
Operations Editor
reason; they’ve matured incredibly
Jo’s hoping Apple will
from their early days as part of
include a Wine O’Clock
Apple’s iWork suite and can go
update to iOS 14. It’ll ping
toe-to-toe any day against the likes
you the second the kids
of Microsoft Office and Google Docs.
are asleep and remind you
Starting on page 14, you’ll discover the incredible things
to uncork the Chardonnay.
you can do with each app, as well as quick and easy ways to
collaborate with others using iCloud, and how to share your
documents with people who use other office apps. You’ll be Paul Blachford
amazed by what you can do. Art Editor
Turn to page 50 and you’ll discover more ways to stay Paul’s hoping macOS
productive with our digital detox guide – you’ll learn how to 10.16 will include an
do things like tame notifications and social media, clear out automatic page-layout
desktop clutter, and take care of that over-stuffed email function, so it can look
inbox. We’ve included some great macOS and iOS app like he’s working hard…
recommendations for you too. Go check it out. even when he’s not.
For another productivity take, be sure to read our 13in
MacBook Pro review on page 64. There you’ll discover
whether Apple has done enough to make this generation MACFORMAT CORONAVIRUS UPDATE >
worth the upgrade, and whether its performance gains will
enable you to do what you need. Take care, Due to the current situation, this month’s
MacFormat has fewer pages than usual. We’re
ROB MEAD-GREEN aiming to get things back to normal ASAP.
EDITOR Thank you for your continued support.
editor@macformat.com
macformatuk.tumblr.com facebook.com/macformat twitter.com/macformat Instagram.com/MacFormatUK
AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 3

Issue 354
August 2020
macformat.com
6
Apple’s
first virtual
WWDC
APPLE CORE
6 RUMOUR & NEWS
Word on the grapevine about future Apple kit
14
9 APPS & GAMES
Our top picks of the month for Mac and iOS
Make docs
10 great again
Crave Use Numbers, Pages and Keynote to
create professional-looking spreadsheets,
10 CRAVE documents and presentations
Hot new gear we’re lusting after
12 OPINION
Breathing new life into Apple’s iLife
SUBSCRIBE
TODAY!
& GET A FREE
GREAT GIFT
Win! One of 10 copies
WORTH
£64.95
13 of Luminar 4 TURN TO PAGE 26
4 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 macformat.com @macformat

Issue 354 CONTENTS
32 Plan a journey APPLE CHOICE

in Fantastical
HARDWARE
50
FEATURE
APPLE SKILLS DIGITAL REVIEW

64 MacBook Pro 13-inch
30 ENHANCE IMAGES DETOX

Restore order to your Mac
64 MacBook Pro 13-inch
Use Luminar’s AI tricks to improve your pics
– must-try tips and apps
67 Logitech Combo Touch
68 Sennheiser Momentum
32 PLAN YOUR JOURNEY
Get from A to B with the help of Fantastical
True Wireless 2
APPLE 69 BenQ EW328OU
34 COOL YOUR MAC HOME > 70 Group test: Laptop messenger bags
Improve Mac perfomance and lifespan
57
36 MANAGE MEDIA LIBRARIES
Organise multiple libraries in macOS SOFTWARE
WIRELESS
38 INFINITE MUSIC PROTOCOLS 74 Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9
Use djay Pro to access all audio areas Wireless network 75 Swift Playgrounds
options explained
76 Planny 3, Nighthawk for Twitter
40 DO MORE WITH PHOTOSHOP
Select a subject and create a composite image 77 Primephonic
78 HeartWatch 4
42 HOW IT WORKS
Content caching: slim down data demands 80 6 apps to help you keep in touch
GENIUS TIPS
80
Howard Oakley solves all your
44 Mac hardware, software and 6 APPS
iOS and iPadOS issues to help you
62 keep in touch
BACK
ISSUES 89 NEXT MONTH
Head here if you’ve What’s coming in MF355 on 28 July
missed an issue
90 GOODBYE
Apple’s 2004 30-inch Cinema Display
macformat.com @macformat AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 5

What’s inside
6–8
RUMOUR & NEWS
Word on the grapevine
about future Apple gear
EDITED BY ROB MEAD-GREEN
9
APPS & GAMES
Our top picks of the
HOT TOPIC!
month for Mac and iOS
10
CRAVE
Hot new kit!
What to expect at WWDC 2020
New iMacs, ARM announcement, iOS 14 and more
12
OPINION y the time you read this, Apple chip, AMD Navi GPU and no more Fusion
How about breathing
new life into iLife…?
B will have held its first virtual
World Wide Developer Conference
Drive” on Twitter. This suggests that not only
will the 2020 iMac come with an all-new
(WWDC). The event on Monday 22 June is chassis and potentially the rumoured 23.5-
scheduled to deliver a week-long round of inch screen on the base model, but that Apple
in-depth sessions on all aspects of Apple will drop its wheezy 5,400rpm hard drives and
platforms, from the next major updates Fusion Drives too. An update could also deliver
to macOS and iOS, to iPadOS, tvOS and much needed 10th-gen Intel silicon – the
watchOS. There’s also a strong possibility current 21.5-inch model still sports seventh-
that an all-new iMac could finally be unveiled. gen CPUs, while even the 27-inch models
And Apple is expected to announce the Mac make do with eighth-gen on the base and
transition to ARM CPUs too. mid-range tiers, and a ninth-gen
While a complete do-over of the iMac has CPU in the flagship. The
long been expected, leaker Sonny Dickson
added fuel to the fire in June by hinting that
the new model will “use iPad Pro design
language with Pro design-like bezels, T2
The ageing iMac should finally be getting

a redesign – eight years after it was
originally introduced.
Contact us
Email your queries to

letters@macformat.com
Join the conversation at

facebook.com/macformat
or on Twitter @macformat
6 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020

Tim pens Black Lives Matter letter
ollowing the tumultuous events work to bring critical resources and tech to
THE POLL
F that ricocheted around the world
in the aftermath of the killing of
underserved school systems. We commit
to continuing to fight the forces of
WE ASKED…
What are you most looking
George Floyd in Minneapolis, Apple posted environmental injustice — like climate forward to at WWDC 2020?
an open letter from CEO Tim Cook. change — which disproportionately harm
Tim wrote: “At Apple, our mission has Black communities and other communities New ARM
hardware transition
been and always will be to create tech that of colour. We commit to looking inward
43.8% 20.6%
empowers people to change the world for and pushing progress forward on inclusion
the better. We’ve always drawn strength and diversity… And we’re donating to
from diversity, welcomed organisations including the
iOS 14/ macOS
people from every walk of Equal Justice Initiative, iPadOS 14 10.16
life to our stores around the which challenge racial 21.9% 13.7%
world, and strived to build injustice and mass
an Apple that is inclusive… incarceration.” Log on and see next
“But we must do more. Tim ended with a quote issue’s big question!
We commit to continuing our from Martin Luther King. twitter.com/macformat
iMac Pro will presumably get a refresh too

– it hasn’t been updated since it was
New iPhone case
introduced in December 2017. and Apple Watch
Alongside an iMac refresh are more
rumours about a switch away from Intel
strap colours
and toward ARM silicon for the Mac – > Apple has announced new
especially since Apple has trailed WWDC colours for its iPhone 11, 11 Pro
with talk of “the future across all Apple and 11 Pro Max cases, as well
platforms”. Bloomberg suggests that while for Apple Watch. The three
Apple will announce the transition at this new silicone case colours are
WWDC, the switch won’t begin until 2021 – Seafoam, Blue Linen, and
with the MacBook Air being the first There should be plenty of improvements announced Vitamin C, and cost £45 each,
recipient of an Apple-designed 12-core for both iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 at this year’s WWDC. no matter which 11-series
ARM CPU, based on a 5nm process. previously sent messages, plus Slack-like iPhone you own.
Most of the other pre-event buzz mentions, which enable you to call out to Going hand-in-hand with
seems to revolve around iOS 14. We do some directly in a group chat by putting an these are identical Sport
know that Apple plans to make the update ‘@’ in front of their name, eg @Tim. Other Band options for Apple
Messages goodies include animated dots Watch, along with an extra
We’re likely to hear in group chat icons that will enable you to
see which one of the people in the chat is
fourth colour, Coastal Grey.
The new £49 sport bands
about the transition currently typing. And the ability to mark
previously read messages as Unread,
join two others announced in
May: a rainbow-striped Pride
toward ARM silicon making them easier to find again later. band; and the Nike Sport
There’s also talk of a new Augmented Band – Pride, which nestles
Reality (AR) app, which will enable you to its multi-coloured theme in
work on all the same devices iOS 13 does interact with the world around you. the circular cutouts of the
now – which means on the iPhone 6 or Codenamed ‘Gobi’, early previews of the otherwise white strap.
later. It’s the same story for iPadOS 14, app showed it contained Apple-designed
The new iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro
which will work with iPad (fifth-gen or QR tags that could be displayed in-store so Max cases come in Vitamin C,
later), iPad Air (third-gen or later), iPad visitors could take advantage of any AR Seafoam, and Linen Blue.
mini (fifth-gen or later) and the iPad Pro. features there. And that’s just the start.
Chief among the expected features > Expect full coverage of WWDC 2020
are welcome enhancements to Messages, in September issue’s 13-page superguide
which include the ability to retract next issue, on sale 28 July.
The Apple TV+ streaming
service hasn’t been a big
hit with US TV viewers,
who’ve ranked it in 12th
place behind YouTube
and, yes, Twitch.
APPLE
NEWS
ROUNDUP
JAILBREAK
FIX WITH
13.5.1 UPDATE
UNC0VER COVERED
UP AGAIN
Apple working on services bundle
> Apple has released an Plus: Apple TV+ scores “below average” rating in US survey
over-the-air update for
iOS. iOS 13.5.1 patches a Eagle-eyed reporters at 9to5Mac. The top scorer, unsurprisingly, was Disney+
kernel vulnerability that
enabled hackers to use
A have spotted an interesting bit of
code in iOS 13.5.5, which suggests
on 80%, with Netflix just behind it on 78%.
Despite spending millions of dollars on
the unc0ver jailbreak Apple may be thinking about offering bundle original content, Apple TV+ seems to be
tool to access pricing on its range of services, which include struggling to gain much traction with viewers,
underlying code. Some Apple Arcade, Apple Music, and Apple TV+. although bundle pricing and some recent
iPhone owners jailbreak The relevant bit of code mentions both purchases may help swing things Apple’s way in
their devices to gain ‘bundle offer’ and ‘bundle subscription,’ neither the next few months – it is not only bringing an
complete control over of which have appeared in previous versions. all-new version of Jim Henson classic Fraggle
the OS and hardware. This news maybe just as well, given the 12th Rock to the small screen, it’s also snapped up
However, jailbreaking is place ranking Apple TV+ chalked up in June, Tom Hanks’ WW2 movie Greyhound and has
fraught with dangers – scoring just 74% in the American Customer reportedly hired former Amazon Video sports
including from malware Satisfaction Index – making it “below average” executive James DeLorenzo to head up the new
and other nasties. for original content and performance. Apple TV+ sports division.
APPLE STOCK
REACHES ALL- Apple launches open source
TIME HIGH
$2 TRILLION TECH
password program
COMPANY? Making unique password generation work
> Individual shares in
Apple stock hit $343.99 reating unique to share a sign-in system,
(£365) in June, making
the company worth $1.5
C passwords is one of
the basic tenets of
links to websites’ pages
where users change
trillion (£1.15 trillion). web security – yet every site passwords, and more.”
Analyst Amit Daryanani seemingly has different Apps such as
of Evercore ISI claimed rules. Apple is hoping to make 1Password, LastPass and
Apple’s efforts in things simpler by creating an DashLane already make
custom processor open source project for creating passwords fairly Password managers such as 1Password try
to make creating unique logins easier –
creation were developers that should make pain-free, but often their although they’re not always foolproof.
“underappreciated” it easier to bake website rules ‘recipes’ don’t tally with
– great news given the into apps. Apple says its specific website requirements necessarily obvious what the
expectation to start Password Manager Resources – 1Password, for example, rules are – until you fall foul of
transitioning the Mac project “allows [developers] to enables you to adjust the them. Hopefully, Apple’s
to Apple-designed ARM integrate website-specific length, number of digits and project will help make website
processors. Wedbush requirements used by the number of symbols contained logins easier to navigate, since
analyst Dan Ives says iCloud Keychain password in a password, but some sites your password manager will
Apple could be worth manager to generate strong, won’t accept symbols, say, understand what the rules are
$2 trilllion (£1.54 trillion) unique passwords. The while others limit the for each site and help you
by the end of 2021. project also contains maximum or minimum create passwords that work
collections of websites known password length, and it’s not first time, every time.

APPLE CORE Apps & games
APP OF THE MONTH

Media
Picks
Our top choices
of what you should
be playing and
reading this month
[M AC A PP]
[A L BU M]
PortraitPro 19 £69.90 Women In Music

Pt III
Perfect your portraits with this clever retouching app Haim
£10.99
Whatever you think of this Of course, this being 2020, PortraitPro 19 The Haim sisters make
selfie-shooting, Instagram- employs all kinds of AI-enhanced trickery to the kind of infectious
obsessed age, all of us love to help its Clear Skin 5 tool work its magic. You pop that car radios were
look our best in photos – and can even use the app to change hair colour. made for – preferably
that’s where PortraitPro can help. Now on Plus it has all the usual image-editing tools, while cruising Sunset
version 19, Anthropics’ image editor can help including lens correction, the ability to work Strip in a convertible.
remove unwanted skin blemishes, whiten your with RAW and TIFF images and batch
eyes and teeth, apply digital make-up, and use processing. You can even use it as a filter in
its 3D lighting tool to remove unflattering Photoshop, and it’s affordable too. Look out
shadows (damn you double-chins!). for the full review next issue.
[BOOK]
The Flight
Julie Clark
£6.99
A crime thriller about
two women with a
desire to disappear –
[iO S A PP] [iOS GAME] [M AC GA M E] until a chance meeting
FilmBox SSC 2020 Rebel Cops gives them the ability
£5.99/MONTH FREE (IAPS) FREE (IAPS) to do exactly that.
FilmBox turns your If you have fond Slightly dodgy
old film negatives memories of timing, given what’s
into digital photos. old-school footy going on in the
Simply point your iPhone’s games like Sensible Soccer, world, but Rebel Cops tells
camera at the negative you you’ll love SSC 2020 – a the tale of a bunch of cops
want to capture (with a retro game reimagined for who take on new crime boss
suitable white light source the iPhone era. Take part in Viktor Zuev, and try to both [PODCAST]
behind it) and the app does leagues and championships outwit him and save the We Will Get
the rest. It takes a bit of while guiding tiny pixellated town that they love. Strongly Past This
practice, but it works. players around the screen. violent with mature themes. QI presenter Toksvig
Why you need it: Cheaper Why you need it: Scaled- Why you need it: Tense and talk about the books,
than a dedicated film scanner. down soccer excitement. tactical; an absorbing plot. characters and history
What it’s best for: Quick and What it’s best for: A quick What it’s best for: Gaming that have inspired and
easy scans of old film photos. kickabout wherever you are. for crime drama fans. comforted her.
Image credits (left to right, top to bottom):

Anthrophics, Haim Productions, Inc, Hodder & Stoughton,
Filmbox Live 2020, Uprising Games, HandyGames AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 9
APPLE CORE Hot new kit
Crave THE GEAR WE’RE LUSTING AFTER
AOC C32G2ZE
> £329 > eu.aoc.com/en
> For maximum display performance time, 240Hz refresh rate and AMD
with minimal lag, sometimes a FreeSync Premium support.
gaming monitor is the way to go. You’ll love or loathe its game-
And that’s what’s on offer in the centric styling – all sharp angles and
C32G2ZE from AOC. You get a 31.5in red inserts – but you can’t argue with
16:9 Full HD wide Vertical Alignment its inputs, which include two HDMI 2.0
(VA) display with a curve radius of ports, a DisplayPort, and a 3.5mm
1500R, a one-milisecond response audio output. Or its £329 price tag.
10 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 Image credit: AOC

Top gear APPLE CORE
Urbanears Luma
> £85 > urbanears.com/gb/en
> Hankering after a more colourful (and

affordable) alternative to AirPods? Then
these Luma buds, due out this August, are for
you. The first truly wireless headphones from
Urbanears, they offer ear-stroking sound
quality, twin mics in each earbud and come
in four striking colours. They also include an
AirPods-style charging case offering up to 25
hours’ listening time, plus touch-sensitive play
controls and wear-detect sensors. They’re also
rated to IPX4 for splash resistance.
SteelSeries Nimbus+
> £70 > steelseries.com
> If the Nimbus+ seems custom-made for Apple

gaming, that’s because it is. Designed to work
across iOS, iPadOS, tvOS and Mac, it even comes with
an iPhone mount in the box – plus the usual array of
buttons, pads, joysticks and magnetic triggers. The
243g Nimbus+ controller also offers up to 50 hours of
battery life and comes with a Lightning cable for easy
recharging. It’s the perfect companion for all those App
Store and Apple Arcade games – and it’ll give you the
competitive edge you need the next time your (grand)
kids invite you to a spot of multiplayer action.
Logitech Circle View

> £170 > logitech.com/en-gb
> Designed to work with Apple’s HomeKit, the

Logitech Circle View is a smart camera with your
security in its sights. Armed with glass optics, a 180°
field of vision and the ability to see in the dark up to
4.5m away, it’s also fully weatherproof. The Circle View
also comes with a number of privacy-enhancing
features, including an on/off switch on the camera body,
plus a tilt-to-hide base that enables you to swivel the
camera so it points at its foot, not in your face. Best
of all, it’s compatible with HomeKit Secure Video, so
it stores your encrypted videos in your iCloud.
Image credit (from top): Zound Industries, SteelSeries, Logitech AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 11
APPLE CORE Opinion
MATT BOLTON…
SAYS THAT FOR A WHOLE NEW
GENERATION OF DIGITAL MEDIUMS,
APPLE SHOULD LOOK AT BRINGING
iLIFE BACK TO LIFE
Regular readers might remember a column I wrote quite a
while ago (MF #336) in which I lamented that Apple no longer
makes new apps to help people engage in the world of new
digital media. iMovie made the complex world of digital video
simple; iWeb let you build websites via drag and drop; iPhoto
brought photo editing to people who’d never even considered
the concept. But these days, it’s down to developers on the App
Store to fill the gaps of making accessible tools for people to
use, which is a shame because a) they don’t have visibility in
the way that an offering from Apple would have; and b) they
don’t have consistent interfaces between them, which is helpful
for going from one to another.
I thought about this again the other day, and I tried to think
what a new iLife ’20 suite should include (bearing in mind that
iMovie, GarageBand and Photos still exist). Swift Playgrounds is a great learning tool, but I want
1) iCode. Swift Playgrounds is great, but it’s very much a to see something for creating apps without code.
learning tool, albeit an engaging and accessible one. We need looking templates, then easily write in them
the app equivalent of iWeb (or, if you like, a successor to regularly and add images would be ideal for
HyperCard at last), giving people a people to keep in touch personally, or to build
I tried to think way to build apps in a WYSIWYG
interface. Perhaps it could integrate
up a following online that doesn’t require
social networks.
what a new iLife with Shortcuts, even. There’s a
dominant school of thought that
4) iStream. Streaming is big business, far
beyond the gaming sphere it’s best known for.
’20 suite should teaching people to create apps
means teaching them to code, but
Artists stream while they work, farmers
stream adorable baby animals… anyone can
include… this is only part of software design.
A visual-only tool can teach people
build a following while doing something
interesting to others. A streaming app would
to make good interfaces, to build logic, to integrate with make it easy to share your Mac or iOS device’s
external services… and, if I want to make a simple app with screen, but also would have easy buttons for
basic functions, is it really necessary that I learn coding? on-screen graphics, switching cameras,
2) iCast. What’s the modern creative digital medium adding effects and other quick tools that make
everyone and their, ahem, ‘porno-writing dad’ is into? Podcasts! a broadcast interesting. Anyone remember
A really focused tool to help Mac classic software BoinxTV? Like that.
people record, edit and Can you find ways to do these things if
distribute a podcast would be you want to? Sure. But the iLife apps felt like
fantastic – imagine Apple’s Apple inviting us to try new things, and I
skill with machine learning think we need more of that encouragement.
applied to auto-mastering the
speech to sound great, and ABOUT MATT BOLTON
cutting silent parts of the audio Matt is the editor for Apple and home
automatically. tech at T3 and has been charting
3) iSend. Newsletters are changes at Apple since his student
an internet staple that’s really days. He’s sceptical of tech industry
Any excuse for a flashback of something retro:
here’s a grab of BoinxTV from our review way having a moment right now. hyperbole, but still gets warm and
back in MF#209, written by yours truly! A tool that lets you create great- fuzzy on hearing “one more thing”.
12 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 Image credit: Boinx Software

PRIZES
WORTH OVER
£800!
Win One of 10 copies of the brilliant

Luminar photo-editing app for Mac!
Few things top the disappointment gave it the prestigious Editor’s Choice seamlessly replace your pictures’ skies
of taking a bunch of stellar photos, award when we reviewed it in MF #351. with completely new alternatives.
then getting home and finding out Perhaps Luminar’s best feature is The fact that the app manages to
they are full of minor imperfections. its artificial intelligence (AI), which we combine effective tools like these with
With Luminar in your toolset, though, praised as “scarily effective” in our a confusion-free interface is the icing on
there is nothing to worry about. review. Load up a photo and the AI the cake. Whatever you need to adjust on
Luminar is one of our favourite identifies key areas that can be your photos, Luminar is a superb choice.
Mac photography apps. It combines a improved. The suggested changes can
user-friendly interface with powerful be applied automatically or manually,
tools that will suit any skill level, and you get masking tools that let you
making it ideal whether you need a few draw over objects you want removed >THE QUESTION
minor tweaks or a complete overhaul. from your snaps. It is especially good To win one of 10 Luminar for Mac
You can run it as a standalone app or with portraits, identifying facial areas licences, just answer this question:
as a plugin for Photos, Photoshop or and smoothing out imperfections in
Lightroom. It’s so good, in fact, that we a really natural way. You can even Is Luminar a standalone
app, a plugin, or both?
A) Standalone app
HOW TO ENTER… B) Plugin
C) Both
To enter, you can visit our website at bit.ly/mfluminar (web address is case sensitive).
For more information about
For full terms and conditions, go to bit.ly/mfluminar. By sending your entry, you agree
to these competition rules and confirm you’re happy to receive details of future offers and Luminar’s photo-editing features
promotions from Future Published Limited and carefully selected third parties, if you have and Skylum’s other Mac apps, head
given us permission to do so on the entry form. to the company’s website at
This competition closes on 27 July 2020. Over 18, GB residents only. skylum.com.
The winners’ details will be shared with Skylum for the purpose of providing prizes.

Create
better
pages
Get proficient
with numbers
Perfect that
presentation

Amazing documents FEATURE
MASTERCLASS
Make
amazing
documents
Written by Tom Gorham, Kenny Hemphill, Christopher Phin and Rob Mead-Green >
Create top-quality documents with Pages, Numbers

and Keynote using these invaluable techniques
pple’s productivity apps impression with your presentations,
A empower you to make

documents that will
impress people. But, like
any big tool, the power that’s packed
into Pages, Numbers and Keynote can
including how to stay calm and in
control with the help and correct
settings of your iPhone, iPad and
Apple Watch.
You’ll also learn how to collaborate
take time to unlock, so we want to give with other people on documents at the
you a running start with all three apps, same time, including good practice to
boosting your skills with essential follow before you share documents.
techniques you need in order to craft We’ll also address your compatibility
great documents that leave people concerns so you know what to expect
asking how you did it. when a collaborator can’t access (or
In this feature, you’ll get to grips simply doesn’t use) Apple’s trio of
with structuring and styling your work apps. We’ve complemented these skills
in Pages, discover smart tricks for with productivity tips that’ll help you
styles and formulae in Numbers, and do more with the iCloud service and
learn our top tips for making a lasting features exclusive to iCloud.com.

Put together
perfect docs
with Pages
Learn how to add style and structure, craft
your own stationery and protect your work
P
ages packs a punch when it font, size, weight and other attributes,
comes to word processing. click the arrow next to the current
Here’s how to use its tools to style name at the top of the inspector,
powerful effect, controlling and click the + at the top right of the
how text flows around images, making list. Name your style and press ®.
docs non-linear with hyperlinks, and
personalising the docs you create.
2 Wrap around images
With text and image on a page,
1 Create and apply styles

Styles make it very easy to quickly
change text attributes throughout a
select the image. In the Format
inspector’s Arrange tab, click Stay
on Page and set Text Wrap to Around.
doc. Pages provides several default Use the Text Fit item to set whether
styles, or you can create your own: your text wraps around the image’s Consider personalising lists by using
select some text, click the paintbrush contours or a rectangular boundary. an image from your design as the bullet.
icon in the toolbar to open the Format Nearby, set the image’s border width.
inspector and open its Style tab. Set a
3 Create columns
Select some text, then go to the
Format inspector’s Layout tab and set
4 Structure in sections
The app flows text from one page
to the next, but if you delete a page it
the number of columns you want. Next, doesn’t just remove that one’s text, or
click the right-facing triangle to the left bump it onto the next one; it deletes
of the Columns heading to reveal a all your file’s content. Split text into
checkbox that ensures the column sections to avoid this: first, choose
widths are evenly distributed, or use View > Show Page Thumbnails, then
Use this pop-up in the Format inspector to the table to specify different widths place the insertion point on the page
choose how an object affects the flow of text. and the gutter (gap) between them. where you want a new section to start.
HOW TO Create master objects
1 Add a regular object

Add an object to a page in the section
of your doc where you want it to appear,
2 Make it a master object
Select the object, go to Arrange >
Section Masters and choose Move Object
3 Refine master objects
Choose Arrange > Section Masters
> Make Master Objects Selectable to edit
as usual. Click the object to select it, then to Section Master. It’ll now appear on masters (or lock them again). To return
use the Format inspector’s tools to adjust every page – but only in that section a master back to a regular, use Section
its presentation – lower the Style tab’s of the doc; this enables you to have Masters > Move Object to Page; copies
Opacity slider to make a watermark, say. different master objects in each section. are created on all the section’s pages.

Pro tips
1 Track changes
This is useful if multiple people
are contributing to a doc. Go to Edit
> Track Changes. When you alter
your doc’s text, it’s highlighted
with an accompanying mark in the
margin. You’ll see a new toolbar
that enables you to accept or reject
others’ changes. Click the gear
there for more options.
2 Password protection
Choose File > Set Password to
add password-based encryption to
a doc. If your Mac has a Touch Bar
and Touch ID is set up, you can
opt to use it to open files; set this
in General preferences in Pages,
Numbers and Keynote. If Touch ID
is unavailable, you can save the
password in your keychain.
Click Document in the toolbar to open

the Document inspector. In its Section
press ç+ß+4 to display the
crosshair, then hold ≈ and drag the
3 Change a password
Any new password you set
only applies to the current and
tab, click ‘Create a new section’ and crosshair over the area you want; later versions. If your file is shared
choose ‘Starting with this page’ below. a pic is copied to the Clipboard. In with other people, stop sharing it
Or, position the insertion point Pages, paste it with ç+v, then first, add or change the password,
immediately before where you want a manipulate it like any other object. then share again. This stops others
break and pick Insert > Section Break. rolling back to a version that uses
5 Add screenshots 6 Insert a hyperlink

Select the text to link and choose
an older password or none at all.
You can add images from your

Photos library to Pages using the
latter’s Media Browser, or elsewhere
Format > Link > Webpage. In the panel
that opens, set whether the link you
enter is a web or email address, or a
4 Rotate object groups
To rotate multiple images
around a point, ç-click them, in the
on your Mac by using Insert > Choose bookmark in your document. Format inspector’s Arrange tab
(ß+ç+V]. You can take a shortcut click the Group button, then use
if the image to include is a screenshot:
7 Create a bookmark
Select the text you want to act
as a bookmark and choose Insert >
the rotate tool there to turn around
the group’s centre. This works for
images, but not with images and
Bookmark. To link other text in your charts that are selected together.
doc to a bookmark, select it and pick
Insert > Link > Bookmark, then select
the desired bookmark from the menu.
8 Images as bullets
Select the text of your first list
item. In the Format inspector’s Style
tab, pick Bullet from the Bullets & Lists
pop-up. Click the triangle to the left
and pick Image Bullets from the pop-up
just below. In the Current Image item
You can link text to a web page, an email address, choose a predefined option, or click When tracking changes, click the gear button
or a bookmark within the same Pages document. Custom Image to provide your own. left of the inspector to change settings.

Become a first-class
presenter with Keynote
Cook? Schiller? Federighi? Amateurs! You’ll
be showing them how to use Keynote soon!
lmost nothing makes us
A happier that we’re not

forced to use PCs than
Keynote. It’s far more
pleasant to use than PowerPoint.
Here are our favourite features
that’ll power up your presentations!
1 Use two or more screens

With your MacBook connected to a
projector or TV, you can mirror what’s
on it to the external screen, or, using
System Preferences > Displays and
Keynote’s preferences, show your
presentation on the external and other
stuff on the Mac’s screen – a timer,
Tailor the presenter display to show the info
notes, the next slide, and so on. If you you need to maintain presenting momentum.
can connect even more screens, once
you’re in presentation mode, you can
choose what’s on each independently
by clicking the stacked rectangles icon
on the presenter display – you may
3 The dress rehearsal
The difference between a good
and a great presentation is practice,
4 Keynote Live
If your audience can’t all be in the
same room, give your presentation live
need to move the pointer to reveal it. and choosing Play > Rehearse over the internet. Click Keynote Live
Slideshow lets you do so until your in the toolbar – you’ll be prompted to
2 Tailor your view

While there, set up the Presenter
View (or do this first by choosing Play >
skills rival Tim Cook’s. Even if you have
only a single screen available when you
do this, the presenter display will show,
move the presentation to iCloud if it’s
not already there – and you’ll be given
a web address you can distribute. You
Customize Presenter Display). It’s wise so you’ll get comfortable with exactly can set a password people must enter
to show a countdown timer, and you what you’ll be seeing on your screen before they can join your presentation,
can scale and rearrange elements. when you talk to an audience. but remember to send this separately!
Pro tips
1 Extract assets
In the latest version of Keynote,
choose View > Show Object List to
see all the files used on the current
slide; just drag a file from this list,
which you can search and filter,
At the bottom of the object list are a search bar Preserve the delivery of your presentation,
to a Finder window to extract it. and a pop-up menu you can use to filter the list. complete with your voice, in the form of a video.
A Keynote file is technically
a ZIP archive, so you can extract
everything in one go: duplicate the
file, select the copy, choose File >
2 Record with narration
Choose Play > Record Slideshow
and you can advance through your
Once done, choose File > Export To >
Movie, set Playback to Slideshow
Recording, and adjust other settings
Get Info, and change the extension presentation while narrating into as you want them. Now you’ll have
from .key to .zip. Double-click the whatever mic is configured for input a recording of yourself giving the
ZIP file to extract its contents. in System Preferences’ Sound pane. presentation to upload or share.

HOW TO Get consistent object and text appearance
1 Simple style replication

To make an object match the style –
frame, shadow, stroke, and so on – of
2 Set up an object style
To make custom styles more readily
available: select the object whose style
3 Set text box defaults
Select a text box that’s already how
you want it and pick Format > Advanced >
another, select the one to replicate and you want to copy, then go to the Format Set as Default Text Box Appearance. Only
press å+ç+C, then select the second inspector’s Style tab and click the arrow boxes created from that point onwards
and press å+ç+V, or use the Format to the right of the styles at the top to find are affected, and changing the default
menu’s Copy/Paste Style commands. a blank well containing a +. Click that. again doesn’t impact existing boxes.
Think about using this to broadcast

things other than business talks, such
as showing off pictures to a far-flung
6 Control with Watch
With the Keynote app installed on
your Apple Watch, you can control your
relative, reading a bedtime story, or presentation from your wrist. A firm
walking someone through a recipe. press on the screen reveals controls
to go back or advance a slide. Check
5 Control from iOS

Rather than using a clicker to
control presentations, use your iPad or
Watch > Settings > General > Wake
Screen to make sure your Watch won’t
just return to the watch face when you
iPhone. As well as letting you advance lower your arm again. Otherwise, bear
slides, Keynote for iOS/iPadOS can in mind that double-clicking the side
An iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch is the perfect
show presenter notes, the next and button returns to the most recent app. partner to Keynote, serving as a remote control.
current slides, and provides you with
a virtual laser pointer and marker
pens. Open Keynote on your Mac
and iOS devices, which need Wi-Fi
7 iOS to iOS control
You can use the same basic idea
to control another iOS device. So you
9 Export your themes
Once you’ve got a presentation
and/or Master Slides set up how you
turned on but don’t have to be on the could, say, connect your iPhone to a like, choose File > Save Theme to save
same network; tap the remote icon on, projector to run your presentation, and it as a template you can share with
then follow the on-screen prompts. hold an iPad in your hands as you talk, others, even on iOS. For iOS, share
with your notes clearly visible. the .kth file to your device, such as by
using AirDrop, and open it in Keynote.
3 Create kiosks or
training guides
8 Override line snapping
The Connection Line tool is great,
but you don’t always want each end to
Your other Mac or iOS device will need
the fonts used in the presentation to
be installed. That’s easy on a Mac, but
Any object in Keynote can have snap to an object. Holding ç as you on iOS, assuming your font licence
a hyperlink attached to it, and that drag an end overrides the snapping. allows it, you’ll need a third-party app
link doesn’t have to be to a website. such as AnyFont (£1.99, bit.ly/anyfn).
Keynote provides actions to take
the viewer to the next or previous
slide in your presentation, the first
or last slide, the previously viewed
10 Embed online
Click the toolbar’s Collaborate
icon, then Share Options. Ensure ‘Who
slide, or a specific slide number. can access’ is set to ‘Anyone with the
Using hyperlinks, which can link’ and permissions are set to view
be copied and pasted between only, then click Copy Link and copy
slides once created, you can build the web address. If you paste this
information kiosks, adventure into a post on WordPress, Medium,
stories, games, or whatever or anywhere that uses the embed.ly
straightforward interactive To configure multi-display setups, go to Keynote > platform, your presentation will appear
experiences you can conceive! Slideshow > Open Display Preferences. in it for readers to click through.

Formulate
your future
with Numbers
Go beyond the built-in templates and gain skills
that’ll help to keep you one step ahead in life
2 Quick calculations
D
ig deeper into Apple’s
spreadsheet app than its Numbers’ Quick Calculation bar
templates. Whether you only appears at the bottom of the
need to track your budget, window when a range of cells is
monitor investments or plan a project, selected. Its capsules hold at-a-glance
these quick tips will get you started. calculations for your selection – their
average, sum, and so on – that you can
1 The Function button

If you’re an Excel emigrant and miss
its AutoSum function, Numbers offers
drag to a table cell to keep around. But
you aren’t limited to default functions:
click the gear button on the right of the
a versatile alternative: select a series bar to edit what’s available here.
of cells and choose one of the common
When typing a new formula, the editor opens
functions from the toolbar’s Function
button. Numbers inserts the function’s
calculation in the nearest empty cell
3 Filter a checklist
Don’t think of Numbers only as
a spreadsheet. It makes for a great
over the target cell. Drag the handle on its
left side to move it, or resize from any edge.
above or to the side of the selection. organiser, too. For example, use it
to create an easily updated checklist.
Write your to-do list down one column
and then add a cell with a data format
4 Quickly add cells
Numbers has many keyboard
shortcuts, but this one is arguably the
of ‘Checkbox’ next to each element handiest: To add a column or row next
that's included in the list. to a highlighted cell, hold down å and
In the Organise Inspector, filter the press the arrow key that corresponds
table by the checkbox column. Choose to the direction in which you want to
a filtering rule to match text that is add a row or column, relative to the
Numbers records past versions of your work, so ‘False’. Now as you check items off the cell that is currently selected. No
you can roll back – or recover smaller portions. list, they’ll disappear from view. more messing around with menus!
HOW TO Manage a league
1 Set up the table

Numbers makes it simple to manage
a league table – one for your school
2 Sort by points
Click Organise in the toolbar, the
Sort tab, and then ‘Add a Column’. Below
3 Sort by goal difference
We also want a secondary sort, so
that teams with the same totals will be
sports teams, say. First, enter the raw the ‘Sort by’ heading select the ‘Points’ ranked according to goal difference.
data under relevant columns for team column, and choose to sort the data in Click ‘Add a Column again’, and under
names, points, goal difference, and so on. descending order so the teams with ‘Then by’ choose ‘Goal Difference’,
Your data needn’t be sorted at this stage. higher totals will appear at the top. again ranked in descending order.

Pro tips
1 Track time
Numbers has some unheralded,
yet fabulous, functions to help
plan projects. Its NETWORKDAYS
function returns the number of
working days between two dates,
and automatically excludes
weekends. So, =NETWORKDAYS
(“15/6/2020”, “30/6/2020”)
returns 12. Add any bank holidays
or other breaks at the end of the
parameters; =NETWORKDAYS
(“15/6/2020”, “30/6/2020”,
“22/6/2020”) excludes 22 June
from the calculation. Use this to
more effectively plan projects or
work out chargeable time.
2 Work your workdays

A related project management
gem is the WORKDAY function. This
calculates the number of working
days before or after a given date.
5 Copy from old versions

To recover a deleted table or
sheet, choose File > Revert To > Browse
percentage change in Apple’s stock
price compared to its close yesterday:
It also excludes weekends and any
other days you specify. If a project
were to take 20 working days and
All Versions. Scroll back to the version =STOCK ("AAPL", percent change) begin on 30 June, you’d enter
with the elements you want to retrieve, =WORKDAY (“30/6/2020”, 20)
select them and then choose Edit > With this cell selected, go to the to see its expected end date. To
Copy. In the current spreadsheet (on Format inspectors’ Cells tab and click calculate the number of working
the left), click where you want to place the Conditional Highlighting button. days before a date, use a negative
the content, then choose Edit > Paste. In the pane that appears, set a rule to value as the second parameter.
change the cell’s background colour
6 Take visual stock

Some of the Stock function’s
features are demoed in the My Stocks
to red if its value is less than 0 (a fall
in share price). Add a second rule to
change the background to green if the
3 Choose a data format
Numbers cleverly applies data
formats to cells’ contents, but it’s
template, but you can go further and value is greater than 0 (a rise in value). often best to specify one in the
use conditional highlighting to get Quickly reuse these rules by Format inspector’s Cell tab. You
a visual view of your portfolio’s copying the cell’s formatting – but not can also force data to a particular
performance. The following formula, its value – with å+ç+C, and paste format using functions, such as
when added to a cell, will display the them to another cell with å+ç+V. DATE, TEXT and TIME.
7 Relatives and absolutes

If a formula contains a reference
to another cell, copying it to another
cell updates the reference relative to
its new position. To maintain a cell
reference, prefix it with a dollar sign ($)
when typing a formula to designate it
’absolute’. Or, double-click a cell to edit
its existing formula, click the small
disclosure triangle next to the cell
Conditional highlighting can make a world of reference, and choose whether to Numbers’ date-related functions include
difference to the readability of spreadsheets. maintain the row, column, or both. powerful project management calculations.

Collaborate on documents
They say a problem
shared is a problem
halved. Pages. Numbers
1
and Keynote have you Who’s working?
more than covered with The number next to
their collaborative tools the Collaborate button
shows the number of
participants actively
working on the currently
shared document.
O
nce, disappointment
and frustration were
the two characters
you were most likely
to meet when collaborating with
others on Numbers, Pages or
Keynote documents. It’s different
now. Big improvements to those apps
for iCloud mean multiple users can
work on the same doc simultaneously,
whether using a Mac, iPad, iPhone 2
or even a PC. Here’s how to get the Real-time changes 2
best out of collaboration features. Collaborators’
changes and comments
1 All or nothing
You can either share a document
publicly – anyone with the link can
appear in the shared
document impressively
quickly, and you can
open the document and pass the link respond immediately to
on – or with specific people. Sharing comments in threaded
with named people is more secure, conversations!
but also more fiddly: collaborators
need to sign in with an Apple ID.
2 Feature limitations
Some features are disabled when
you share a document. For example, button. This removes the doc from choose File > Revert To > Browse All
in Numbers you can’t copy or paste collaborators’ iCloud Drives. If you Versions and navigate to the last good
sheets; in Keynote you can’t view or shared a link to the doc, that link will version. It’s better to do this on a Mac
edit master slides, and in Pages there’s still work when you share it again. than iCloud.com; while you can recover
no way to edit master objects. If you But if you limited access to invited a previous version there – click Tools,
need these features, temporarily stop people, you’ll need to re-invite them. then Browse All Versions – you can
sharing the doc: click Collaborate in only restore versions in their entirety.
the toolbar and then the Stop Sharing
3 Shrink size
If you plan to collaborate on
a large doc, reduce bandwidth by
You can’t compare past versions, or
select parts of a doc to recover.
shrinking its size in advance (File >

Reduce File Size). You can do this even
after sharing the doc, as this option
5 Work offline
Numbers, Pages and Keynote
won’t panic if you lose your internet
is still available while collaborating. connection. On a Mac they won’t let
you make changes while offline – you’ll
In Finder, shared status is listed next to filenames

4 Recovering files
Let’s say a collaborator deletes
content by accident. There’s no need
be asked to work on a copy – but on
iCloud.com, you can carry on and
changes will appear to collaborators
in most views, and in column view’s right pane. to panic – you can recover it. On a Mac, when you’re online again.

Amazing documents FEATURE
3 Collaborative
1 Recognise
your authors conundrums
Collaborators can
3
choose their own author
colours on the Mac
in View > Comments
1 Tracking changes
The ability to see what people
have done to a doc is of limited use
& Changes > Author if anyone needs to work in a web
Colour, or on iCloud.com browser; if Tracked Changes is on,
in the preferences pane collaborators on iOS and Mac can
4 under the Tools icon. edit the doc, but anyone using
iCloud.com can’t. Simply turn off
Tracked Changes for a doc to make
it editable in a browser once again.
5 2 Focus mode
Several people collaborating
in real time can be distracting, so
you can hide others’ activity to
focus on your own work. Choose
View > Hide Collaboration Activity
on a Mac. At iCloud.com, turn on
Hide Collaboration Activity in the
5 sidebar. Distracting cursors are
4 Change your mind hidden, but changes still appear.
Avoid conflict You can change
Click the coloured dot
next to a collaborator’s
name in the participant
collaboration options at
any time. If you change
a document to ‘invite
3 Nice threads
Collaborators’ comments
appear instantly on shared docs
list to jump to where only’, all permissions and can be threaded to allow for
they are working in will be revoked and the conversation. People can edit or
the shared document. document is removed delete their own comments and
This is a handy tool to from collaborators’ replies, but not those of others.
avoid editing conflicts. iCloud Drives. As the document’s owner, you can
delete the entire conversation.
6 Check what’s shared

To check what you’re sharing,
4 Lock ’em up
Unlike in Excel, you can’t lock
individual cells in Numbers, which
open iCloud Drive on your Mac (Go > can be a problem with shared docs.
iCloud Drive in Finder). Shared docs A workaround in some cases is to
have ‘Shared by Me’ after their names move the cells you want to lock to
(or on the right in Column view). To see a separate table, select that table,
who a file is shared with, ≈-click it and then choose Arrange > Lock.
choose Share > Show People. Here you
can also adjust sharing permissions.
Can’t remember which colours are assigned to
7 Check people’s tools

Not everyone can collaborate.
collaborators? Names are just a click away.
Windows users need Microsoft Edge or

Google Chrome to use iCloud.com. In
older versions of Numbers, Keynote
8 Check activities
Clicking Collaborate in the toolbar
lists current participants. Click the
and Pages or on Android, you can view coloured dot next to a name to jump to
but not edit docs. Sharing via email, where they’re working. Or, if you spot a
Messages, or AirDrop provides a copy, coloured editing indicator within a doc, If the collaborative editing indicators become
so lacks real-time collaboration. click it to reveal the editor’s identity. distracting, they’re easily hidden.

FEATURE Amazing documents
Compatiblity concerns
Need to work with non-Apple users? No problem. Follow our handy tips to
ensure you can share documents with colleagues using other productivity apps
P
ages, Numbers and Keynote
are free for most Apple
users, and the iCloud.com
versions are available at no
cost for other people. However, much
of the world uses Microsoft Office and
Google Docs, so here are tips to ensure
your docs work for other people.
1 Line management
When converting an iWork doc to an
Office format, text reflow is inevitable.
Stick to common fonts to mitigate this
and, because Pages and Word interpret
lines and paragraphs differently, you’ll
get better results if you set line and
paragraph spacing in fixed point sizes
rather than relative measures.
2 Translation issues
Apple’s apps work well with Office
docs – comments and tracked changes
Absolute measurements for text work better
than relative ones when moving to Word.
transfer seamlessly – but there are

gaps. Macros are unsupported, linked almost anywhere. Keynote the relevant file to your Google Drive.
text boxes and watermarks don’t transitions and builds are lost; ≈-click it and choose Open With >
transfer from Word, and Excel’s pivot if that’s a problem, an alternative Cloud Convert. This converts Apple
tables are missing. Check what might is to export it as a movie. format files to Microsoft formats and
be lost in translation by investigating saves the resulting file back to Google
the three tabs at bit.ly/pgscmpt.
4 Open on a PC
If you’re using a PC and have
Drive. ≈-click the converted doc and
choose Open With > Google Docs,
3 Use PDFs
If the person you’re sending a doc
a doc in one of Apple’s formats, sign
in to iCloud.com, upload the file to
Sheets or Slides as needed.
to won’t edit it, consider exporting as

a PDF. The original’s formatting is
retained and PDFs can be opened
iCloud Drive, then open the doc in
the web-based version of Keynote,
Numbers or Pages and export it to
7 Large docs
If the Pages, Numbers or Keynote
doc you’re working on grows to larger
an Office-compatible XML file. than 500MB, the app will ask if you
want to save the file as a package.
5 Open Google Docs

To open a Google-created doc
in Keynote, Numbers or Pages,
If you’ve run into the spinning beach
ball or slowdowns while working on
this doc, choosing ‘Use Package’ can
download it from Google Drive: files improve the app’s performance. This
are converted to Microsoft Office collates all of the assets in one place.
formats during download, which However, if you’ll share it with
Apple’s apps can open. someone using a service other than
iCloud, choose Keep Single File. If you
Exporting to PDF is a fairly reliable way to ensure

someone else can read your documents.
6 Convert to Google
To open Pages, Numbers and
Keynote files in Google apps, upload
mistakenly choose that, or need to
revert to a single file later on, go to
File > Advanced > Change File Type.

Do more with iCloud
Power up your productivity with these secrets of Apple’s online services
T
he iCloud.com website has Wherever you do this, you can you want to recover, then Done to
become increasingly useful specify whether people can edit the restore them. Alongside this are
over the years and now file and if an explicit invitation from options to bring back contacts,
gives you access to web- you is required to access it – just like calendars, reminders, or bookmarks.
based versions of Pages, Numbers in Pages, Numbers and Keynote.
and Keynote to work on documents
even without an Apple device to
hand. Since the arrival of High Sierra 2 Share online storage
with your family
5 Create email aliases
While you can now sign up to
many apps and websites anonymously
on Mac and iOS 11 on iPhone in 2017, As you make greater use of iCloud using Sign In with Apple, email aliases
the iCloud service and its website both Drive, your free 5GB of iCloud storage can still be useful for mailing lists or
gained some extra features, in addition might run out. If you and additional sites where the Sign In with Apple
to compelling ones that were already family members need more space, option is unavailable. iCloud enables
only available at the website. Here’s you can share a 200GB or 2TB plan you to create up to three email aliases.
how to make more of iCloud and (bit.ly/iclshare), rather than each To create an alias, open Mail at
iCloud.com in your work. person separately paying for more. iCloud.com, click the gear icon at the
bottom left, choose Preferences, then
1 Share files in iCloud Drive

You can share files created in
apps other than Pages, Numbers and
3 Create contact groups
At iCloud.com, open Contacts,
click the + near the bottom left and
click Accounts. Click ‘Add an alias’ and
type the words you want to use as the
alias (the part that appears in front of
Keynote. In the Files app on iPadOS or choose New Group. Name the group, @icloud), and next to ‘Full name’ type
iOS 11 or later, locate a file in iCloud then click on All Contacts and drag the name you want to appear in the
Drive that you want to share, tap people to the group to add to it. This ‘From’ field. Assign a label and label
Select, tap the file, tap Share, and then capability is also available in Contacts colour if you want, then click Done.
tap Add People near the bottom of the for Mac, but not the iOS version. You can use rules to define how
sheet. In Finder in High Sierra or later messages to your alias are dealt with.
choose Go > iCloud Drive, ≈-click the
file and choose Share > Add People.
In the iCloud Drive app at iCloud.com,
4 Recover deleted items
At iCloud.com, click Account
Settings and scroll down to the
Rules are available in Mail for Mac, but
it’s best to perform filtering by alias on
the server, which you can do in Mail at
select a file and click the rightmost Advanced section and click Restore iCloud.com. You’ll find Apple’s guide to
icon in the top-centre group. Files. Fill checkboxes next to the files server-side rules at bit.ly/filtermail.

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macformat.com
What’s inside
30-31
ENHANCE IMAGES
Use Luminar’s AI tricks
to improve your pics
32-33
PLAN YOUR NEW
JOURNEY EDITED BY JO MEMBERY IDEAS
Get from A to B with the
help of Fantastical Your in-depth guide to
getting more from
your Apple kit
34-35
COOL YOUR MAC
Improve perfomance
and increase Mac lifespan
36-37
MANAGE MEDIA PLAN A
LIBRARIES JOURNEY IN
Organise multiple FANTASTICAL
libraries in macOS p32
38-39
INFINITE MUSIC
Use djay Pro to
access all audio areas
40-41
DO MORE WITH
PHOTOSHOP Understand iOS gestures
Discover how to select
a subject and create A tap is a brief contact of Swipe means move one or Pinch means move two
a composite image (usually) one finger on your more fingers across an item fingers together or apart,
device’s screen. or the screen, then let go. usually to zoom in or out.
42-43
HOW IT WORKS To drag is to move a finger A flick is like swiping, but it’s Touch and hold means lightly
Content caching: slim across the screen to scroll quicker, and is often used to rest your finger on an item
down your data demands or pan around content. scroll content more quickly. and wait for a reaction.
Master Mac keyboard shortcuts

When you see a shortcut like ≈ means the Control key, insertion point. Press ƒ+∫
ç+å+C, hold all but the labelled ctrl, and shown as ^ to delete to the right.
last key, then press that one. in shortcuts in the menu bar.
† is the Tab key, which shifts
ç is the Command key, ß is the Shift key, which is the focus between some
which is also labelled cmd. typically just labelled shift. controls in windows and web
forms. Turn on Full Keyboard
å means the Option key, ∫ means the Delete key, Access in System Preferences
labelled alt or opt. which deletes to the left of the to jump between all controls.

APPLE SKILLS Mac software
PART 2 OF 4
Enhance
images in
Luminar 4
Make quick or automatic
enhancements to your images with
the help of artificial intelligence tricks
IT WILL TAKE If you’re not sure where to start Looks work by automatically dialling in a
10 minutes with image enhancement or just bunch of adjustments and there’s an amount
want a helping hand, Luminar’s slider so you can choose how strongly the look
YOU WILL LEARN AI-powered tools can analyse is applied. In the Essentials edit tab you’ll find
How to use AI, your image and get you started. The more quick enhancement tools including
presets and manual software also features ‘looks’ which are Colour, Details and Light all with variable
controls to improve presets that change multiple aspects of an sliders, so you can quickly and easily make
your pictures image from colours, exposure and brightness your pictures look more vibrant, interesting
to sharpness and vignetting. Although other and professional. It will help to start with a
YOU’LL NEED photo apps let you tweak pictures, Luminar high resolution image, though JPEGs are fine.
macOS 10.12 or later, is particularly user-friendly and powerful. If you do have the option of working on a RAW
Luminar 4, high And if you’re a beginner or just in a hurry, file, that will give Luminar the maximum
resolution image its AI features are a great helping hand. amount of info to work with. Hollin Jones
EXPLAINED… Working with Luminar 4

1 3
View Options Manual tools
Zoom in to see Most tools have
details of images 1 manual controls
and use the so you can tweak
before/after parameters like
controls to colour levels,
check the saturation and
changes. vibrance.
2 4
AI Tools 2 Looks
The Essentials Looks are
section includes complete presets
AI-powered tools that change lots
that analyse 4 at once. Each has
your pic and a slider so you
make automatic can apply as
improvements. much as you like.

AI image tools APPLE SKILLS
HOW TO Quickly enhance an image
1 Load your file

Load an image using the Add button
or File menu. You can load a folder of
2 Apply a Look
Press the Looks button at the top to
reveal the Looks panel, then choose a set
3 Try the AI
≈-click on the image and choose
Adjustments > Reset Adjustments to
images or work on one at once. Here appropriate to your image. In this case, remove the look. Now go to the
we have a Raw file that has no edits – it’s Landscapes. Select a look to apply Essentials section to the right and
it’s just as it came out of the camera, it and then use its slider to apply any the AI Enhance tab. Raise the two
and needs some work. amount you want from 0 to 100%. sliders to somewhere around halfway.
4 Add definition
Move beneath, to the AI Structure
tab and repeat the process. Luminar’s
5 Work with the light
Now move to the Light tab in the
Essentials section. Since this is a bright
6 Love your landscapes
Move down to the Landscape tab.
The Foliage Enhancer can be used to
algorithms analyse your picture and alter scene, we’ll need to reduce the exposure make plants and trees more vibrant, and
it based on its best guess. You can use and contrast slightly. Each image will if you click on the Advanced button you
the Before and After toggle at the top require its own treatment, and a darker can even choose which shade of green
to see what changes are being applied. image may need these sliders increasing. you want to enhance.
7 Go black and white

For a different feel, select the B&W
Conversion tab and click Convert. Now
8 Revert to colour
You can use Edit > Undo to revert to
a colour version. Go to the Vignette tab
9 Export your image
When you’re done, go to File >
Export and choose a destination and a
you get some colour sliders, but in this and choose Amount and Size settings. format. A high quality JPEG is a good
mode they change different black, Vignetting adds black or white fades in choice for email or the web, or a TIFF file
white and grey tones within the image. the corners to focus the eye on the if you intend to print it. You do have the
Experiment to see how they affect yours. centre of the image. option to resize and compress images.

PART 3 OF 4
Plan a
journey in
Fantastical
Get from A to B with this
excellent calendar app
IT WILL TAKE Fantastical does not just show address as your journey’s starting point,
10 minutes your upcoming events – it can provided your journey begins within your
help you get to them, too. That’s workday. If it falls outside these hours,
YOU WILL LEARN thanks to its handy integration of Fantastical uses your home address. And
How to get journey Time to Leave reminders, which give you a if the event is within three hours of another
reminders and weather buzz when it is time to start your journey. It event, it will use the first event’s location
information can also show you travel times using various as your starting point.
modes of transport, as well as the weather It’s clever stuff and shows why Fantastical
YOU’LL NEED at your destination. can be such a useful app when planning a
A Fantastical It does this by using your saved addresses journey. Throw in weather forecasts, letting
subscription, in the Contacts app. If you have set your you know if bad weather conditions might slow
macOS 10.13 or working hours in Fantastical > Preferences > you down, and you will find it’s a great tool
later, iOS 13 or later General, the app will use your Contacts work to have at your disposal. Alex Blake
EXPLAINED… Fantastical’s Time to Leave alerts

1 3
Destination Weather
map 4 report
Double-click You can see the
an event with a weather at your
location to see current location
where it is. or destination
Clicking the map (if entered in
segment will Fantastical’s
open Maps. settings.
2 2 4
Travel time 3
Time to Leave
Fantastical 1 If you have
shows how long added a Time to
it takes to get to Leave reminder,
your destination Fantastical
using your prompts you to
Contacts get going when
addresses. required.

Plan your journey APPLE SKILLS
HOW TO Add travel info to your events
1 Share your location

First, grant Fantastical permission to
use your location when prompted. If you
2 Add an event location
Add an event on the calendar. Under
the title, click Add Location and begin
3 Custom leave time
Once you have added the event,
double-click it and click Time to Leave
blocked it, go to System Preferences > typing. Click your location from the next to the Alert box. You can choose
Security & Privacy > Location Services. options to add it to the event. You must from a list of times to be reminded of
Click the padlock, then enable Fantastical click it – just typing the location will not when to leave, or you can add a custom
Helper and Fantastical. work with Time to Leave alerts. reminder if you prefer.
4 Check Contacts
Fantastical uses the locations on
your My Card in the Contacts app. Open
5 Choose travel
Double-click the event, then click the
downward arrow at the bottom to show
6 Custom travel time
If you do not think the travel times
are correct, you can choose a set time
Contacts, find your card, click Edit and more details. Click None next to Travel from the list, or add a custom travel time.
add an address, marking it as Home or Time and choose your mode of transport. This is useful if your route is dependent
Work accordingly. If required, click Card The default options are driving, on foot on variable traffic and you want to err
> Make This My Card. or public transport. on the safe side for your journey time.
7 Local weather
In your Mac’s menu bar, click
Fantastical > Preferences, then click the
8 Destination weather
To see what the weather will be
like at your destination, click the Change
9 Get more details
Fantastical shows the weather
forecast for each day at the top of the
Weather tab and tick the ‘Show weather Location button and type a new location. calendar view and in the sidebar. Click
for’ checkbox. This should show your Enter the nearest town or city rather a weather icon to get more details,
current location (if you have given than the full address, click it, then click including daily and weekly temperatures,
Fantastical location permissions). Choose Location. plus a weekly forecast.

1 3
Current Menu
settings bar icon
3
Open the main Save time
app window by applying
to quickly set new settings
new fan control 1 quickly via
settings for each the program’s
fan in your Mac. menu bar icon.
2
2 4
Monitor Preferences
temperatures Click ‘Menubar
The app’s main display’ to
screen provides customise the
a handy list of 4 menu bar icon –
all available including the
temperature display of the
sensors. fan speed.
Keep your Mac cool

Improve performance and increase Mac lifespan with Macs Fan Control
IT WILL TAKE It doesn’t matter whether a problem compounded by the fact your fan
15 minutes you’re running the latest Mac isn’t necessarily doing all it can to mitigate
mini or an ageing MacBook, they the rise in temperature. Macs prioritise
YOU WILL LEARN all suffer from one unavoidable keeping themselves quiet over cooling your
Take full control affliction: heat. The harder you push your components, relying on their built-in ability
of your Mac’s fans Mac’s hardware, the hotter it gets – so every to ‘throttle’ the CPU when it hits a certain
to cool your computer time you do anything taxing, from playing temperature. Throttling reduces performance
games to editing video, its insides heat up. while the fan sits practically idle when it
YOU’LL NEED The cumulative effect is to stress your should be cooling your Mac.
MacOS 10.7 or later, Mac’s components and reduce their lifespan,
Macs Fan Control Take back control
This is where Macs Fan Control enters the
fray – this app enables you to take control of
the fans in your Mac - from the one or two in
your MacBook, to the multiple fans in the Mac
Pro. You can set it to your own choice of speed
to keep things permanently cooler or adopt a
more nuanced approach that only kicks in
when your Mac is working harder than normal.
The app is free to use, although a Pro
version (£14.95) enables you to create a series
of switchable presets for different tasks
Macs prioritise – handy, but not essential. The step-by-step
keeping quiet guide reveals how to set up the free version
to prevent throttling, improve performance
over cooling and help extend the life of your Mac.
Purchase a Pro licence to be able to set up multiple custom
components configurations you can quickly switch between as needed. Nick Peers

Cool your Mac APPLE SKILLS
HOW TO Keep your Mac cool
Genius tip
The maximum
temperature is the
point where your Mac
will throttle back your
CPU to prevent it
overheating. Do not
set it over 100°C.
1 Download and install

Go to bit.ly/cimacsfancontrol and click Free
Download followed by ‘Download for macOS’.
2 First run
The main window will open with your
Mac’s fan(s) listed on the left, and available
Double-click the downloaded Macs Fan Control temperature readings on the right. The default
program and then choose Open, followed by Auto setting leaves your Mac in control – click
‘Move to Applications folder’. the ‘Active preset’ dropdown to switch.
3 Run full blast

If you’re about to really stress your Mac
to the limits – say, converting video using
4 Adopt a dynamic approach
For more granular control over your fan
speeds, instruct Macs Fan Control to create a
Handbrake – then choose ‘Full blast’. This preset – either to set a lower fixed speed or to
spins up your fan to its top speed to maximise automatically increase/decrease the fan as the
cooling and minimise throttling. temperature changes. Click Custom to start.
Genius tip!
Visit bit.ly/
cimfctesttjmaxtemp
to learn how to calculate
a safe maximum
temperature for your
specific Mac model.
5 Set a fixed speed

Use the slider to run the fan at a specific
set speed or – our recommendation – choose
6 Temperature-based setting
50°C is a good setting for the minimum
temperature (when the fan spins up). See the
‘Sensor-based value’ to adjust the fan as your Genius tip for help on setting a maximum
Mac’s demands change. First, choose which temperature (typically 100° C – set it lower to
sensor to measure – options vary by model. prioritise health over performance). Click OK.

Manage media libraries

The easy way to organise muliple media libraries in macOS Catalina
IT WILL TAKE When you use the Music or videos alongside your downloaded TV shows,
10 minutes TV apps, all of your locally or you might use your Mac for DJ sets and
stored content – things you’ve want to keep your deep cuts well away from
YOU WILL LEARN downloaded to your Mac or your guilty pleasures or the kids’ favourites.
How to use imported from local files – is stored in a Perhaps your library is absolutely massive and
different libraries single library. And that’s great, mostly. But you want to have a smaller version you can
for Music and TV sometimes you might want to have more than keep on your mobile Mac. Or maybe you want
one library to keep things separate – so, for to have different preferences for different
YOU’LL NEED example, you might not want your home libraries so that you can apply different display
macOS 10.15 options or parental settings. Whatever the
or later reason, it’s easy to have and switch between
different media libraries on your Mac.
Option for more

In macOS Catalina, both the Music and TV
apps support multiple libraries – and they do
it in pretty much the same way. Simply hold
down the å key as you launch the app and
Genius tip! you’ll be given the option to choose or create
Changing libraries a library; to return to normal, quit the app and
affects the content repeat the process for the library you want
stored on your Mac to return to. As we’ll see in this tutorial, it’s
and/or connected all very straightforward, and you can also
external storage: Music customise the way things work in order
and TV streaming is You can’t switch libraries inside the Music or TV apps: to to avoid duplication or confusion.
tied to your Apple ID. open a different library you need to quit and relaunch. Carrie Marshall

Media libraries APPLE SKILLS
HOW TO Create and use multiple libraries
1 Create a new library

If Music is already open, close it. Hold
down the Option (å) key and relaunch
2 Name and save it
By default, the Music app will
put your new library inside the Users >
3 Start afresh
As you can see, our new library is
completely empty. This gives you a blank
the app. After a few seconds you should [Username] > Music folder; you can slate not just for the music you want to
see this dialog box. As we only have one change that if you prefer. Choose a add, but for the way iTunes handles it:
Music library so far, let’s create a new memorable name for the library so it’s you can have different parental settings
one with Create Library. easy to find when you look for it. and display settings for each library.
4 Open up
To open a specific library, switch to
it by starting (or restarting, if it’s already
5 Set the location
If you go into Preferences, you’ll see
that your library has its own Music Media
6 Organise your TV
You can also manage your Apple TV
content in much the same way that you
open) the Music app with the å key held folder. You can change its location here, did in Music. You might want one library
down. This time you’ll select the Choose as well as specify whether the Music app for work and one for home, or like us you
Library option, open its folder and select should copy files to that folder when you might want to keep your home movies
the music library file it contains. add them to the library. separate from your downloaded ones.
7 Start anew
As with Music, the way to create or
switch libraries in the TV app is to quit
8 Name your creation
The default location for TV is in your
Users > [Username] > Movies folder, but
9 See your stuff
In this image we’ve dragged some
home videos into our newly created
it and then relaunch it with the å key you can change that to another folder library folder and they’ve automatically
held down. Again, you’ll see this dialog or external drive. Once again, it’s a good been added to that Apple TV library; if
asking whether you want to create a new idea to choose a meaningful name so we quit and restart with our original TV
library or access an existing one. it’s easy to find in future. library, they won’t be there.

Infinite music to your DJ box

Use Tidal, Spotify and SoundCloud tracks in djay Pro
IT WILL TAKE djay Pro is an extraordinarily automatically detect the beats and tempo of
20 minutes useful app for DJs at every a track and sync it with another so they play
level from school disco to in perfect time, or you can use its Automix
YOU WILL LEARN superstar. It enables you to feature to do the DJing for you if you’d rather
How to use streamed connect hardware controllers for on-stage be socialising than spinning up records. It’s
audio in your mixes mixing and scratching, it works with 4K also packed with power features that can
video as well as music and it uses artificial completely transform tracks in real time.
YOU’LL NEED intelligence to take a lot of the guesswork
djay Pro and a out of mixing. For example, if you wish, it can Access all areas
Spotify, Tidal or The latest version of djay is the most
SoundCloud impressive yet, not least because it effectively
subscription gives you access to all the music ever
recorded: the existing Apple Music and Spotify
integration has been supplemented with
support for Tidal and SoundCloud, and that’s
available on the Mac app and on iOS too. You’ll
need the appropriate subscription to take full
advantage so, for example, to access Tidal
Hi-Fi you’ll need to be a subscriber to it.
Genius tip! In this tutorial, we’ll use our Spotify
If you’d rather mix on a account to show how things work, but the
touchscreen, which is process is identical for Tidal and SoundCloud:
tons of fun, there’s a djay’s clever match feature, which auto-
version of dJay for your suggests tracks based on what you’ve already
iPad – it’s free, with dJay Pro is incredibly powerful, but it’s suitable for played, works across the streaming services as
in-app purchases. absolute beginners too. We love its AutoMix AI DJ. well as your local library. Carrie Marshall

dJay Pro mixes APPLE SKILLS
HOW TO Use Spotify & SoundCloud in djay Pro
1 Set up streaming
If you look at the bottom left of the
screen you’ll see icons for the media
2 Set up SoundCloud
You can add SoundCloud the same
way. If you don’t have a SoundCloud Go+
3 Find what you want
Forget crate digging: when you’re
searching Spotify you can add filters to
sources: Apple Music, Tidal, SoundCloud subscription you can still use the features find exactly what you’re looking for. Your
and Spotify. To add Spotify, click on it and such as the featured playlists and music search isn’t just for albums, artists or
enter your login details. You’ll need an playback, but you won’t be able to add songs – you can search for specific BPMs
active premium subscription. tracks to your queue. and keys too, which is a real time-saver.
4 Drop it on the deck

To use a song, simply drag it onto
the deck (we’re in twin-deck mode here,
5 Drop another track
You’re not going to get much DJing
done with just one record. Add a track to
6 Add special effects
The icons at the top centre of the
window enable you to see extra options.
with a deck at the top left and top right your other deck and you can play either We’ve selected FX to bring up a range of
respectively) or ≈-click on it and select or both. Click Sync to synchronise them special effects – they’re listed just above
which deck to send it to. If you’re using so they both play at the same BPM, no the music library. You can expand djay’s
four decks, you’ll see all four here. matter what you choose to set that to. arsenal with extra effects packs.
7 Do it old-school
If you’d rather have decks that look
like decks, tap on the View icon (top
8 Double up your decks
Sometimes two decks just aren’t
enough, which is why djay can work
9 Add cue points
Serious DJs can add Cue Points to
streaming tracks with the same keyboard
right); it’ll be a circle if you’ve selected across four different tracks at once. As shortcuts as for local files. Cue Points
vinyl-style decks here, or columns if with double decks you can sync records enable you to tag useful bits of tracks,
you’ve stuck with digital. Digital is more so they keep to the same tempo, but you such as a really great breakdown or a
informative but the vinyl’s more fun. don’t have to sync all four. guaranteed crowd-pleasing bit.

AFTER
BEFORE
Do more with Photoshop

How to select a subject and create a composite image
IT WILL TAKE While browsing through your version, but it provides a useful springboard to
15 minutes iPad’s Camera Roll, you’ll get getting a project up and running while you’re
ideas for creative Photoshop out and about using your iPad.
YOU WILL LEARN projects, such as designing We’ll demonstrate how to use iOS/iPadOS
How to select personal wallpapers for your Mac. We’ll Photoshop’s tools to select a person, mask out
a subject; copy, show you how to set up a new Photoshop their original background and combine them
paste and transform; document on your iPad that is a suitable size with a new background image. You can then
add effects to act as wallpaper on a 27-inch iMac, though sync your layered project with the cloud and
you can choose other document sizes to suit download it onto your Mac. There you can
YOU’LL NEED a wide range of devices such as HD TV continue working on the project using the
A subscription to screens, for example. full version of Photoshop’s tools and then
Adobe Photoshop The iOS/iPadOS version of Photoshop save a flattened JPEG version to use as
lacks many of the tools found in the desktop desktop wallpaper. George Cairns
EXPLAINED… Key tools in the iOS Photoshop workspace

1 3
Selection tools Filters
Tap and hold here Tap here to
to access a range access filters and
of selection tools 1 adjustments. The
including the fast Gaussian Blur filter
and effective Select mimics a camera’s
Subject command. background
bokeh effect.
2
2
Marvellous
3 4
masks
Tap here to add 4 Layer actions
a mask to the Tap here to access
currently active a host of layer
layer. Any selection related commands
marquees will (such as Copy layer,
be converted Duplicate layer,
into a mask. and so on).

Create a composite APPLE SKILLS
HOW TO Use selection tools, layer masks and filters
1 Create new document

In iOS Photoshop, tap Create New.
Tap the Screen button to view preset
2 Choose an image
The new blank document will appear
in the workspace. To find images to add
3 Make a selection
Tap and hold on the toolbar’s
Selection tool icon. Choose Select
documents that fit various devices. As to your blank document, tap the Home Subject from the pop-up window.
we’re creating wallpaper for an iMac, icon. Tap Import and Open. Choose Photoshop analyses the shot, works out
tap the iMac 27 icon. Label your new Camera Roll. Browse to tap on a shot the main subject and places a ‘marching
document ‘Wallpaper’. Tap Create. and it will open in Photoshop iOS. ant’ selection marquee around its edges.
4 Make a mask
Tap the Mask icon below. This adds
a layer mask that hides that background
5 Copy and paste
Tap the Layer Actions icon and
choose Copy Layer. Tap the Home icon.
6 Add new background
Tap the Home icon. Tap Import and
Open. Browse to tap on a background
while keeping the selected subject visible. Tap the Wallpaper document to open it. shot in your Camera Roll to open it in
The edge of the mask isn’t perfect but we Go to Layer Actions and tap Paste. Tap Photoshop. Tap the Layer Actions icon,
can fine-tune that more easily in the the Transform tool and scale the shot to choose Copy Layer. Go to the Wallpaper
desktop version of Photoshop. fit. Tap the Flip Horizontal icon. Tap Done. doc and paste it in as a new layer.
7 Scale down
In the Layers panel, drag the pasted
background layer below the person’s
8 Create bokeh
To blur the background, tap on its
layer thumbnail. Tap on the Filters And
9 Work at home
In Photoshop on your Mac, go to
Cloud documents in the home screen
layer. Tap the Transform tool icon and Adjustments icon and choose Gaussian and double-click to download the synced
then drag the control handles to scale Blur. Drag the Blur Amount sider right. PSD document. You can then soften
down and reposition the background This mimics the attractive blur produced the mask’s hard edge using the Select
layer to fit the wallpaper-sized frame. by the iPhone’s Portrait mode. and Mask tools.

APPLE SKILLS How it works
HOW IT WORKS
Content caching
Speedier updating for all your devices
oftware updates can be very big.
S The direct download of the macOS
Catalina 10.15.4 update was three
gigabytes, while the same month’s iOS
download was a whopping 4.17GB. That’s a
lot when you just have one device to update,
let alone multiple Macs or iOS devices. to the Mac. It looks at the request and says,
Wouldn’t it be great if you could download ‘do I have this already?’ If the answer is no,
something once and then share it with all the client device downloads it from Apple
the other devices that need it? And wouldn’t and the Mac takes a copy of it for the cache.
it be great if you could do the same for app The next time a client device asks for that
Your Mac updates, iCloud data and Apple Books? content, the Mac already has it – so instead of
caches data Say hello to content caching. having to connect to Apple’s servers again,
the client device is given the data it needs
like a squirrel What is content caching? directly from the cache.
stores its nuts! Content caching speeds up software updates
and iCloud downloads by keeping a local copy What if my network isn’t just a simple
of data you’d normally have to download from subnet? What if it’s more complex?
Apple. The term caching comes from the By default, content caching expects you to
French word cacher, which means ‘to hide’. have a pretty simple network: everything
When a squirrel creates a store of nuts to last connects to the same router or NAT storage
through the winter, that’s a cache. On your device on the local network. But you can also
Mac, the nuts are the data you want to share. use it on more complex networks and run
Here’s a simple content Caching is well established in computing. multiple content caches, which become peers
cache: the cache gets Processors and graphics processors use cache of each other: if one cache doesn’t have what
content from the internet
and shares its copy memory to get quick access to commonly a client wants, it checks with the other
with local clients. used data. Data from hard disks or SSDs is cache(s) before going online. Apple provides
cached for faster access. details at bit.ly/mac354chng.
And in the case of content
caching, which is what we’re What kind of content gets cached?
Internet interested in here, data from Content caching works slightly differently
Apple’s servers is stored on Macs and on iOS/iPadOS devices. On your
locally and shared on the Mac, it can cache MacOS updates and Internet
network with any device that Recovery images (but not for macOS older
17.221.45.7 needs it. Instead of having to than 10.13.5); apps and their updates from the
download the same things Mac App Store; downloadable content for
Local network
Router/NAT over and over again, data GarageBand; iCloud photos and documents;
that is cached is downloaded Apple Books; and Xcode downloadable
10.00.2 once and then shared locally. components for Xcode 10.2 or later.
Local content cache On iOS and Apple TV, the supported
How does content content includes over-the-air updates for iOS
caching do what it does? and Apple TV; Apple TV screensavers for tvOS
With content caching, you 12.2 up; iOS and Apple TV apps and updates;
have a Mac that takes care on-demand resources for iOS 10/tvOS 10 and
of the cache. All your other later; iCloud data for iOS 9 onwards; iTunes U
10.00.3 - 10.0.0.12 devices become its clients, materials; Apple Books; and some mobile
Clients and when they ask for components such as high-quality voices
something their request goes for Siri and language dictionaries.

When you enable content caching
in System Prefs > Sharing, you
can choose whether to cache
everything or limit it to iCloud
or shared content.
Does content caching work everywhere? want to cache: all content, only shared Jargon buster
There are some restrictions. The registered content, or only iCloud content. If you click Network Address
owner of the content cache on macOS must on Options you can specify where the cache Translation (NAT)
match the region of the client Apple ID should be located and how much storage you enables multiple
accounts, so for example if your iOS devices want to allocate to it. devices in a local
have UK Apple IDs then your Mac must too. Once you’ve done that, restart the devices network to use
Some content isn’t cached in some countries, that you want to use the cache with and they the same, single IP
so for example iTunes downloads are not should discover and use it automatically. address to connect
cached in Brazil, Mexico, mainland China If your network uses multiple IP addresses, to the internet.
or Portugal and Apple Books downloads there are a few further configuration settings,
are not cached in Canada. which Apple has detailed at bit.ly/
mac354chngdy.
What devices can use content caching?
You can use Apple’s content caching on Macs, How do I get the best performance from
on iOS and iPadOS devices and on Apple TV. content caching?
Those devices need to be on networks that Content caching can work over Wi-Fi but it
use Network Address Translation (NAT) or that really isn’t recommended unless you have no
have publicly routable IP addresses. You can alternative: for best results, Apple says you
also used what’s called ‘tethered caching’ to should set up content caching on a Mac that
share the cache with iOS devices over USB. has a single wired gigabit Ethernet connection
In terms of operating systems, content to the network. The more devices on your
caching works without configuration on network, the more important that becomes:
devices running iOS 7 or later or macOS X if you’ve got multiple devices looking for
10.8.2 Mountain Lion or later. The host should updates, that can mean a lot of network traffic
have macOS X 10.13 High Sierra or later. and any bottleneck is likely to be due to your
cache’s network connection.
How do I go about setting up content Apple recommends using Activity Monitor
caching on my Mac? to keep an eye on your caching. If you look at
On the Mac you want to use to host the data View > All Processes > CPU > AssetCache and
– one that’s got lots of storage space, because that process’s CPU load is running very high,
it’s going to be storing a lot of stuff – go into that’s a sign that your cache is under a lot of
System Preferences > Sharing > Content strain. You may want to consider adding one
Caching. You’ll now see a list of the various or more additional caches to spread the load
sharing services available on your Mac – DVD rather than hammer a single Mac.
sharing, screen sharing, file and printer It’s crucial that your cache has got Genius tip!
sharing and so on. sufficient storage for the data you want to Content caching is
At the bottom of that list you’ll see a share. If it doesn’t, your Mac will delete old a great way to put an
checkbox for content caching. Tick it and cached data to make room for new downloads old Mac mini back into
you’ll≈see the message ‘Content Caching is – and that could mean it having to re-download circulation as a host
starting’ next to a yellow indicator. It’ll turn the same things again and again, which device. Mac minis have
green after a few seconds. You can the use defeats the whole point of setting up content had gigabit Ethernet
the≈Cache menu to select what content you caching in the first place. Carrie Marshall since 2006.

What’s inside
46
GROUPING
APPS IN FINDER
Frustrated by lack of
Application categories EXPERT
EDITED BY HOWARD OAKLEY ADVICE
47
iOS SOFTWARE Our resident genius
Swipe away your
touchscreen troubles How can I list my Applications solves your Mac and
iOS problems
48-49
macOS
in more useful groups?
Essential advice for When I list my Applications by set by macOS. In theory, you can add or
your Mac problems
Q groups in a Finder window, then
select the Application Category
change the category for those apps which
aren’t bundled in macOS (as those are
50-51 option, most are shown under Other, even protected by SIP). The category for each app
MAC SOFTWARE Apple’s Home and News apps. How can I is set in the LSApplicationCategoryType value
Resolve restrictions show them in meaningful categories? in its Info.plist file, inside the app.
with your Mac apps by A A R O N D E W H U R S T However, that file is protected by the app’s
signature, so changing it breaks the app’s
This uses categories which Apple has signature, and Catalina in particular will then
A set according to those used in its App
Store. If most of your apps have been
refuse to open that app. So don’t bother trying
to change an app’s category if you want to use
obtained from there, it should work quite well, it. There are alternatives using metadata
although like the store its categories are which you can change, but they only work in
unevenly spread. It has 19 sub-categories of Finder’s Find windows and not with Groups,
Games, but others are more arbitrary. and involve adding extended attributes.
Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to add The Finder’s Application Categories are fixed, and match
or change these app categories, since they’re the App Store, leaving too many in the Other category.
Contact us
Email your queries

and your questions to
genius@macformat.com
Keep up to date by
following us on Twitter
@macformat
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at macformat.com
44 | MACFORMAT
iOS software GENIUS TIPS
iOS software
Swiping away your touchscreen troubles to
get things moving with Apple’s mobile devices
iOS software Dead keyboard

quick-fire
questions when adding
Why is my health appointments
data taking so
much storage? When I try adding an appointment to
> If you add extra
measurements or
Q Calendar, why does the keyboard on
my iPhone stop working properly?
information, these soon How can I fix it?
mount up. If you don’t by P E T E R F L A N A G A N
need to access older
values, preserve them in A general problem getting the
an iTunes encrypted
backup, or share them
A keyboard to work suggests a
developing hardware fault with your
in iCloud. Then clear iPhone’s display, but where this is confined to
your old data through one situation it’s probably a software bug or
Settings > General > conflict. Before going any further, ensure your
iPhone Storage > Health, iOS and all apps are fully up to date.
and monitor what’s in Start with the most specific, and check
iCloud via Settings > any third-party apps you have installed which
[Apple ID] > iCloud affect the keyboard. These include additional
Manage Storage > keyboards using SwiftKey, and utilities which
Health.
If you have an input
How to get urgent
texts if Do Not issue, check apps which
Disturb is on?
> This normally silences affect the keyboard
all incoming messages,
but you can add the work with existing keyboards, such as Remove a custom keyboard in Settings’ Keyboards
phone number of each TextExpander. by tapping Edit at the top right and then the No
Entry icon. You can reinstall the keyboard.
specific sender as an You can disable SwiftKey in Settings >
Emergency Bypass. SwiftKey > Keyboards, but it’s also worth
Open their card in taking a look in Settings > General > Keyboard, a bug to the relevant developer so they can
Contacts, tap Text Tone. and at the Keyboards item there, in case you resolve it.
At the top, turn on have another, like Gboard, which is also active, If you still get nowhere and have tried the
Emergency Bypass and and could be tripping over SwiftKey or time-honoured solution of turning your iPhone
set the alert tone. Tap TextExpander perhaps. off and on again, you may need to return your
Done when finished. Simply disabling these could resolve the iPhone to factory settings, and restore from a
problem. If it does but you still want to use backup. Although time-consuming, when
those custom keyboards, remove the app performed from a Mac or PC according to
completely and try installing it again from the Apple’s instructions at bit.ly/mac354iprstr, it’s
App Store. If the problem returns, report it as sometimes the only way to fix such problems.

GENIUS TIPS macOS
macOS
Shining a spotlight on the solutions to
your most irritating Mac problems
macOS
quick-fire
questions
Is there a safe way
to disable SIP?
> No: System Integrity
Protection is a primary
defence mechanism
which protects system
files in macOS. There
are few circumstances
when you should ever
consider turning it off. Although Catalina must
Make a note to yourself start up from a disk in
the new APFS format,
that SIP is turned off it can only make Time
until it’s safely turned Machine backups to
back on. Don’t forget, or those in older HFS+.
your Mac could get
something nasty.
How to change the

primary contact
for autofill?
Which disks get converted by Catalina?
> Open Contacts, select Would my iMac with an internal component within a Fusion Drive to cache
the card you want to set
as ‘My Card’, then in the
Q Fusion Drive upgrade fully to
Catalina, and what would happen
active files, and improve the performance
of main storage on the hard disk.
Card menu, use the with the Time Machine backups on The only potential issue arises with Fusion
‘Make This My Card’ its external hard disk: would those be Drives with SSDs smaller than 100GB, where
command. It’s worth converted to Apple’s new file system? high levels of disk activity could in some cases
checking this in by C L I F F O R D M O I S E Y wear out the SSD and cause early failure, but
Contacts, and by so far this appears rare.
opening Safari’s When you upgrade any Mac with In contrast, Time Machine backups are still
Preferences, clicking on
the AutoFill tool, then
A an Apple Fusion Drive to Mojave or
Catalina, that drive is automatically
required to be on disks which are formatted
using HFS+. So your current backup disk won’t
on the top Edit… button. converted to Apple’s new APFS file system. have its format changed. However, Catalina in
You don’t have any choice, and both versions particular makes changes to the structure of
of macOS require to be started up from existing backups which prevent you from
APFS rather than the old Mac Extended accessing them using older versions of macOS
or HFS+ format. and Time Machine. Your first full backup after
Although APFS isn’t ideal on a hard upgrading can also take many hours or days.
disk, where most users notice reduced Consider archiving those old backups and
performance, it does work well on Fusion starting a fresh set for Catalina, which can
Drives and SSDs. macOS then uses the SSD save time and trouble.

macOS GENIUS TIPS
macOS
quick-fire
questions
Does force quitting
an app cause
problems?
> If that’s the only way
to get rid of a frozen
app, use it. If the app is
Persistent problems may need writing to a file, changes
you to follow Apple’s procedure may be incomplete and
to reset permissions, which is leave damage. In most
done in Recovery mode.
Identify the culprit in Activity Monitor, by cases those should be
sorting its list by % CPU. Here four copies rectified when you open
of distnoted are behaving themselves.
the app again.
How are there two

Runaway process in Activity Monitor files named New in
one folder?
My MacBook Pro 12-inch has If this happens repeatedly, install any > This happens when
Q occasionally run its fans full blast.
When I checked in Activity Monitor,
outstanding macOS updates, then start it up in
Safe mode by holding ß throughout startup.
you disable display of
extensions in Finder’s
distnoted was using almost 100% of CPU. Leave it a minute to rebuild its caches, then preferences. The files
Why is that, and how to prevent it? restart in normal mode. New.pdf, New, and New.
by D E N N I S J A N S O N If this is triggered by a specific app, it’s text have distinct
hard to trace. It can occur when there are names, so co-exist in the
distnoted is a well-known culprit for incorrect permissions set in your Home folder. same folder; hide
A doing this, and is part of macOS, not
malicious. If it runs away like this,
Fixing that is more daunting, and requires
Recovery mode. Details are at bit.ly/
extensions, and each
shows the same name
restart your Mac when you can. mac354rprprm. with different icons.
Using the right version of an app

How can I control which versions, normally with their
Q version of an app opens
a particular document?
version numbers.
When your Mac uses the
by F R A N K C A M P B E L L wrong version of an app, the
solution is to hide that version
Unless you assign a different by Zipping it up, or saving it on a
A app to open the document
using the Finder’s Get Info
disk image and ejecting that.
You should then discover which
dialog, opening that document in the is the next version in line to be
Finder will do so using the default app used as the default.
set for that type of document. That Forcing a change is more
Select the version of the app you’d like to use in the Open with
should normally be the most recent complex, as the tool required is section of Finder’s Get Info dialog.
version of that app on your Mac. lsregister, buried deep inside the
However, if you have more than one LaunchServices framework, and using the Terminal command:
version of that app available, and the has to be run from the command line. lsregister -delete
Finder can tell them apart, the ‘Open That’s also the tool to use if you want If you do want to try that, beware
with’ item in Get Info should give you a to delete the database which stores that sometimes it makes things worse
choice between those different these associations and start again, rather than better.

GENIUS TIPS Mac software
Mac software
Resolving issues and restrictions with
what you want to run on your Mac
Mac software Using audiobooks on your Mac

quick-fire
questions How can I load audiobooks from CD the first disc, let it mount in the Finder and
How to convert old

Q so that I can listen to them on my
iMac and iPhone?
choose the Add to Library command in the
File menu of Books. The snag with doing this
.lwp and .sam by P A U L L A N G S H A W is that each track will be added as a separate
documents? audiobook: you may find it better to ‘rip’ the
> These were saved The simplest way to listen to tracks using a third-party app and join them
years ago by Lotus
Word Pro. .lwp docs can
A audiobooks on your Mac and iOS
devices is to buy them using the
together before adding them. When you share
your Books library in iCloud, these will be
be converted using Books app, from Apple’s audiobook section available to your iPhone too.
online services like bit. within its Book Store. You can then There are also several third-party
ly/mac354cldcvtr. .sam automatically access them across all devices alternatives which access their own libraries.
docs will need to be signed in with the same Apple ID. Although The biggest commercial service is Audible,
opened using an old PC you can sync your place in ordinary books, which has its own iOS app. Well worth
version of Microsoft the Books apps on macOS and iOS don’t considering is the large free collection from
Word, or converted currently do this with audiobooks. LibriVox, again supported by a dedicated app.
offline by a service If you already have the audiobooks on They don’t offer macOS apps, though, for
bureau. optical discs and have a suitable optical drive, which you’ll need to add their books to your
you can ‘rip’ them to disk and import them into Books library in the same way as you would
Why do updates the Books app on your Mac. When you insert an optical disc.
arrive so late in
the App Store?
> This is new with the
Catalina version of the
App Store app, which
can take several days
to show them in the
Updates section. Either
turn on Automatic
Updates in its Prefs, or
check regularly by
selecting Updates then
pressing ç+R to
refresh its list. That
should reveal all
pending updates.
Adding an audiobook CD to the Audiobooks section of the Books app adds each track as a separate audiobook.

Mac software GENIUS TIPS
Mac software
quick-fire
questions
Why can’t I update
album artwork in
iTunes?
> Many have had
problems in Catalina’s
Music, and some using
iTunes in older macOS.
This occurs when iTunes
Each bank uses a different system to secure
entry to its online banking services, which has an AirPlay speaker
now often use two-factor authentication. enabled: turn that off,
and updates should
2FA for online banking work again.
Does Preview’s
When I try to access online banking to send a passcode as a text message. If you PDF highlighting
Q on my MacBook Pro, I’m told to
verify my identity using my bank’s
can’t do that, but it requires authentication
through the mobile app, and that keeps
work in 10.15?
> It’s flawed by several
mobile app. When I go to do that, it returns returning an error, you should contact the bugs, and readily gets
an error. How can I fix this? support desk for your online banking service confused, failing to
by D A V I D P A R K E R so that they can talk you through setting it up. show the last
Some services now require you to use an highlighted section, or
Your bank, like most, now requires external PIN reader to generate a one-time using the wrong colours.
A two-factor authentication to gain
access to its browser-based online
code which enables features like this: Barclays,
for example, provides its customers with a
You’re better using a
third-party alternative
banking service. You should be able to Mobile PINsentry for the purpose. Older such as PDFpen, PDF
configure that using its mobile banking app, services could require extensions which Expert or Adobe’s free
where you may be able to opt instead for it often resulted in compatibility problems. Acrobat Reader.
Compacting sparse bundles

I’m using an encrypted sparse bundles, they don’t C-Command’s DropDMG from the App
Q ‘sparse bundle’ in APFS for
private documents. How do
automatically shrink down again.
Disk Utility doesn’t currently offer
Store, which is more comprehensive in
its support for all types of disk image.
I get it to reduce in size, as that isn’t any command to compact sparse Otherwise, you’ll need to open Terminal
available in Disk Utility? bundles. The easiest way is using and use the command:
by M A R K B R O W N L E E hdiutil compact myDocuments.
sparsebundle
Sparse bundles are a type of This will compact the sparse bundle
A disk image which stores the
contents of a virtual disk in
named myDocuments.
Storage inside a sparse bundle
‘bands’ of fixed size within a bundle works like any other disk volume, and
folder. These are sparse because, sometimes it won’t compact much
unlike regular disk images, they can because its contents are fragmented
grow in size as they need. Whilst they through the storage bands. You can try
grow larger without any intervention, defragmenting the sparse bundle when
at least until they approach the max it has been mounted, then compacting
DropDMG is a comprehensive suite of tools for
size you set when you create them, if anyone working with disk images and their it using DropDMG, or copying its
you later remove files and folders from relatives sparse bundles. contents to a new sparse bundle.

DECLUTTER YOUR
DIGITAL LIFE
Overwhelmed by everything in your digital life? With the
help of a few handy tips and apps, you can regain control
Written by Alex blake
S
pend any amount of make you want to bury your to cut out the cruft. And that’s
time with your Apple head in the sand. what we aim to cover in this
kit and it can quickly But it doesn’t have to be this feature. From automation apps
feel overwhelming, with way. There are ways to break that can perform your tedious
notifications, emails, alerts the cycle and declutter, helping tasks to one-click time-savers
and alarms barraging you left, to bring a much-needed dose of and visual simplifiers, we’ve
right and centre. tranquillity to everything you rounded up the best apps help
With so many digital devices do. Whether that’s focusing on you stay on track.
in our lives, it can very quickly important work or minimising With our handy focus tips,
overload even the most efficient the time spent on repetitive you’ll be back in the driver’s
of multitaskers. It’s enough to chores, there are loads of ways seat in next to no time.

Digital declutter FEATURE
SIMPLIFY YOUR MAC

Feeling overpowered by the mess on your Mac? These handy apps will
dust away the clutter and streamline your computer like never before
Zapier Alfred
W
hether you use a Mac time doing tedious chores that
for work or play, it just turning your Mac on is an Free (offers in-app purchases) Free (offers IAPs)
doesn’t take long anxiety-inducing exercise. FROM Zapier Inc, zapier.com FROM Running with Crayons,
alfredapp.com
for it to get overloaded with Combined, these two issues Zapier is an
NEEDS OS X 10.11 or later
stuff. Before you know it, your can take the fun out of the Mac. easy-to-use
desktop’s a mess, your On this page, we aim to solve automation website Restore order with
documents are all over the both problems with a range of that lets you build workflows for Alfred, an all-in-one
place and you’re left wondering apps that can tidy up your Mac over 2,000 apps and web assistant. Use it to
how to fix it. and sort out those niggling tasks services. For instance, when a automate repetitive tasks, locate
At the same time, there are that you just hate doing. Without colleague sends an email hard-to-find files, control your
so many tasks that we all do on the mess clogging up your attachment, you can have the computer and more. It has a
our Macs that are much more system, you’ll be able to get on file automatically downloaded handy text expansion tool,
complicated than they need to be. with more important jobs without and shared to your team’s integrates with 1Password,
The result is you spend so much the clutter stifling your workflow. Dropbox folder. Handy. and supports hotkeys.
Spotless Gemini 2
£19.99 FROM Light Pillar £15.95 FROM Macpaw,
Software, lightpillar.com macpaw.com
NEEDS macOS 10.12 or later NEEDS OS X 10.10 or later
Spotless is like a Running out of
maid for your Mac. It space on your Mac?
tidies everything up Set Gemini on the
for you, and once it’s learned case. It finds duplicate files with
a few rules (JPG files go in the unerring accuracy and can clear
Pictures folder, for instance), it them out automatically or let
can even do it automatically. It’ll you sift through the results. It
take your Mac from a mess of even learns which files you tend
disordered files to the very to keep and implements its
Manually searching for file duplicates is time-consuming. Let Gemini 2 do it for you. picture of organisation. findings on subsequent scans.
SMALL APPS THAT MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE

Yoink One Switch Bartender Slidepad
From £5.99 FROM Eternal Storms $4.99 (about £4) $15 (about £12) FROM Surtees $9.99 (about £8)
Software, eternalstorms.at FROM Fireball, fireball.studio Studio, macbartender.com FROM Potter Dai, slidepad.xyz
Needs iOS 11/OS X 10.10 or later Needs macOS 10.14 or later Needs macOS 10.12 or later Needs macOS 10.13.4 or later
Moving files around your One Switch is a genius App icons can take up a Love the iPad’s Slide
Mac and clipboard can be time-saver. Instead of lot of space in your Mac’s Over feature? Now you
a real hassle, but not with digging through System menu bar, but you can can do it on your Mac with
Yoink. It creates a virtual ‘shelf’ to Prefs every time you need to change hide them with Bartender. It lets you Slidepad. Connect a web app like
store your items – just drag a file to something, this app displays your conceal menu bar icons permanently Notes or Slack, then every time you
the side of your screen and drop it Mac’s most important settings with or temporarily with a click or move your pointer to the side of the
on the shelf, switch apps and drag it toggles to turn them on or off. Click keyboard shortcut, rearrange them, screen the app slides over. It’s
from the shelf to the new destination. its menu bar icon and away you go. search through them and more. perfect for clutter-free multitasking.
Image credit: Zapier, Running with Crayons, Light Pillar Software,

Macpaw, Eternal Storms Software, Fireball, Surtees Studio, Potter Dai AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 51
FEATURE Digital declutter
AUTOMATE TASKS ON THE GO

How to offload repetitive iPhone and iPad tasks
and get more time for the things you love
Cardhop 24Me
I
f it was up to us, our mobile emails, managing our contacts,
devices would be used for taking our pictures – there’s a lot £4.99 Free (offers in-app purchases)
nothing but the good stuff to stay on top of for these FROM Flexibits, flexibits.com From 24me, twentyfour.me
– reading MacFormat digital essential devices. Needs iOS 12 or later Needs iOS 9/watchOS 3 or later
editions and sharing video calls Get the right mobile setup, Cardhop brings The 24me app
with our pets, of course. That’s though, and streamlining your natural language takes info from
the vision Apple had in mind iPhone or iPad is a piece of cake. nous to your your calendars,
when it unveiled the first iPhone, With a wealth of apps to choose contacts. Just type ‘call Rob notes and tasks to handle your
after all… probably. from (around two million on iOS), work’ and it’ll sort it. Even better, schedule, ensuring you never
The reality, though, is very we’ll show you the apps and tips to add a contact just type out miss another meeting or leave
different. When we carry tiny that can make a real difference. their details and Cardhop will late for that important journey.
computers in our pockets, they After all, shouldn’t our devices put everything in the right place. Forget trying to get on top of all
tend to take on any and all tasks work for us, rather than the other It saves you time and makes your tasks manually – let 24me
we can think of. Sending our way around? managing your contacts a cinch. take the organisational strain.
STREAMLINE YOUR iOS OR iPadOS DEVICE

Add cards to Wallet Optimise device storage Schedule Do Not Disturb Add to the Today View
Add payment cards to Go to Settings > General > Turning on DND can hide Swipe right on your iOS
Wallet, then pay for stuff iPhone Storage. Offload alerts and calls. Set up a or iPadOS Home screen
with Apple Pay. You can use apps you haven’t used for a schedule, for instance to access the Today View
it anywhere that accepts long time (which saves your during working hours, and widgets. Many apps can
contactless payments, and documents but removes the it’ll let you get on with display key info, like
there’s no spending limit on app), delete unneeded important tasks. If you’re upcoming tasks or events –
Apple Pay either. It’s more attachments, or clear out sick of a constant barrage of add your favourites to get
secure than using cards, too. files on an app-by-app basis. notifications, this is a must. quick access to features.
HOW TO Automate tasks with Shortcuts on iOS >
1 Enable DND
We’ll create a simple ‘work mode’
shortcut that helps you remain focused.
2 Upcoming tasks
Tap the ‘+’ to add another action.
Tap Apps, then scroll to Reminders and
3 Voice prompt
Now we need to finalise the
shortcut. Tap the ‘…’ button in the top-
Open Shortcuts, tap Create Shortcut, tap it. Select Show Reminders List, then right corner and give the shortcut a
then Add Action. Tap Scripting, then Set tap the name of the list and select your name – this is the phrase that will trigger
Do Not Disturb. Tap Off so it becomes list of work reminders. This will display it. Tap Done, then tap Done again to
‘On until Turned Off’. your upcoming tasks. finish. Test it with the Play button.
52 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 Image credit: Flexibits, 24me

CUT OUT SOCIAL MEDIA OVERLOAD

Too much online chatter? Press pause on
social media with these pacifying apps
Focus Forest
T
here’s no doubt social
media has the potential From $19 (about £15) FROM £1.99 FROM Seekrtech,
to do more harm than Brad Jasper, heyfocus.com forestapp.cc NEEDS iOS 10/
NEEDS OS X 10.10 or later watchOS 3.2 or later
good. When you’re putting
yourself out there on a public Apple’s Screen Time Plant a seed in
platform, it can attract all sorts is good, but Focus Forest and, while the
of unwelcome attention. Throw goes further. For app is open, it’ll grow
anonymity into the mix and the instance, while Screen Time lets into lush woodland over time –
results can be bad for anyone’s you limit social media websites, provided you stay focused. Get
wellbeing. you can always just ignore or distracted and close the app,
Even if you manage to avoid delay the limits. Focus, though, however, and your trees will die.
these pitfalls, social media apps has a Hardcode mode that can’t It’s a brilliantly simple idea to
tend to open the floodgates on be overridden. Perfect if you help you resist the urge to pick
notifications, turning your device need to be strict with yourself. up your device.
into a non-stop focus-draining
machine. If you’re trying to
concentrate, all this mental
clutter will be most undesirable. Flipd Beeminder
It is possible to put the Free (offers IAPs) FROM Free FROM APB, beeminder.
brakes on the social media buzz Flipd Products, flipdapp.co com NEEDS iOS 9.3 or later
NEEDS iOS 10 or later
and keep Twitter, Facebook and Really struggling to
friends at bay, though. Don’t Flipd helps you stay ignore social media?
worry, that doesn’t require you focused by setting Use Beeminder. This
to abandon these platforms daily goals. You can app lets you set targets to cut
entirely, but rather bring an track time you spend working, down on social apps, but with a
element of balance to the exercising and more, but if you twist – break your promise and
constant babbling of online leave the app – to maybe scroll the app will charge you real
voices. Here’s how it’s done. aimlessly through Facebook – money. It’s certainly a pretty
your progress ends. It’s a great drastic approach, but it could
motivator to stay on track and help you stop social media
away from social media. taking over your life.
STYMIE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCESSS

Block notifications Measure your activity Put a stop to tagging Add friction to checking
Social media apps love Facebook and Instagram By blocking other people social media
sending us constant alerts. let you see how much you from tagging you in photos This may sound obvious,
To stop them on iOS, tap use the apps and set limits. or posts, you gain more but here’s a simple tip: just
Settings > Notifications. Tap On Facebook go to Settings control over your social delete social media apps
an app (such as Facebook), & Privacy, then ‘Your time media presence. This way, from your device. That way,
then turn off notifications. on Facebook’. Select a time if you don’t upload or post you must use the apps’
On Mac, go to System limit, after which the app will something, you shouldn’t websites to log in. That extra
Preferences > Notifications suggest you give it a break. expect to be notified, giving step means it’s no longer so
and click your chosen app, Tap ‘Change notification you one less reason to be straightforward to waste
then deselect Allow settings’ to temporarily distracted from more time scrolling your feed and
Notifications. mute alerts. important things. checking notifications.
Image credit: Brad Jasper, Seekrtech, Flipd Products, APB AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 53
FEATURE Digital declutter
FOCUS ON YOUR WORK

Knuckle down and get to work distraction-free
Workspaces HazeOver
M
aintaining your focus on that idea. After all, our devices
work can be so difficult, are not merely work tools but £9.99 FROM Apptorium, £2.99 FROM Pointum,
and it often doesn’t take gateways to a world of apptorium.com hazeover.com
Needs OS X 10.11 or later Needs OS X 10.11 or later
much to get distracted from the distractions, from time-wasting
task in hand. Even when we know games to yet another mess of Workspaces groups It can be hard to
it’s the most important thing we files to clean up. all your important concentrate if you
must do right now, there’s often Whether you need a total apps, documents and have multiple apps
a nagging voice at the back of our overhaul of your workspace or files together so they’re super and windows open on your Mac,
minds telling us to do something just a gentle reminder not to get easy to access. It’s perfect for but HazeOver can help. It fades
a little more fun. sidetracked, this page contains when you’re working on a out background apps, pushing
Even if you’re really everything you need to get your project and want to start quickly the focus onto the foreground
determined to get your work work done in record time and free and simply. With less time window and shutting out
done, a disorganised workspace – from interruptions. Take these tips wasted hunting for everything distractions. It’s simple to use
be that your Mac, your iPad or on board to become the most you need, you’ll have more time with its clever trackpad
anything else – can put paid to efficient you’ve ever been. for your work. gestures, too.
STAY ON TRACK WITH YOUR TASKS

Plan your work Use a checklist Minimalist writing app Find the right music
Have a solid plan from the Checklists help break down Focused writing apps like Listening to music can help
off. Apps like MindNode (free your work into manageable Bear (free with IAPs from you concentrate, provided
with IAPs from mindnode. chunks, and force you to bear.app) strip away the it’s the right type. Aim for
com) can help you get your jettison the clutter and focus distractions and present a instrumental pieces without
ideas down on paper and in a on important steps in your simple blank page for you lyrics. An app to try is Brain.
coherent order. Once you’ve workflow. Apps like Things 3 to write on. If your work fm (free with IAPs, brain.fm),
done that, your work will feel (from £9.99, culturedcode. involves a lot of text, you’ll which claims to use a
much more achievable. com) are a great investment. really notice the difference. ‘science-first approach’.
HOW TO Use Screen Time to help you work better >
1 Schedule Downtime
Open System Prefs on your Mac and
click Screen Time. Click Downtime, then
2 Select apps
Click Always Allowed in the left-hand
column to specify which apps Downtime
3 Daily limits
To restrict apps and websites even
outside Downtime, click App Limits. Click
Turn On in the top-right corner. Set a lets you use. You can also decide if you’ll the ‘+’ icon to add a specific app or
time period to block distracting apps; be allowed to communicate with anyone category. You can set a time limit for
this can run every day or on a custom or only specific contacts during the each; this can apply to every day or work
schedule with options for each day. Downtime period. on a schedule for the week.
54 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 Image credit: Apptorium, Pointum

CONTROL YOUR EMAIL

Having to trawl through your inbox every day can be a full-time
job in itself. Here’s how to work your way to inbox zero
Unibox Spark
W
hen it comes to email, and for all. Something most of us
what’s meant to be a use every day shouldn’t be so Free (offers IAPs) FROM Free (offers IAPs) FROM
handy way to stay in stress inducing. Eightloops, uniboxapp.com Readdle, sparkmailapp.com
NEEDS iOS 9/ OS X 10.10 or later NEEDS iOS 11/watchOS 2.0/
touch has transformed into a Fortunately, there are plenty macOS 10.13 or later
non-stop barrage of spam and of ways to do this. Sometimes Instead of taking a
unwelcome solicitations to help that means taking on a new email standard approach to Spark automatically
deposed princes hide their app that’s focused on cleanliness email, Unibox groups sorts your mail into
riches. Email so dominates our and clutter-free workflows. At mail into conversation threads, categories such as
digital lives that even opening other times it may be best to take like Apple’s Messages. The result newsletters and notifications,
your inbox can give you pause. a sword to your newsletters in is a more readable inbox that and floats important messages
But it doesn’t have to be this order to truly clear out your lets you quickly find emails from from your contacts to the top of
way. We should be able to take inbox. Whatever approach you key people in your life. No more the list. You’ll never miss an
back control of our email and put need, we’ve got some great tips endless scrolling past unwanted important email in the flood of
ourselves in the driving seat once lined up for you on this page. messages. spam again.
Mailbrew Cleanfox
From $8 (about £6) per month Free FROM Foxintelligence,
FROM Superlinear, cleanfox.io
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It doesn’t take long clear out unwanted
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cluttered up with fell swoop? Use Cleanfox. It
newsletters. A better way is to scans your inbox for
use the Mailbrew service, which newsletters, letting you choose
sends you a summary of all the which to keep and which to
content you follow in a succinct delete. It can then unsubscribe
email round-up. You still get the you and block new newsletters
same reading matter without from reaching you once you’ve
Overflowing inbox? Use Mail’s built-in rules to regain control of your messages. the flooded inbox. said you no longer want them.
SORT OUT YOUR EMAIL FOR GOOD

Make a separate Use Sign in with Apple Make use of email aliases Set up rules and filters
newsletter account When you sign up for a new Email aliases let you tailor Aliases aren’t the only way
Rather than using your app or website account, use your address for different to use filters. Open Apple
main email address, create the Sign in with Apple option purposes. Gmail allows you Mail’s preferences and click
a new one specifically for (if available) to get an option to do this by adding a ‘+’ the Rules tab, then Add
newsletters. That way, not to hide your email address; before the @ sign Rule. Choose the filter
only will your main inbox not that way, you can protect (example+work@ criteria, then tell Mail what
get overstuffed, but you’ll be your privacy and avoid macformat.com, for it should do next. You can
able to turn off notifications getting unwanted mail every instance). You can then set mail from important
for your newsletter address time you install a new app. create a filter for each alias people to play a sound or
without blocking alerts from Great for privacy and a to have its mail sorted into bounce the Mail icon in
your regular one. clean inbox. folders for you. the Dock, for example.
Image credit: Eightloops, Readdle, Superlinear, Foxintelligence AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 55

10 YEARS
OF THE
iPAD!
It’s
magic!Apple’s brand new
Magic Keyboard for
iPad Pro reviewed
Available online at www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk

What’s inside
57-61
SMART HOME
SYSTEMS
EXPLAINED LIVE
We take a look at the
many different smart EDITED BY ALEX COX
SMARTER
home protocols The smart home is
here – live the Apple
TOP KIT dream today!
59
Smart plugs
The best thing about smart
60 homes is that you don’t have to be
Smart hubs
particularly smart to use them – despite
PLUS: A look at retro
kit, and kit that’s coming what’s happening behind the scenes
in the near future…
here’s a lot you can do to vaguely have an idea about what protocols are
T micro-manage a smart
ecosystem. In future issues we’ll
driving which devices – and I certainly know
what’s HomeKit and what isn’t, given the extra
likely dive into hass.io, the DIY control offered by Apple’s Home app – I could
home assistant that takes complexity to a new get away with not knowing. That’s not to say
level. But what if you don’t care about every it doesn’t matter, of course. It helps to know
tiny thing? That’s fine! You don’t need to. your Zigbees from your Z-Waves, particularly
I know my personal setup is one of those ‘it if you’re consolidating multiple pieces of kit
just works’ arrangements. It’s a busy one, as into a single app. But really? If it works, it
you’d imagine in this line of work, and while I works, and that’s what’s important.
IKEA’s Tradfri range relies on the

Contact us Zigbee protocol, which helps with
cross-compatibility.
Email your queries

and your questions to
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Image credits: Ikea

APPLE HOME Smart protocols
Smart home
systems
explained
Just what’s connecting your hardware
together – and should you really care?
onnectivity divides us, drawing a Frankly, the reason the smart home
C line between those things which
can talk to each other and those
landscape is so fractured is that there’s a benefit
to manufacturers to use one system or another.
things which simply don’t know – Perhaps one system suits the physical makeup
or even don’t want to know – what everything of a product, the kind of connection required, or
else is trying to say. It sums up the most the price point. Maybe it’s a system the creators
frustrating part of the smart home landscape: have expertise in, or are otherwise influenced
you simply can’t link everything together. to use by their cabal of like-minded companies.
But why? A networking protocol is, after all, A system may be chosen simply because it
technically independent of hardware. It’s simply makes connecting to it more difficult – there are
the set of rules and procedures used to exchange obvious benefits to tying customers in to one
data between devices. If both ends of the family of products rather than allowing them
connection are equipped with the same set of to buy from a rival, however bone-headed that
rules, they speak the same language. Simple. might be in the context of the smart home. That
In some areas we have settled on particular may not be the case forever – see ‘What’s next’
protocols which make sense: computer on p61 – but let’s break down the common
networking, for example, tends to lean on the systems and benefits on offer today.
Open Systems Interconnection, which comprises
TCP/IP, HTTPS, DNS et al; this standardisation is Z-Wave
what make the internet possible. On top of this, You’ll see a lot of products which use Z-Wave to
we’ve generally settled on hardware for certain communicate, even if they don’t explicitly say so.
tasks. There aren’t multiple commercial wireless Portions of its specifications were released into
networking protocols fighting for your Mac’s the public domain in 2016 and it’s supported
attention, for example – we’re all be able to get by the 700+ member Z-Wave Alliance, which
online with some variant of 802.11. includes companies like Huawei, Fibaro and
Problem is, smart home rules are a lot more SmartThings. It’s not an entirely open standard,
complicated than simply sending the right but motions are being made in that direction and
messages in the right format. If a smart home its specification is mooted to be laid bare to
manufacturer decides to use a closed API, others hardware manufacturers this year.
won’t have access to relevant commands. If a Z-Wave is uniquely suited to smart home
manufacturer decides to use an unusual radio applications, being a low-powered mesh
frequency, others won’t be able to lock in to it network; it has decent range, typically around
even if they know what to say. This is no 24-30 metres (100 feet) indoors, and allows
coincidence – it’s often very deliberate. certain devices, generally those not trying to
58 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020

Smart protocols APPLE HOME
The smartest plugs
Innr Zigbee Smart Plug

£24.99, innr.com
Most smart plugs use Wi-Fi, which is a little
wasteful on power. Innr’s plug relies on Zigbee.
The ideal smart home is While you’ll need a compatible hub (it’s literally
one which isn’t overly
concerned with which useless without), it integrates perfectly with
standards it’s using. smart homes without that extra juice draw.
TP-Link Kasa HS-110

£19.99, tplink.com/uk
The HS-100 is a cheaper option if you
don’t need energy monitoring, although it’s
fascinating to watch just how much juice those
high-powered devices draw, and there’s a
certain joy in switching them off remotely.
Smart home rules are

Eve Energy
more complicated than £49.99, evehome.com
Eve’s Energy puts its focus on monitoring, but
sending the right messages it scores extra points for HomeKit integration –
if that’s your platform of choice, you’ll be able
in the right format to do a lot more with this than any other in
terms of automations and routines.
Image credits (left to right, top to bottom): Eve, Innr, TP-Link, Eve AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 59
APPLE HOME Smart protocols
Top hubs
Samsung SmartThings Philips Hue Bridge 2.0 Apple TV 4K

Hub v3 £49.99, philips.co.uk From £179, apple.com/uk
£79, samsung.com Philips are no longer providing updates If it’s HomeKit hardware you want to
Compatible with Zigbee and Z-Wave, for the first-gen Hue Bridge; however, drive, Apple TV 4K is the easiest way to
and with Wi-Fi to connect onwards with the second-gen looks set to live for a do it. You could use a HomePod or a
the likes of Alexa, the SmartThings Hub good while longer, and it’s perfect for plugged-in iPad, but we’d opt for the
is super smart – a great way to join all of driving not just Hue bulbs but those Apple TV every time – particularly since
your hardware to one point of control. from Ikea, Innr and more. it doubles as a great video streamer.
extend their battery life, to act as repeaters are arguably bigger in the smart home space –
and pass messages from device to device. names like Philips Hue, Ikea, Belkin and Amazon.
Although the specific frequencies used by So far so similar, but Zigbee does offer
Z-Wave vary slightly throughout the world, it certain improvements over its rival. It supports
operates on its own slice of the radio spectrum thousands more devices connected to a single
that isn’t likely to interfere with (or be interfered network, and can pass messages an unlimited
by) any other hardware in your home. It’s not, number of hops where Z-Wave appears to be
by modern standards, especially fast, but at restricted to four. Neither of these stats is likely
between 40 and 100kbps it’s plenty quick to make any difference in your home, but they’re
enough for a system which isn’t designed to there. It’s an open standard, which helps with
throw around large amounts of data. interoperability, but Zigbee has been hampered
by its internal division.
Zigbee The standard was initially many standards,
Zigbee, like Z-Wave, is a form of mesh network. split it into individual device categories with
It has its own alliance, smaller at around 400 different command sets and connectivity
members but including a few companies which options. This has recently been fixed with the
introduction of Zigbee 3.0, bringing it more in
line with the universal standard of Z-Wave.
Going old-school Zigbee 3.0 ups security and communication,

but it’s dependent on hardware or firmware
updates, something older kit may not get.
The initial wave of smart home and it has Zigbee doesn’t have the same range as
hardware relied on X10. X10 is not been Z-Wave, which reaches around twice as far,
split between RF (radio frequency) abandoned; a because it relies on higher frequency signals.
and powerline transmissions, with variety of modern These are the same wireless wavebands as
the latter more regularly used; it controllers have been Wi-Fi; this gives it licensing advantages, since it’s
uses four-bit codes to released in recent years, including working in slices of the radio spectrum that have
communicate. many which can link your phone to already been cleared worldwide, but leaves it
X10 has its own advantages, your X10 devices. open to interference both Wi-Fi and microwaves.
primary of which is reliability. Given that X10 first arrived
Where a Zigbee device may fall in 1975, there’s a raft of old kit HomeKit
off of the mesh network now and out there being disposed of for The HomeKit standard doesn’t use its own
then, an X10 device is very unlikely peanuts – it still works, if you’re bespoke wireless tech, instead piggybacking
to get lost. Many still swear by X10, looking for basic automation. its standard onto Bluetooth Low-Energy or
traditional IP networks like Wi-Fi. This means
60 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 Image credits (left to right): Samsung, Philips, Marmitek
Google is one of the
main players in the
CHOP proposal.
What’s next?
It wasn’t so long ago that Amazon
put together an interoperability
group, designed to get multiple
smart assistants working on a single
speaker. It attracted 30 members; is to develop a single open standard you solve the problem of too many
crucially, none of these was Google, that operates over IP networking. That standards? Another standard’; there’s
Apple, or Samsung, the three biggest means something that’s independent still going to be a place for non-IP
non-Amazon smart assistant creators. of any particular radio, and available systems like Zigbee because they’ll
Standardising things is really not easy. to anyone – just what the smart home offer better range, and it’s hard to see
Now there’s another effort, but one sector needs. Apple giving any leeway over their
which this time looks set to bear a little Already Google, Apple and Amazon tightly-controlled little hardware
more fruit. The Connected Home Over are on board with CHOP, which looks bubble. But a single IP-based standard
IP Industry Working Group (aka CHOP) set to release a draft specification later should mean there’s no longer a need
is focused not on forced friendship but this year. We’re sceptical, of course. for ‘Alexa-compatible’ stickers – ‘Smart
on communication standards. Its intent The quote goes something like ‘How do home compatible’ is the dream.
(in theory) that devices are able to be simpler, network, enabling remote access; this isn’t
using widely available components and widely- common with Bluetooth, but it’s not unheard of.
understool protocols.
That would be fine were it not for Apple’s Alexa, Siri and Google Home
insistence on heavy licensing; you are free to Smart assistants aren’t smart home connectors
muck about with HomeKit if you’re creating in themselves – Alexa doesn’t link one thing to
your own smart home devices, but commercial another – but they do a great job of providing a
use requires use of the Apple Authentication method of controlling those standards. They’re
Coprocessor and full certification. This is a usually fairly agnostic about what they’ll work
costly extra, and one which severely limits with, as long as the manufacturer has built
the HomeKit ecosystem. support into the device, and that device (or
Those tight controls do mean that HomeKit its hub) is connected to an IP network.
devices are reliable and slick, and HomeKit Zigbee and Z-Wave might be the ‘how’ –
allows for deep controls that meld perfectly with Google Assistant, Siri, Alexa and (to some
Apple hardware. It’s so restrictive, though; we’ve extend) HomeKit are the ‘what’. They’re what
seen many manufacturers release multiple allow deeper control, inter-device connections,
versions of a product, presumably because a routines and the like.
tick in the HomeKit box means forsaking certain More advanced Echo devices like the Echo
features that are fine on other standards. Plus do include a Zigbee hub as part of their
Controllers come in all shapes hardware, so (at least in theory) they can control
Bluetooth and sizes – Homey’s spherical and manage Zigbee devices directly; this may
Bluetooth isn’t a specific smart home approach to Z-Wave being one. free up power sockets and Ethernet ports, which
connection standard, but it’s a common is useful in busy smart homes.
inclusion because it’s readily available and, in Smart assistants take away the worry, and
the case of Bluetooth LE, great on battery life. they’re the reason you may not even have
If you see Bluetooth and nothing else, it’s known about Zigbee or Z-Wave before: the fact
likely that a device is making use of its own is, you don’t need to know. Connecting those
coding behind the scenes, so it may well be devices and working with them is made easier
incompatible with basically anything outside by having a galaxy brain sorting everything out
of its own circle of hardware. at the heart of your smart home.
Bluetooth is great if you’re close by, but Siri is the only real outlier here; while you
you won’t generally be able to administer a may be able to gently encourage it to trigger
Bluetooth-based smart device if you’re not in its devices outside of its specific scope, it’s really
vicinity. Z-Wave and Zigbee devices often use only happy when it’s rubbing up against
bridging hubs to connect themselves to an IP HomeKit hardware.
Image credits (top to bottom): Google, Athom AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 61

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What’s inside
HARDWARE
64
MacBook Pro
13-inch
67
Logitech
Combo Touch
68 BUYING
Sennheiser
Momentum
EDITED BY ROB MEAD-GREEN ADVICE
True Wireless 2 Our authoritative reviews
69 help you make more
informed choices
BenQ EW328OU
70-73
GROUP TEST
Rated: 5 laptop
messenger bags
Logitech
SOFTWARE Combo Touch
74 p67
Intego Mac
Premium Bundle X9
75
Swift Playgrounds
76 Manifesto – our ratings explained
Planny 3,
Nighthawk Our reviews are totally the best we can find from +++++
for Twitter independent; we’re not a reputable online dealer, Worth considering, though
affiliated with Apple or excluding delivery. there may be better options
77
anyone else, nor are we
Primephonic
influenced by advertisers. +++++ +++++
80 You can trust us to give A brilliant thing in all regards, Notable flaws; look at
HeartWatch 4 an honest assessment and worth every penny alternatives as a priority
of a product’s worth.
80-81 The prices quoted for +++++ +++++
APP ROUND UP products are correct at Strongly recommended; any A waste of your money and
6 apps to help you the time of writing and are flaws are only minor concerns everyone’s time; do not buy!
keep in touch
The MACFORMAT Awards

Awarded to a Given to a Our group test
five-star product hardware or winner gets this
we believe is truly software product award for being
exceptional in its that might not be the best of its
category. Given solely at the the very best in its category, kind when pitted against
discretion of the Editor. but is noted for affordability. other comparable products.

APPLE CHOICE Mac hardware
MacBook Pro
(13-inch, Mid 2020)
The smaller MacBook Pro got a big update
for 2020 but is a new keyboard enough?
£1,799 FROM Apple, apple.com/uk FEATURES 13.3in Retina display
(2560x1600), True Tone, 2.0GHz quad-core 10th gen Intel Core i5; Intel Iris Plus
graphics, 16GB memory, 512GB SSD, Magic Keyboard, Touch Bar, Touch ID,
802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, 4x Thunderbolt 3 ports, 720p FaceTime camera
his is Apple’s new 13in MacBook but it’s fine for most uses. Which is more
The display
is both 20% T Pro. The higher-end version. As
there are, in fact, two new 13in
than can be said for the 720p webcam. We
get that better cameras require depth and the
MacBook Pros. The low-end two-port model MacBook lids have none to offer but, given
brighter and is pretty much the old 13in but with the new how good iPhone, even iPad selfie cameras
offers a wider Magic Keyboard and double the storage; the are, these cameras just aren’t keeping up.
new, high-end four-port model also has newer
colour gamut and optionally much bigger specs. Here, we’re Panel show
than the reviewing the higher-end 13-inch MacBook The panel is 13.3 inches diagonally and 500
Pro which has four USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 speed nits. It’s a Retina display with P3 wide gamut,
MacBook Air Thunderbolt 3 ports, which we vastly prefer. which means reds look richer and greens
The speakers on both sides are good if not deeper. And True Tone, which adjusts the
16in MacBook great. The speakers have HDR colour temperature of the display.
(high dynamic range), spatial audio and Dolby So… 13 inches, not 14 inches. Apple didn’t
Atmos. The sound stage is in front of you continue its war on bezels here like they did
We were hoping for less though, not all around like it is with the 16in on the 16in MacBook Pro – keeping almost
bezel and more screen but
it’s still a bright display with MBP. There’s still a 3.5mm headphone jack, the same chassis size but pushing the screen
True Tone technology. and a three-mic array. It’s not ‘studio quality’, out further towards the edges.
It’s also still not OLED, which we’re fine
with. OLED seems to work better on small
phone-sized displays and big TV-sized
displays than it does on tablet and laptop-
sized displays, especially when it comes
to things like consistent brightness levels.
miniLED and microLED should offer the
best of both worlds… at least eventually.
Our guess is that that kind of redesign is
still on the way, it’s just either late thanks
to everything that’s happening in the world
right now, or the next-generation externals
are waiting on some next-gen internals to
go with them. The display still looks great
and is both 20% brighter and offers a wider
colour gamut than the MacBook Air, which
is something to consider if you do
a lot of imaging work.

The higher-end 13in
MacBook Pro boasts
10th gen Intel
processors and new
Iris Plus graphics.
Unfortunately, there’s no 802.11ax Wi-Fi and thermal differences, but you can add
(Wi-Fi 6), which we were hoping to get with an external eGPU over Thunderbolt.
this update. Since none of the recent Macs do, In terms of battery life, Apple promises
we’re guessing they’re deliberately choosing 10 hours of very light workloads, which is
to sit this one out on the Mac, stick with the slightly less than the 11 hours they promise for
very mature 802.11ac for the time being. the MacBook Air. But the MacBook Pro uses
Intel’s more powerful U-series processors,
Processing power while the MacBook Air uses the more
There’s still an Apple T2 ARM-based efficient Y-series processors. Apple’s also fine Rob says…
co-processor riding shotgun. Similar to the running processors at thermal max, so once While I welcome the
A-series found in previous gen iPhones, it you ramp them up, not only will you need to 10th-gen processor and
handles everything from Touch ID and Apple either cool them or your lap, that battery life improved graphics chips
Pay authentication, to securing the camera will burn down much, master faster. on the high-end 13in MBP,
and microphone, to real-time encryption, To test one of the heavier potential I do think Apple has
to acceleration blocks for things like H.265 workloads, we imported five minutes of 12-bit missed a trick by not
encode and decode, to custom controllers for 4K Canon RAW Lite footage into Final Cut reducing the bezel size
the various other components. It adds some Pro X, applied a lookup table, or LUT, added throughout the range
expense to the MacBook lineup, but it also a basic colour grade, and then rendered it on this update.
differentiates it in terms of technology and out on this machine as well as the Intel Core
capabilities from everything else on the i5-equipped MacBook Air and the Intel
market. We’re okay with it being the same Core i9-equipped 16in MacBook Pro.
T2 we’ve had for a few years now, and expect It took the 16in MacBook Pro less than 10
we’ll only see a T3 when Apple is ready to minutes. The 13in MacBook Pro took just over
move the Mac to Face ID. 16 minutes. And the MacBook Air almost 50
The 13-inch MBP also retains Intel’s eighth minutes. None of this is scientific, there are
generation processors and Iris 645 graphics way too many variables and it’s totally not a
on the lower-end models. The higher-end realistic workload for the MacBook Air, but
model, like the one we’re reviewing, comes you can see how they all play out. So, as usual,
with Intel’s latest 10th generation processors the 13in MacBook Pro, especially on the
and new Iris Plus graphics; offering far more higher end, is really about choosing as much
execution units and the ability to do display portability as you can get while retaining
stream compression, should you want to as much performance as possible.
connect up to Apple’s 6K Pro Display XDR.
You know, as one does. Storage and memory
There’s no discreet GPU option like there The key to Apple’s update strategy in the
is on the 16in MBP, likely because of the size mid-range, for a long time now, has been

APPLE CHOICE Mac hardware
which is fine, and maintain a lot

of the stability at the expense of some of
the clickety-clack.
It also has a proper œ key, which will
delight developers and traditionalists
everywhere, and a proper set of inverted-T
arrow keys. It also still has the Touch Bar
between the œ key and the Touch ID-enabled
power button. We know some people hate it
and would rather have traditional function
and media keys there. We don’t mind it in
theory, like it even for the shortcuts it exposes
and the ease of scrubbing between browser
tabs and through the timelines it enables. But
it’s going on four years old and Apple hasn’t
expanded it to any other Macs, hasn’t evolved
the technology in any significant way, and
hasn’t added anything by way of haptics. So,
maybe it’s time to go all-in on making the
The high-end 13in MacBook giving you a fair bit more bang for your Touch Bar better and more ubiquitous, or
Pro finally gets the Magic buck. It’s what you paid yesterday, only better. just to get out and give people their function
Keyboard. And it’s great.
And that’s absolutely true for the new 13in and media keys back.
MacBook Pro. Now, you start off with double The new, low-end 13-inch MacBook Pro
the storage and a 256GB SSD at the entry- starts at £1,299. That’s for the two-port,
level, but can push that up to 2TB. At the eighth-generation model, which can be
high-end, you start with 512GB but can build-to-order optioned all the way up to
then push that up to 4TB. £2,499. For that, you get pretty much the
It’s finally affordable to have enough previous MacBook Pro with double the
storage to keep more than a few big pro app storage and the Magic Keyboard. That’s really
projects on your internal drive, so you can for anyone who might otherwise go for a
move around without a bunch of SSDs and MacBook Air but either wants the MacBook
card dongles dangling around you. The sweet Pro design, the MacBook Pro brand, or does
spot for most people is probably around 1TB something like photography that’ll benefit
for the SSD, but if you do a lot of video work, from the brighter, wider gamut pro display.
it’s great that you can go higher. The new high-end starts at £1,799. That’s
The low-end memory options still start at for the four-port, 10th-generation model,
8GB and can go to 16GB. The high-end starts which can go all the way up to £3,599 with
at 16GB now and can go to 32GB because that’s all the bells and whistles. That’s for anyone
possible with the new, 10th-gen Intel chips. who either has an iMac, iMac Pro, or Mac Pro,
16GB is good for most people, unless you’ll maybe even a 16in MacBook Pro but needs a
be running a bunch of virtual machines or lighter, still as powerful-as-possible Mac to
simulators or other memory-intensive tasks. travel with. Or for people who just want as
pro a Mac as possible but don’t want anything
VERDICT Keyboard even a couple of inches bigger or that’s bound
The 13-inch MBP For a while now, ever since Apple introduced to a desktop.
is faster, has better the new scissor-switch style Magic Keyboard So this isn’t the MacBook Pro update of
graphics, and boasts on the 16in MacBook Pro, people have been anyone’s rumour-filled dreams. It certainly
the Magic Keyboard. waiting for it to spread meme-like across isn’t ours. And we’re still missing things like
Apple’s MacBook lineup. And, with this 13in a more expansive display, a better camera,
++
++++ MacBook Pro, it finally has. The failure of 16-inch quality mics and speakers, and ARM
New Magic Keyboard butterfly is now complete, and the Magic inside. That’s the update everyone really
Storage is doubled Keyboard future is fully operational, to totally wanted. But getting Intel 10th-gen, Iris Plus
10th-gen Intel mix our Star Wars metaphors. graphics, and most importantly, the new
processor These new Magic Keyboards really are the Magic Keyboard. Well, that’s the update
Not the radical best of both keyboard worlds. They have a bit everyone really needed. At least for now.
update we wanted more travel at the cost of a bit more thickness, RENE RITCHIE

Mac hardware APPLE CHOICE
Logitech Combo Touch

A dream keyboard case come true
£129 FROM Logitech, logitech.com/en-gb FEATURES Backlit keys,
Smart Connector, trackpad, iOS shortcut keys, 40° of tilt, stylus holder
The case here is so much to like about
protects, while T this keyboard case, from the

design to the functionality.
the keyboard The Logitech Combo Touch here has
been designed for the iPad Air (3rd gen)
connects using and iPad Pro 10.5-inch), and there’s also
Apple’s Smart one for the iPad (7th gen).
The case protects the iPad, and has a
Connector built-in Apple Pencil holder, while the
keyboard connects to the iPad using Apple’s
Smart Connector, which means it has a
reliable connection and doesn’t need
Bluetooth. It also means you don’t need to
turn it on or off or remember to charge it.
The woven grey outer looks and feels
really nice, and the overall package is well
thought out. The case obviously adds a bit of
bulk, but not excessively so. The integrated
Apple Pencil (or Logitech Crayon) holder
makes it convenient for storing the stylus The Combo Touch not only protects your iPad, but the
trackpad allows for super-speedy multitouch gestures.
when not in use, and the ability to easily
remove the keyboard and simply use the case some of the settings for speed, and turn off
to protect your iPad makes it very versatile. natural scrolling if you prefer.
As for the keyboard, the keys are all As for the backlit keyboard, it would be
backlit, well spaced, and the key travel feels handy if you could customise the lighting. A
nice. There’s a full row of function keys, range of colours would obviously be nice but
which makes it easy to adjust brightness, not essential, but it would be really useful to
get to the home screen, and more. be able to set the brightness or turn the lights
The trackpad isn’t overly large, but it off completely, as you can with Apple’s Magic
doesn’t need to be any bigger. There’s a nice Keyboard. The kickstand allows you to set the
click feel from it, and you can use the gestures iPad to a preferred angle, but it doesn’t work
that you’re likely used to from using a Mac. that well when using the iPad on your lap.
You can swipe between apps, swipe up to If we had to recommend one keyboard to
get back to the home screen, and so on. iPad Air users right now, though, this would
absolutely be the one. The keys feel great, the
VERDICT Minor niggles backlighting is useful, and the trackpad
This keyboard ticks We found a few elements of the case adds serious productivity value. The Smart
a lot of productivity frustrating, some of which could be down Connector means never having to worry
boxes, and the case to quirks of the keyboard, iPadOS, or just about whether the keyboard is charged up,
protects your iPad. personal preference. and this feature alone will make it an
On a few occasions, we unlocked our iPad invaluable accessory to many.
++
++++ Air only to find the keyboard fully As mentioned, any minor annoyances are
Apple Pencil holder unresponsive. The fix was simple: remove the more with iPadOS than the keyboard and
Responsive trackpad keyboard and attach it again. Not a huge deal, trackpad itself. The price of the Combo Touch
iPad protection but rather annoying. isn’t far off Apple’s Smart Keyboard which
Kickstand isn’t The trackpad scrolling also takes some doesn’t have a trackpad, and this ensures that
brilliant for lap use getting used to. Obviously, you can customise your iPad is fully protected. JARED DIPANE
Image credit: Logitech AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 67

APPLE CHOICE Mac/iOS hardware
Sennheiser Momentum
True Wireless 2
Sennheiser smashes it out of the park
£279 FROM Sennheiser, en-uk.sennheiser.com FEATURES Noise cancelling,
5Hz-21kHz frequency response, Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C charging; SBC, AAC, aptX
ennheiser has now

The earbuds
provide a wide S furnished its popular
True Wireless earbuds
with noise cancellation, as well
soundstage as improving the battery life.
and plenty of The Momentum True Wireless 2 cost
£279, making them more expensive than our The earbuds are pricey but they look good and sound
crisp detail other recent favourites, the Sony WF-
great, and now boast significantly improved battery life.
1000XM3, which cost £220. standard, Bluetooth 5.1 – and with support
The earbuds look similar to the originals, for Qualcomm’s aptX codec, you can stream
with shiny metallic touch-sensitive housings Hi-Res Audio over Bluetooth with no issues.
and a rounded shape. The silver finish is slick The earbuds pack 7mm dynamic
and stylish, without being ostentatious. Even drivers, which Sennheiser says will create
the inside of the buds looks good, with “outstanding stereo sound, with deep bass,
gold-plated charging pins and LEDs that natural mids, and clear, detailed treble.”
indicate their pairing status. The charging We found that the earphones masterfully
case is similarly smart, with a grey woven navigated tight synth bass, clear, smooth
finish; on the back you’ll find a USB-C vocals, and textured highs. We were amazed
charging port, and a battery indicator button. by how gutsy the lowest frequencies felt. The
Sennheiser says the earphones are 2mm mid and treble frequencies aren’t neglected
smaller than the originals, and you get four either, as chattering hi-hats and lush RnB
sets of different size eartips, though if you vocals swelled and bloomed.
have small ears you may find the housings A wide soundstage and plenty of crisp
feel a little uncomfortable after long sessions. detail makes these earphones worthy rivals
for the Sony WF-1000XM3 – although we
Touch control wouldn’t say they sound quite as tightly
The touch-sensitive housings allow you to controlled as the latter. Noise-cancelling too,
answer or reject calls, adjust music playback, isn’t quite on par with Sony’s buds. While
and summon your device’s voice assistant. they block out some environmental noise, a
The controls worked well, and you can assign fair amount was able to leak through – turn
different functions via the Sennheiser Smart your music on though, and the rest of the
VERDICT Control app. There’s also a nifty auto-pause world will melt away.
The sound quality, feature that stops your music when you The sound quality, battery life, and design
battery life, and remove the buds from your ears. The controls are nothing short of excellent, and we would
design are nothing also allow you to toggle noise cancellation on recommend them to anyone looking for an
short of excellent. and off, with a transparency mode that allows alternative to the WF-1000XM3 – the
environmental sound to pass through. differences really are negligible.
++
++++ These buds boast a much longer battery If your ears are on the smaller side,
Incredible sound life than their predecessors, with seven hours make sure the vendor you choose allows
Sleek design from the buds themselves, and a further 21 for returns where the product is not faulty.
Tight fit for hours from the charging case. Pairing them Otherwise, these wireless earbuds should
some small ears with our smartphone was a breeze, thanks to make a fantastic purchase for anyone looking
Expensive support for the latest wireless streaming to cut the cord. OLIVIA TAMBINI
68 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 Image credit: Sennheiser

BenQ EW328OU
A good-looking multitasking monitor
£699 FROM BenQ, benq.eu/en-uk FEATURES 4K UHD (3840x2160),
IPS HDRi, LED backlight, wide colour gamut, FreeSync, 5ms response time,
2x HDMI 2.0 ports, 1x DisplayPort, 1x USB Type-C with Power Delivery (60W)
he 32-inch EW328OU is a 4K
The display
maximises the T Ultra High Definition display
with special pre-programmed
video and audio settings to help you
experience for quickly get to your ideal set up.
movies and The monitor’s 16:9 IPS (in-plane
switching) display boasts a DCI-P3 wide
games colour gamut and uses proprietary HDRi
tech (high dynamic range with intelligent
optimisation) to provide a variety of The remote control allows you to quickly select diffferent
brightness options. With one of the three options for the monitor, including pre-programmed settings.
HDRi settings enabled, you’ll immediately
be able to see how brightness and colour listening to a song that is bass-heavy, there
temperatures adjust. The monitor comes with is a clear and noticeable rattle. This happened
a handy remote control with quick access to with pretty much every action movie we
the HDRi settings, Brightness Intelligence tested the speakers on. If we turned things
Plus (BI+) mode, audio settings, and the entire up too loud, the speakers just buzzed. If we
monitor menu. You can also adjust the volume turned down the audio to remove the buzz,
of the speakers from the remote control. it was difficult to hear the dialogue. And we
The pre-programmed settings aren’t the tried a variety of different audio presets with
only way to customise the monitor – you can the same result.
manually set the picture, colour and audio. So, if you’re hoping this monitor will be
The monitor has a 5ms response time and loud enough to watch movies, listen to music,
a 24fps cinematic frame rate, so it’s great for or play video games without needing external
gaming and movie watching. speakers, we’d say think again.
We would have liked to
have been able to adjust The crisp, clear and bright display really
the height of the monitor. Not so sound maximises the visual experience for movies
There’s a handy cable organiser embedded in and games though. And, thanks to those
the mount – speaking of cables, this monitor pre-programed settings, you can quickly
does not need an awkward power brick. switch from a standard display for your daily
The stand is a flat rectangle made work activities to HDRi for watching films or
from heavy, weighted metal, but it’s an gaming. The IPS display gives a wide viewing
VERDICT open rectangle not a solid hunk of metal. angle and the 5ms response time means you
A beautiful display Unfortunately, there’s no height adjustment. won’t experience screen flicker while gaming.
that gets close to Not a huge deal, but it does narrow down your As mentioned, don’t go for this monitor
showing what’s on setup and viewing options, and we’ve come to if you’re hoping to listen to movies and music
your MacBook in expect height adjustment as fairly standard. with the volume loud without having to shell
its purest form. The EW328OU is built to be an out for additional speakers. Though the
entertainment monitor that doesn’t need any speakers are an improvement over your
++
++++ additional peripherals, including speakers. average offerings, they are still under par.
4K Ultra HD The marketing for it boasts about the quality The quality of the screen, with its accurate
resolution of the 2.1 channel speakers, but we were colour and fast response time, will impress
Good for disappointed with the audio performance. gamers and movie fans though, and the fact
work and play Yes, they’re better than most built-in that you can switch between different visual
No height adjustment monitor speakers, but they’re not standout pre-programmed settings makes it
Buzzy speakers offerings. If you’re watching a movie or particularly versatile. LORY GIL
Image credit: BenQ AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 69

Have laptop, will travel? These bags have your back.
Reviewed by ROB MEAD-GREEN
ON TEST...
> Herschel Gibson Messenger
> InCase Compass Messenger
> Moshi Urbana
> STM Goods Judge
> Targus Newport
70 | MACFORMAT | AUGUSUT 2020 macformat.com @macformat

Laptop messengers APPLE CHOICE
he last time we looked at laptop

How we
T bags (MF #336) we focused on
backpacks – favoured by the young
tested
We tested the bags
and adventurous, they’re not necessarily
over a couple of weeks,
ideal for use in a work context. You may need
using them to stash a
something sleeker, smaller and slightly more
15in MacBook Pro,
professional-looking for that. That’s where these
chargers, cables, an
laptop messenger bags come in.
iPad, a drinks bottle and
What is a messenger bag? It’s effectively a
our lunch. We assessed
modern take on the old-school briefcase, usually
Padded straps make messenger bags easier to shoulder – each one for how much
equipped with a top-mounted handle or handles, but not all the ones featured here include them. room there was, how
often with a shoulder strap, and packed with
easily items could be
enough storage to safely stash your MacBook and bumps of modern life – some even suspend
safely stowed and how
(all of the ones we’ve selected can accommodate your laptop inside a soft-lined cocoon to help it
comfortable it felt to
a 15in MacBook Pro), add-ons like chargers and avoid hard landings should you accidentally
carry all those goodies
cables, and maybe even enough space for a plonk the bag hard down on the floor.
around using the
drinks bottle or snacks. Some are roomy enough Of course, there’s more to a laptop messenger
shoulder strap. We
to accommodate an iPad too, and most have bag than just being able to stow your MacBook,
also assessed their
pockets inside and out. a charger and your lunch, it also has to be
robustness and design.
comfortable to carry around – potentially all day
Room to roam – so we’ve road-tested them by stuffing each one
Our selections in this group test range from the to the gills then marching around with it slung
affordable (£65) to the luxurious (£155), with a over our shoulders to see whether it causes
variety of options in between. All deliver shoulder or backache. We’ve also assessed how
protection against the elements and the knocks tough/robust these messenger bags are in terms
of build-quality – are they likely to
Some are roomy enough to withstand day-to-day use or just the
accommodate an iPad too, and occasional trip out? And do they look Higher…
good? There’s no point buying a bag that Knomo Bungo
most have pockets inside and out doesn’t suit your look after all! £299 uk.knomo.com
Available in black or
brown leather, the Bungo
Things to consider… touts itself as ‘the

ultimate laptop
messenger bag’.
Everything you need to know before getting started Designed to
accommodate 15.6in
Zips or clasps? above the bottom of the bag, while also laptops, it has a less-than-
1 Some laptop messenger bags ape offering plenty of padding to the front roomy 11.5L capacity.
the briefcase look more than others with a and back, as well as the sides.
top-mounted full-length zip; others opt for a
flap held in place by clasps. Flaps and clasps Style and substance
can be fiddlier to use than zips, although those 4 Some laptop messenger bags are smart
bags tend to offer slightly more room. and formal, others are more casual. Do you feel
comfortable toting the bag to town or the
Soft and easy office? It needs to be well-made too – there’s
2 Your laptop messenger bag needs to no point buying a flashy looking bag if it falls
be comfortable to carry. Ideally, its hand and apart after six months. … or lower?
shoulder straps need to be wide and padded so Wenger
that they don’t dig in. Wider straps help to take Room to roam Underground
the strain of the weight of the contents. 5 Messenger bags are often smaller in £54.99 wenger.ch
terms of capacity than backpacks – the biggest Surprisingly roomy
Protect and survive in our group test here is 18 litres; that’s average enough for a MacBook
3 Your MacBook deserves protection. The for a backpack. You need to decide how much Pro 16in and an iPad, this
best messenger bags stow your MacBook in a stuff you need to lug around on a daily basis, Swiss-made bag is
soft-lined protective sling that keeps it elevated and whether the bag will accommodate that. affordability exemplified.

APPLE CHOICE Group test
Test 1 Storage Test 2 Comfort

Which bag has the most room? Which bag is the most comfortable?
With 18 litres of storage to play with, the It’s no surprise that the most expensive
Herschel Gibson Messenger is the roomiest bag in this test, the Moshi Urbana, is also
bag, with the InCase Compass Messenger’s the most comfortable – that’s thanks to a
16-litre following closely behind. The wide, easily adjustable webbing strap, plus
Targus Newport and STM Judge offer 15l a padded shoulder section that spreads the
and 14l respectively, while the Moshi laptop load. The Targus Newport takes
Urbana has a compact and bijou 13l. second place – it can quickly and easily
It’s not just about wriggle room. The be used as a full-on backpack, simply by
Herschel and Moshi have the most internal and external pockets, adjusting the strap arrangement, or you can free up the straps to
while the Moshi also has room for an iPad with a dedicated tablet make them longer and sling it over your shoulder messenger-bag
space. InCase’s Compass Messenger has an iPad pocket too, but it style. It’s versatile, but also feels a little compromised.
also has the fewest internal pockets. The Targus feels tightest on The Herschel Gibson Messenger and STM Judge offer
space as its 2-in-1 design means your laptop has to slide vertically reasonably wide straps and have shoulder padding. The InCase
into its zipped compartment. There’s no room really for an iPad Compass Messenger lacks a padded shoulder section, making it
either. You could squeeze an iPad into the secondary zipped least comfortable to carry around long-term, although we
pocket, however we’d be wary of doing so. experienced no real issues during testing.
TEST RESULTS TEST RESULTS

Herschel Gibson +++++ STM Judge +++++ Herschel Gibson +++++ STM Judge +++++
InCase Compass +++++ Targus Newport +++++ InCase Compass +++++ Targus Newport +++++
Moshi Urbana +++++ Moshi Urbana +++++
Test 3 Durability Test 4 Design

Who’s tough enough to do the job? Stylish guru or fashion victim?
The Moshi Urbana again comes out on Taste is a subjective thing – one person’s
top in the sturdiness stakes – the quality of object of desire is another’s loathsome
the materials used are on a whole different gargoyle and so it proves with these
level compared to the other bags. But then messenger bags. Sitting in the middle in the
it costs £155. At the other end of the scale is inoffensiveness stakes are the STM Judge,
the £70 InCase Gibson Messenger. the InCase Compass and the Herschel
Although it’s not the cheapest bag here Gibson, all of which seem a bit ‘meh’ -
(that’s the £65 STM Judge), it feels flimsier there’s nothing particularly remarkable or
than the rest – a bag for occasional use then, rather than an attractive about them. They’re just bags. Ordinary, ordinary
everyday work bag. inoffensive bags. Although, the InCase Compass Messenger looks
In the middle sit the other three –the Herschel Gibson and subjectively like the ‘wrong’ shade of blue. Your mileage may vary.
STM Judge look and feel so similar in terms of quality, it’s almost Now opinions are divided on the two that remain: the Targus
impossible to tell them apart. The Targus Newport has a slight Newport and the Moshi Urbana. The faux gold accents, contrast
edge – there’s no doubting the quality of the materials (which are interior, leatherette and nylon exterior, and, well, overall style
nylon and leatherette). However the design also feels fussy, and of the Targus Newport combine to give it more of a feminine,
we’d be worried how long its 2-in-1 arrangement would last – the ‘smart handbag’ look. And then we have the Moshi Urbana, which
two stitched strips of leatherette that hold the straps in place on the lives up to its name; it’s stylish and sophisticated, and wouldn’t
back look particularly vulnerable to wear and tear over time. look out of place when worn with a suit or on dress-down Fridays.
TEST RESULTS TEST RESULTS

Herschel Gibson +++++ STM Judge +++++ Herschel Gibson +++++ STM Judge +++++
InCase Compass +++++ Targus Newport +++++ InCase Compass +++++ Targus Newport +++++
Moshi Urbana +++++ Moshi Urbana +++++

Laptop messengers APPLE CHOICE
THE WINNER
Moshi Urbana
Smart, sophisticated and
surprisingly accommodating
hoosing a winner for this group test
C was always going to be tricky.
However, on balance, the Moshi
Urbana is our pick. Yes, it’s the most expensive
bag here and is something of an outlier in this
company, but it’s also beautifully made, roomy,
can accommodate both a 15-inch MacBook Pro
and an iPad, and has plenty of pockets for all accommodate a MacBook and an iPad, but its
your other accessories. Plus, it’s smart and design is unremarkable. The Targus Newport
stylish and is comfortable enough to carry is stylish and feels well made, but the form factor Jo says…
around all day. We think the cost is worth it. just doesn’t do it for us – it’s narrow when it While I love the 2-in-1
Huddled around the middle of the pack are should be wide, making it much harder for design of the Targus
the Herschel Gibson, the STM Judge and the you to get your MacBook in and out. The 2-in-1 Newport, the Moshi
Targus Newport. The Herschel is roomy, and shoulder strap is also a concern: by trying to Urbana is the bag for
has plenty of pockets, but it has a narrow, lightly be both a backpack and messenger bag at the me. Yes, it’s expensive,
padded shoulder strap. The STM Judge can same time, it feels compromised. That leaves the but it’s comfortable to
InCase Compass. It’s not quite the cheapest carry, looks smart
It’s also beautifully made and bag here, but it looks and feels it. It also has enough for even the
the least pocket storage, meaning your most high-powered
can accommodate both a 15in accessories will simply form a jumble business meetings and
MacBook Pro and an iPad at the bottom of the bag. is well thought out too.
How
do they
compare?
> Herschel Gibson > InCase Compass

> SPECS > Moshi Urbana > STM Goods Judge > Targus Newport
Messenger Messenger
WEBSITE herschelsupplyco.co.uk incase.eu moshi.com stmgoods.com uk.targus.com
PRICE £85 £70 £155 £65 £90
CAPACITY 18 litres 16 litres 13 litres 14 litres 15 litres
MATERIALS 100% polyester 100% polyester Polyester and 100% polyester Nylon, leatherette (PU)
vegan leather
MACBOOK
COMPATIBILITY MacBook Pro 15in MacBook Pro 15in MacBook Pro 15in MacBook Pro 15in, 16in MacBook Pro 15in
WEIGHT 0.68kg 0.55kg 0.86kg 0.74kg 0.78kg

DIMENSIONS 28x14x39cm 33x13x41cm 29x10x42cm 31x10x41cm 32x12x40cm
STORAGE +++++ +++++ +++++ +++++ +++++
COMFORT +++++ +++++ +++++ +++++ +++++
DURABILITY +++++ +++++ +++++ +++++ +++++
DESIGN +++++ +++++ +++++ +++++ +++++
> OVERALL +++++ +++++ +++++ +++++ +++++
Note: The final verdict scores reflect the overall opinion of a product and are not necessarily an average of the criteria listed in the table.

Intego’s advanced tools protect
you against hackers, ransomware
and inappropriate content.
Intego Premium Bundle X9

Premium malware protection designed for your Mac
£59.99/year (one Mac) FROM Intego, intego.com NEEDS OS X 10.9 or later
Intego blocked ntego is designed to stop does very well in recognising and stopping
97% of threats I malware on Macs, and there are

two purchase options depending
malware before it infects your computer.
In addition to its VirusBarrier, Intego
including on the scale of protection you’re after. Premium Bundle comes with Washing
You can purchase Intego’s basic antivirus, Machine, NetBarrier and ContentBarrier. Each
spyware, Mac Internet Security, by itself, but the entire contain more security tools to add additional
worms and protection suite – Mac Premium Bundle – layers of protection around your entire system.
also includes a vulnerability scanner, system You also get Intego’s Personal Backup to create
Trojans cleaner, parental controls, and a firewall. a second set of files to keep safe in your cloud
During the test, a compressed file with over storage account, in case you need to reboot and
130 malware designed to attack Mac devices reinstall important files and programs.
was downloaded. Intego blocked 97% of these
threats including spyware, worms and Download detail
Trojans. Five threats were able to sneak The Intego bundle is several separate apps
in disguised as legitimate Mac programs. that are downloaded individually. It’s a simple
However, after a deep virus scan with Intego, process, but it takes time. You have the option
these remaining threats were found and to only install programs you want and
immediately quarantined. Overall, Intego disregard others, but overall it’s easier to
download one app with all the features and
tools rather than several, broken up apps.
Another issue is the lack of safe browsing
VERDICT tools. Unlike other apps that include browser
Excellent malware extensions, Intego simply lets you know if your
protection, and browser’s own security settings are on or off.
much more, made There are a few other advanced security tools
specifically for Macs that are not included as well – safe banking
tools, password management, and a VPN.
++
++++ Finally, while Intego recognises and stops
Great protection Mac threats, it doesn’t work for Windows
Personal firewall threats. Windows malware won’t affect your
System cleaner Mac, however it’s easy to accidentally send a
Doesn’t recognise Apps within the Intego bundle need to be downloaded and Windows threat on through email or instant
Windows Malware installed individually, which is time-consuming. message. NICOLE JOHNSTON
74 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 Image credit: Intego

Your first lessons feel more
like you’re playing a game
rather than learning to code.
Swift Playgrounds
Easy and fun code classes come to the Mac
Free FROM Apple, apple.com/swift/playgrounds NEEDS macOS 10.15.3 or later
There’s a hough it’s taken four years, Swift collectGem( ). Get it right and Byte completes
real sense of T Playgrounds has finally made it

to the Mac courtesy of Catalyst,
the challenge so you can move on to the next.
It’s an excellent way to learn and there’s a real
achievement Apple’s initiative for bringing iPad apps sense of achievement when you complete a
to macOS. Designed for coding beginners, task. Additional challenges involve interacting
when you Swift Playgrounds feels more like a video game with shapes and creating games. There are
complete a task than a coding app as it gently teaches you the also Playgrounds from other publishers that
basic concepts of programming via Apple’s enable you to control external devices: current
own Swift language, currently in version 5.1. third-party offerings include Playgrounds
Swift is used to create apps for Macs, for LEGO Mindstorms, Tello drone
iOS, Apple Watch and Apple TV, but Swift programming, and Adafruit robots.
Playgrounds isn’t an app development kit.
Think of it as a brightly coloured, user-friendly Specifics and suggestions
classroom where you’ll learn the concepts Apple hasn’t just ported the entire app across
you’ll go on to use in Xcode. to the Mac. It’s also added some Mac–specific
To begin, Apple gives you a collection of features including Touch Bar support, the
introductory modules that introduce you to the ability to drag and drop code snippets into
basic concepts of coding. These modules, the your project, click and drag code wrapping for
Playgrounds of the app title, get you to control loops, and conditional statements. There are
a cute character called Byte using commands also code suggestions to speed up the time it
VERDICT such as moveForward( ), turnLeft(), and takes to put it all together. And because it’s
Swift Playgrounds is on the Mac, it can import, export, and cut and
an excellent educator paste between Xcode and Swift Playgrounds
for new coders. on the same device. The only thing that the
Mac version can’t do that the iPad version can
++
++++ is to use ARKit augmented reality documents,
Designed for which require the live, motion-sensitive
complete beginners camera view of an iPad.
Genuinely fun Swift Playgrounds is to Xcode what
A playground, not GarageBand is to Logic Pro: a simpler,
an app maker friendlier place to experiment and learn
Sometimes it Swift Playgrounds may start simply, but it helps build before moving up to the pro-level product.
runs very slowly knowledge and it doesn’t just cover the very basics. CARRIE MARSHALL

APPLE CHOICE iPad/iOS software
Planny 3
The do-anything life organiser
Free (IAPs) FROM Kevin Reutter, kevinreutter.de
NEEDS iPadOS 13 or later
lanny is designed
P to organise your
life by combining
calendars, reminders, It’s great in Dark Mode, and you
notes and to-do lists. can choose more sober colours.
Version 3 adds support
for Dark Mode, new Siri A subscription unlocks the daily plan and remind you
Shortcuts, and document Calendar view, location-based of upcoming deadlines.
scanning; on iPad you get reminders, iCloud sync and The interface is a bit
VERDICT multi-space and multi- backup, Face ID unlocking, confusing; it’s not obvious
Planny 3 combines window support. It also sketching, printing and where you would create new
your to-dos, notes and introduces a long-press tagging, and collaboration tags. We also encountered
events very well, but contextual menu for easier features. Planny is also bugs: significant delays
it’s a little buggy. organisation, the ability available for your Mac and between selecting a section
to create subtasks and Apple Watch. and Planny switching to it,
++
++++ integration with Apple’s Planny also enables you to and some buttons that didn’t
Everything in one place Game Center to compare create lists, events with respond. We’re sure these’ll
Can be a little your productivity rankings deadlines, and tags and the be fixed in the regular app
confusing to use and achievements. app can identify tasks for your updates. CARRIE MARSHALL
Nighthawk
for Twitter
Tidy up your Twitter timeline
£3.99 FROM Team Nighthawk, tweetnighthawk.com
ighthawk exists to
N make Twitter a bit

more bearable and,
‘Close Friends’ lets you focus on
those who matter to you.
A few filters will turn your
timeline into a ‘Smart Feed’.
well, human. There’s a tab at
the bottom of the app for ‘Close admirable job. You can even ban restrictive if you manage more
VERDICT Friends’. Pick a handful of your
best buds and this tab will be
retweets to let you see original
content only.
than one Twitter page.
And while you can send new
Great at filtering junk, populated with their tweets The app has its limitations, tweets (and have the app check
but at present it lacks and nothing else, letting you some of which are quite jarring. them for typos and ‘spicy’
some key features. focus on the people who matter. There’s no way to search for content), you can’t add images,
Nighthawk also comes with accounts, so you can’t follow videos or other content – it’s
++
++++ several options to cut down on anyone who you didn’t already strictly a text-only affair. While
A more focused unwelcome content. Whether follow when you first loaded the the developer says these
Twitter experience that’s movie spoilers, foreign app, or even view their tweets. features are coming soon, the
Can’t follow accounts politics or customer care You also can’t switch accounts app in its current state is sorely
or manage followers yet queries, Nighthawk does an on the fly, making the app very missing them. ALEX BLAKE
76 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 Image credits (top to bottom): Kevin Reutter, Team Nighthawk
Primephonic offers two
subscription tiers depending on
what audio quality you’re after.
The app could be a little

easier to use but you won’t
run out of musical discoveries.
Primephonic
Imagine Apple Music, but for classical
£9.99/month (Premium); £14.99/month (Platinum) FROM Primephonic, primephonic.com
rimephonic is a classical music versions of the app are optimised for landscape
There’s plenty
of classical P streaming service with over 3.5
million tracks – from brand new
mode – instead you simply get a somewhat
truncated version of the portrait view.
or lesser-known artists and composers
music here to to, ahem, the classics. So, if your musical Mange tout, Rodney
interest and leanings incline more toward Berlioz than The best way to get your head around it is to
Bieber, this could be the app for you. simply pick a genre, composer or artist you
excite you You can listen to Primephonic in one of like, tap Play and then take a deep dive into
three ways: in the dedicated app for iOS and what’s on offer. You can easily add tracks to
iPadOS; via its online web player or by adding your Favourites as you go along, and create
it through a third-party app such as the Sonos your own custom playlists.
Controller. There’s a 14-day free trial; after that As for playback – we had no problems
it’s £9.99/month for the Premium tier, which streaming content at the highest quality to an
streams tracks in 320kbps MP3, or £14.99/ AirPlay 2 speaker on our network, although
month for the Platinum tier, which offers the sound did drop out on occasion. Invoking
Lossless 24-bit FLAC streaming. You can AirPlay is a little more convoluted than it could
also download and listen to tracks offline. be, though. You have to make a selection, open
On iPhone and iPad, the app seems almost the playback windows, tap ‘Playback devices’,
familiar – there’s a definitely an Apple Music then select where you want to listen to from a
VERDICT feel here, with curated radio stations and list – it would be great if you could just do so
A dedicated and playlists, exclusive interviews and podcasts, from the home screen by tapping the three-
comprehensive and musical categories based around things dots icon to the right of each track, but it’s
catalogue of musical like genre, period and ambience – so if you simply not one of the options listed.
masterpieces. want something ‘Dreamy’, ‘Intense’ or ‘Tragic’, It’s hard to fault the service though –
Primephonic has a radio station just for you. whether you’re a seasoned classical music
++
++++ Like Apple Music, the Primephonic app is lover or just setting out on your voyage of
3.5 million tracks something of a mixed bag. The app is so packed musical discovery, there’s plenty here to
to choose from with content, it can feel a little overwhelming, interest and excite you – from Concerto for
Curated playlists while Search doesn’t always quite reveal the Violin, Cello and Orchestra in A Minor, Op 60
Decent sound quality results you expect – it mashes up composer by Brahms to the World’s Greatest TV Themes.
App could be a John Williams with guitarist John Williams, Yes, the theme from Only Fools And Horses is
little easier to use for example. Neither the iPad or iPhone on here too… ROB MEAD-GREEN
Image credit: Primephonic AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 77

APPLE CHOICE iOS software
HeartWatch 4
Keep an eye on your heart
$3.99 FROM Tantsissa, heartwatch4.tantsissa.com
NEEDS iOS 11 and watchOS 4.0 or later
eartWatch’s stated goal is to

HeartWatch
has a chart for H make it easy to understand your
heart health. It attempts to do this
through pairing with your Apple Watch and
every kind of breaking down its treasure trove of data into
heart-related various charts and graphs, learning from
your activity levels and suggesting new
data you could targets and goals.
wish to access HeartWatch has a chart for every kind of
heart-related data you could wish to access.
It uses tiles to show each section’s summaries;
drilling down into a specific section provides
a wealth of useful data, all presented in an
attractive, digestible way, along with suggested
fitness targets based on your historic info.
When put together with the horde of other
tiles in the app, each bulging with info, it can
feel a little overwhelming.
HeartWatch’s home screen starts with a
week view along the top, with your selected
day’s data below. A swipe changes each tile
from showing a circular or bar graph to a
gauge, much like a car’s speedometer. Tap on
the tile and you get a daily breakdown of that HeartWatch’s daily summaries give you plenty of detailed
information to delve into to reveal your stats.
metric, down to almost the minute-by-minute
level. A long press reveals bar graphs for in a highly understandable way that shows
various measurements, such as sedentary you exactly how you’re doing over time. In
heart rate, workout duration, sleep quality, and short, it’s a goldmine. Compared to Apple’s
more. It’s a huge array of info and knowing Health app, Health feels like the entrée,
where to start can be a little intimidating. whereas HeartWatch is the main course.
It is, however, a data nerd’s dream. While After using HeartWatch, Apple’s attempt
there’s a ton of information, it’s all presented feels just too basic.
VERDICT
HeartWatch4 is Easy to watch
a goldmine of data HeartWatch’s Apple Watch app, meanwhile,
to help your heart feels perfectly balanced between accessibility
stay healthy. and detail, providing just what you need for
a quick update on your heart health. Its
++
++++ complications are useful, and its settings
Informative graphs can be easily tweaked.
and charts Should you get HeartWatch? The simple
Balanced, digestible answer is yes. Not only does it present your
Apple Watch app heart data in a more understandable way than
Astounding depth Apple’s Health, but it does so while providing
of information… much more detail – no mean feat. With a little
… which can be a HeartWatch 4’s Apple Watch app presents data in a really practice to overcome the information overload,
little overwhelming well-balanced and accessible way. it’s a fantastic tool. ALEX BLAKE
78 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 Image credit: Tantsissa

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APPLE CHOICE App round-up
6 apps
to help you
stay in touch Hangouts
Can’t meet up with friends and family? Free NEEDS iPhone, iPad
These apps help you stay social For video chatting cross-
Reviewed by MATT BOLTON platform, Hangouts is our app
of choice. It works on
he need for isolation in 2020 has the full social experience as possible. everything, including in apps or in
T left a lot of people feeling a bit,
well, isolated. But keeping in
But it’s not just about people you know
– to help stave off cabin fever, we’ve also
browsers, and it’s pretty reliable. You
can easily screen share, and it’s really
regular contact with people in another got apps to help you discover new flexible and simple to create new
town, county or country has never been communities in this time when meeting groups. Hangouts mixes text and voice
easier. We’ve collected some great apps people in real life isn’t an option. Here’s chat for a group too, so you can easily
for video chatting, giving you as close to how to get online and get socialising. share a link or a pic while chatting.
Discord Nextdoor WhatsApp Messenger

Free (IAPs) NEEDS iOS 10 or later Free NEEDS iOS 9.3 or later Free (IAPs) NEEDS iOS 11.4 or later
Discord enables people to host Nextdoor is a great way to keep iMessage is great for texting on
private chat rooms for friends, in touch with people in your iPhones, but you need another
or to join communities hosted area to find out what you need option for cross-platform chat,
by brands or big names. Within to be aware of, who needs or can offer and WhatsApp is the best. You can
someone’s Discord server, you can create some help, and to make sure things are speak one-to-one or create a group – or
different sub-chats for specific topics, okay. Sure, you might find out some of set up a giant group that serves partly as
and share media and make voice calls your neighbours are oddballs, but then a chatroom. You can mute conversations
within it. And you can mention someone you might find some friendly and caring that get out of hand, and control what
to trigger a notification to them, or you people and you’ll be glad you made you receive. It’s impressively flexible.
can just chat away in the background. contact with them. Oh, and it does voice and video calls.
80 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 Image credit: Google, Discord, Nextdoor.com, WhatsApp

iOS software APPLE CHOICE
Houseparty
Free (IAPs) NEEDS iOS 9 or later
This video chat app is designed

for casually stumbling into
chats rather than arranging
calls – open it to go online and your
friends will see and start a conversation
more spontaneously. The app wants you
to think of it like an actual party, where
you kick up a chat when you see a pal is
there, and someone else might pop over
and join. And it has a group chat feel.
Spark
Free (IAPs) NEEDS iOS 11 or later
If you want to create a family

newsletter, Spark allows you
to write emails collaboratively!
The whole family can work on their
section at the same time, then you send
the final result to everyone. Spark also
includes calendar integration and smart
notifications. It’s even possible to create
links to share an email, so you can share
a newsletter on other platforms.
Image credit: Life On Air, Readdle AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 81

STORE GUIDE Apple kit
EDITED BY ROB MEAD-GREEN
Your complete guide to the

best Apple hardware and
third-party accessories EXPECTED
2020
UPDATED
MAR 2019
iMac From
£1,049
Ever since the famous Bondi We suggest opting for a solid-state

Blue iMac debuted in August drive from the Build to Order list
The iMac’s all-in-one design
1998, Apple’s all-in-one desktop as the performance gains can be combines power and poise –
computer has been setting considerable. Adding a 512GB SSD especially in the higher-end
standards in gorgeous design and to the top-spec 27in model only 27in models.
powerful performance. Apple’s costs an extra £100, although the
innovation was as clear back then as £700 asking price for the 2TB
it is today – the iMac was the first version is just silly.
Macintosh to drop the floppy drive
in favour of USB, and its colourful iMac super power
aesthetic set it apart as a playful If you love the iMac form factor, but
option in a world of beige boxes. want even more oomph, the iMac
The current entry-level 21.5in Pro is an impressive step up. Choose an iMac
iMac is unchanged from 2017. Intel Prices start at £4,899 for a 27in
processors in the other models iMac Pro with a Retina 5K display, MODEL KEY SPECIFICATIONS PRICE
21.5in MEMORY 8GB of 2,400MHz DDR4 £1,249
ENTRY LEVEL
range from a quad-core, eighth-gen eight-core Intel Xeon W processor

3.6GHz GRAPHICS AMD Radeon Pro 555X
Core i3 up to a six-core, eighth-gen 32GB of RAM, 1TB SSD and AMD
quad-core STORAGE 1TB (5,400rpm) hard drive
i5 as standard. A six-core, ninth-gen Radeon Pro Vega graphics – and Intel Core i3 DISPLAY Retina 4K (IPS, P3 gamut)
Core i5 comes as standard on the rise inexorably from there, thanks ALSO Magic Mouse 2, Magic Keyboard
top-end 27in iMac, and is available to an extensive Build to Order list.
UPGRADER
21.5in MEMORY 16GB of 2,666MHz DDR4 £1,629

as an option on the mid-range 27in A fully kitted out iMac Pro – 3.0GHz GRAPHICS AMD Radeon Pro 560X
– it’s pricy, though. equipped with an 18-core Intel Xeon six-core STORAGE 1TB Fusion Drive
Intel Core i5 DISPLAY Retina 5K (IPS, P3 gamut)
All but the entry-level iMac have W CPU, 256GB of RAM, Radeon Pro ALSO Magic Mouse 2, Magic Keyboard
a Retina 4K or 5K display with a Vega 64X graphics and a 4TB SSD
= Retina display
HIGH END
27in 3.1GHz MEMORY 16GB of 2,666MHz DDR4 £2,399

wide P3 colour gamut, a Fusion will set you back a cool £14,199. six-core GRAPHICS AMD Radeon Pro 575X
Drive (which marries a traditional The iMac Pro also gets four Intel Core i5 STORAGE 512GB SSD
hard drive with an SSD), and AMD Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports and an DISPLAY Retina 5K (IPS, P3 gamut)
ALSO Magic Mouse 2, Magic Keyboard
Radeon Pro graphics processors. exclusive Space Grey finish.

Apple kit STORE GUIDE
EXPECTED
DEC 2021
Mac Pro
From £5,499
Aimed at creative pros,
EXPECTED
Apple’s high-end desktop
NOV 2020 has always been designed
UPDATED
MAY 2020 to deliver as much power
and flexibility as possible.
Ironically, the previous ‘trash
can’ Mac Pro proved to be a
design dead-end, and so Apple
came up with this – a stainless
steel and aluminium tower that’s
almost infinitely configurable –
you can even add wheels if
you want to.
If the price at the top makes
you wince, that’s just the start –
prices ramp up inexorably once
The MacBook Pro you get beyond the standard
16-inch features the
Magic Keyboard and an spec – even adding a set of
improved graphics chip. wheels will set you back £400,
MacBook Pro From

£1,299
while adding six 128GB DDR4 EEC
memory cards costs £14,000.
Given that you can fit everything
In November 2019, Apple replaced the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports – the entry- and from a 28-core Intel Xeon W
15in model with a MacBook Pro 16-inch. mid-level 13in MBPs have two ports on their processor to 8TB of SSD storage
The larger screen machine comes with a left-hand side, while the high-end 2.0GHz 13in that’s not a surprise.
Magic Keyboard with a redesigned scissor model and MacBook Pro 16in now have four
mechanism, and a six-speaker sound system. Thunderbolt 3 ports (two on each side).
The notebook also brings back a physical œ While the MacBook Pro 13-inch starts at
key, while retaining the Touch Bar. £1,299, the highest-end MacBook Pro 16-inch
The MBP 16in can be configured with with 8TB SSD storage, 8GB AMD Radeon
a six- or eight-core ninth-generation Intel Pro, 64GB of memory and a 2.4GHz i9
processor and 64GB of memory. There processor will set you back £6,099.
are 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB storage
options. A new thermal design increases
airflow and an AMD Radeon Pro 5000M Choose a MacBook Pro
series GPU helps boost graphics
performance by 2.1 times. Powering all MODEL KEY SPECIFICATIONS PRICE
this is a larger 100Whr battery, the largest 13in 1.4GHz MEMORY 8GB of £1,299
ENTRY LEVEL
possible in a notebook, offering up to 11 quad-core 2,133MHz LPDDR3

Intel Core i5 GPU Intel Iris Plus 645
hours of browsing and video playback time. STORAGE 128GB SSD
The MacBook Pro 13-inch got its refresh TOUCH BAR Yes
in May 2020, and while it didn’t get the 13in 2.0GHz MEMORY 16GB of £1,799
UPGRADER
narrower bezels of its bigger cousin, it does quad-core 3,733MHz LPDDR4X

now boast a Magic Keyboard and twice as Intel Core i5 GPU Intel Iris Plus Graphics
STORAGE 256GB SSD
much storage, while the top-end model also TOUCH BAR Yes
gains a 10th-gen Intel Core i5 CPU and faster
16in 2.6GHz MEMORY 16GB of £2,399
HIGH END
memory. The entry- and mid-level models

six-core 2,666MHz DDR4 The new Mac Pro has
still come with eighth-gen quad-core Intel Intel Core i7 GPU AMD Radeon Pro 5300 been designed to be as
Core i5s. As well as Bluetooth 5.0 and STORAGE 512GB SSD configurable as possible.
802.11ac Wi-Fi, all MBP models come with TOUCH BAR Yes

EXPECTED
MAR 2021
UPDATED
MAR 2020
EXPECTED
SEP 2020
UPDATED
MAR 2020
Mac mini From
£799
After a long wait, the Mac mini was

updated in March 2020, although
the changes to Apple’s smallest
computer were minimal compared
to October 2018’s total redesign.
The perfectly portable The entry-level model has a quad-
MacBook Air is Apple’s core, eighth-generation Intel Core i3,
most affordable notebook. while the step-up model gets a six-core
MacBook Air From

£999
Intel Core i5. A six-core Core i7 is a
build-to-order option. The base model
starts with 8GB of memory that can
Apple’s thinnest and lightest be teamed with Apple’s Pro Display be boosted to 64GB. All models come
laptop is also its cheapest, with XDR), plus Touch ID for secure logins, with SSDs as standard, going from
prices starting at just £999. Even and a Force Touch trackpad. 256GB all the way up to 2TB.
the step-up model costs just £1,299. The MacBook Air is also equipped As with other recent Macs, the Mac
– and both have vastly improved with two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, mini has the T2 security chip built in,
specs following their refresh in has 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 enabling HEVC encoding that’s up to
March 2020 with more power, onboard and is equipped with a 720p 30 times faster.
more storage and the same Magic FaceTime camera for video chats. The Mac mini benefits from speedy
Keyboard as the 16in MacBook Pro. One of the most compelling connectivity, with four Thunderbolt 3
It may be Apple’s cheapest reasons to buy a MacBook Air is its (USB-C) ports, as well as two USB-A
affordable laptop, but the MacBook legendarily long battery life, with ports and an HDMI 2.0. There’s also
Air certainly doesn’t feel it, thanks Apple quoting a maximum runtime the option of 10Gb Ethernet (£90).
to its 100% recycled aluminium of up to 12 hours when watching an
unibody, and a 13.3in LED-backlit iTunes movie, or 11 hours of wireless
Retina display, that has a resolution web surfing, thanks to its 49.9Whr
of 2560x1600 (227ppi) and True battery. Like the 16in MacBook Pro, EXPECTED
JUNE 2020
Tone, which automatically adjusts the new MacBook Air comes with
UPDATED
the display’s colour temperature Apple’s new Magic Keyboard, with SEP 2018
depending on the ambient light. replaces the butterfly mechanism
Inside the MacBook Air’s 1.61cm of old and replaces it with a scissor-
thin, 1.29kg body, you’ll find new switch version offering 1mm of key
10th-generation Intel Core i3 1.1GHz travel. It also comes with improved
dual-core processor in the entry-
level model and 8GB of 3,733MHz
LPDDR4X RAM (upgradeable to
stereo speakers and a 3.5mm
headphone socket. Apple TV From
£149
16GB). It also comes with a 256GB Choose a MacBook Air Apple’s media streamer has been
solid-state drive (SSD), twice what it around since 2007, when it ran Mac
had before. The step-up model gets MODEL KEY SPECIFICATIONS PRICE OS X 10.4 Tiger. Four generations
a 10th-generation Intel Core i5 later and it’s a different beast entirely,
ENTRY LEVEL
13in 1.1GHz MEMORY 8GB of £999

1.1GHz quad-core processor, with a dual-core 3,733MHz LPDDR4X running its own OS (tvOS) and available
1.2GHz quad-core Core i7 available Intel Core i3 GRAPHICS Intel Iris in Apple TV HD (£149) and Apple TV
Plus Graphics
as a £250 build-to-order option. The STORAGE 256GB SSD 4K (from £179) guises. Both enable you
step-up model also get a 512GB SSD TOUCH BAR No to rent and buy movies and TV shows
(again twice what it had before), TOUCH ID Yes from the iTunes Store. Plus you also
although you can add up to 2TB get Apple TV+, as well as access to
UPGRADER
13in 1.1GHz MEMORY 8GB of £1,299

of SSD storage for £800. quad-core 3,733MHz LPDDR4X third-party content using apps such as
Intel Core i5 GRAPHICS Intel Iris
The 2020 MacBook Air also Plus Graphics BBC iPlayer. You can also use it to play
includes Intel Iris Plus integrated STORAGE 512GB SSD Apple Arcade games, stream photos
graphics (although it also offers TOUCH BAR No and your music library, and more.
TOUCH ID Yes
external GPU support and can even

Apple kit STORE GUIDE
EXPECTED
EXPECTED MAR 2021
LATE 2020 UPDATED
EXPECTED UPDATED MAR 2020
LATE 2020 MAR 2019
UPDATED
APR 2020
iPhone From
£419 iPad From
£349 iPad Pro From
£769
Apple’s smartphone line-up now In September 2019, Apple updated The 2020 iPad Pro comes with 11in
comprises three different models – the 9.7in iPad to 10.2in with smart and 12.9in display options. There’s a
the iPhone SE, the iPhone 11 and the keyboard support. The iPad retains the Liquid Retina display, plus built-in Face
iPhone 11 Pro. Launched in April 2020, A10 Fusion chip and 10 hours of battery. ID that works in any orientation. Both
the iPhone SE features Apple’s A13 It also supports the Smart Keyboard models have the A12Z Bionic chip, and
Bionic processor and a choice of 64GB, and the first-gen Apple Pencil. a USB-C connector. The optional Apple
128GB and 256GB storage options, plus Built for iPadOS, the iPad is great at Pencil now charges wirelessly and
a 4.7in IPS LCD display, 12MP main multitasking. You can slide a second app attaches magnetically, and there’s a
camera with Portrait photography over the right side of the one you’re new optional Magic Keyboard (From
modes, plus 4K video recording, Touch working on. Picture in Picture enables £299) with trackpad - which is now
ID and Haptic Touch. you to watch video in a corner of the fully supported in macOS 13.4
The mid-range iPhone 11 has the screen. There’s also Split View, which
same A13 processor and storage options, lets you work on two apps side by side.
but boasts a 6.1in Liquid Retina display, iPad also supports external drives, as
EXPECTED
Wide and Ultra-Wide 12MP cameras, plus well as the Xbox Wireless Controller and LATE 2020
Face ID for easy unlocking and Apple’s the PlayStation DualShock 4 for a more UPDATED
SEP 2019
new U1 chip for ‘spatial awareness’, immersive gaming experience.
improved AirDrop performance and
device-tracking capabilities.
The iPhone 11 Pro goes further still,
The iPad comes in Gold, Silver and
Space Grey with 32GB or 128GB options.
At 483g, it is light yet the recycled
Watch
From £399 (Series 5)
offering a triple-lens rear camera system aluminium enclosure is one of the
and up to 512GB of on-board storage. most durable built by Apple. The world’s number
one smartwatch now
comes with an always-on
Choose an iPhone Choose an iPad Retina display.
Along with the two size options (40
MODEL KEY SPECIFICATIONS PRICE MODEL KEY SPECIFICATIONS PRICE and 44mm), the Watch is available in
iPhone SE CAPACITY: 64GB £419 10.2in iPad CAPACITY 32GB £349
ENTRY LEVEL
ENTRY LEVEL
aluminium, stainless steel, titanium

(4.7in IPS PROCESSOR: A13 Bionic PROCESSOR A10
and ceramic options. The Nike and
LCD with TOUCH ID Yes CONNECTIVITY Wi-Fi
True Tone) CAMERA 12MP photos CAMERA 8MP Hermès editions have also been
(single lens), 4K video UNLOCKING Touch ID updated for Series 5.
Series 5 comes with a built-in digital
UPGRADER
UPGRADER
iPhone 11 CAPACITY: 64GB £729 10.5in CAPACITY 64GB £479

(6.1in Liquid PROCESSOR: A13 Bionic iPad Air PROCESSOR A12 compass along with new health
Retina HD) FACE ID Yes CONNECTIVITY Wi-Fi features available on watchOS 6
CAMERA 12MP photos CAMERA 8MP
(dual lens), 4K video UNLOCKING Touch ID including a headphone audio-level
check and menstrual cycle tracking.
HIGH END
HIGH END
iPhone 11 CAPACITY: 64GB £1,149 12.9in CAPACITY 128GB £969

Pro (5.8in PROCESSOR: A13 Bionic iPad Pro PROCESSOR A12Z
The 64-bit S5 processor promises
Super FACE ID Yes CONNECTIVITY Wi-Fi a faster experience, while retaining
Retina XDR) CAMERA 12MP photos CAMERA 12MP the same 18-hour battery life.
(triple lens), 4K video UNLOCKING Face ID

STORE GUIDE Accessories
BEST BUYS… Curated picks of third-party kit
MONITOR MICROPHONE MULTIROOM SPEAKER

Dell P2219HC Blue Designs Yeti X Libratone Zipp 2
£170 dell.com £159.99 bluedesigns.com £279 libratone.com/uk
Podcasting and The Zipp 2 is louder,

streaming are what all the smarter and better in
cool kids are doing these every way than its
days and you can grab a predecessor. With a
piece of the action with great 12-hour battery
Dell’s monitor offers great colour this brilliant four-capsule life, you can enjoy your
accuracy and impressive performance microphone. Its recording music on the go for longer.
at a very affordable price. The monitor quality is superb and we The speaker also comes
packs four USB-A ports, one USB-C, two love the LED sound level with Amazon Alexa built
DisplayPorts and an HDMI input, all with a indicators at the front, which gives you in, making it handy for dictating your
21.5-inch 1920x1080 resolution screen. It’s at-a-glance guide to how loud (or quiet) shopping lists or notes, or controlling
also lightweight and easy to move. you are when you’re chatting away. your smart home.
IN-EAR EARPHONES HEADPHONES EXTERNAL SSD

M&D MW07 Plus Beats Solo Pro Samsung T7 Touch SSD 1TB
£299 masterdynamic.com £269.95 beatsbydre.com £194 samsung.com/uk
Master & Dynamic’s The latest Beats This SSD from

MW07 Plus offer 10 headphones pack an Samsung offers just
hours of listening time, impressive 40-hour the right balance
and the charging case battery life and Active between speed,
holds an additional Noise Cancellation. security and
three charges (so you We love the unfold portability. The sleek
get 40 hours in total). These great- to power design and 58g device comes with a fingerprint
sounding earbuds are IPX5 rated, so sound reproduction sensor built in, offering an extra layer
they’re excellent for workouts and is excellent. Powered by Apple’s H1 of security. With a transfer speed of
commuting. The marble-effect finish gives processor, the Solo Pro also offer simple 1.05GBps, moving files with this SSD is
them a premium aesthetic, as does the pairing, Hey Siri detection and audio lightning quick. It also comes with USB-C
stainless steel charging case. sharing with iOS 13. connectivity and AES 256-bit encryption.
PRINTER WI-FI ROUTER MACBOOK BAG

Canon Pixma G6050 Zyxel Multy U WSR30 STM Goods Myth
£319.99 canon.co.uk £199 zyxel.com/uk £100 stmgoods.com
Zyxel’s Multy U Winner of issue

mesh router hits the 336’s group test,
sweet spot, offering this backpack has
great performance had every element
With a refillable ink tank, the Canon at a competitive of its build carefully
Pixma is both economical and price, making it ideal considered. From the
environmental friendly. With four large for homes and small offices. The AC2100 pocket that lifts your
tanks and a 250-sheet main paper tray, router offers up to 280Mbps with a range MacBook off the
the printer comes in a surprisingly of 6,000sq ft, and the nodes are easy on ground, to the little extras like supersoft
compact design. It also integrates a the eye, too. The companion app comes pockets and the key clip, you’ll find this
scanner, Ethernet port and USB and with helpful speed tests and diagnostic a functional and comfortable option for
Wi-Fi Direct printing, but lacks NFC. tools, as well as parental controls. carrying your MacBook and more.
Image credits (left to right, top to bottom): Dell, Blue Designs, Libratone,
86 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 Master & Dynamic, Apple, Samsung, Canon, Zyxel, STM Goods
Software STORE GUIDE
BEST BUYS… Curated picks of additional apps
PHOTO EDITOR (MAC) VIDEO EDITOR (MAC) WRITING APP (MAC/iOS)

Luminar 4 Screenflow 9 Drafts 17
£81 skylum.com £129 telestream.net Free (Mac) ia.net
Photo-editing apps ScreenFlow enables you Drafts is a fuss-free text

don’t come much easier to create professional- editor and Markdown app
to use than this. Used looking videos with tools that’s ideal for all forms
as a standalone app or like animation, tiling and of writing, whether you’re
as a plugin for Photos, graphics. With version 9, making notes or drafting
Photoshop or Lightroom, it delivers you get multiscreen recording, a new complex documents. The latest version, 17,
artificial intelligence smarts to help tool palette, keyboard shortcuts, an Adobe brings several new features over from the
make your images look their best – Premiere-like clip editor, and proxy editing iOS version, including Actions which
whether you’re just tweaking colours for producing high resolution videos enables you to link your drafts to other
and contrast or replacing grey skies with without taxing your Mac. Screenflow’s apps, such as Evernote or Google Docs.
AI replacements. Luminar 4 is particularly advanced tools make this a great way to Version 17 also includes Touch Bar support
good at enhancing portraits too. record and edit videos of your Mac screen. and the ability to post to Medium.
REMINDERS APP (MAC/iOS) UTILITY (MAC) SYSTEM ENHANCEMENT (MAC)

Things 3 Carbon Copy Cloner 5 Bartender 3
£48.99 (Mac)/£9.99 (iOS) £31.10 bombich.com £11.10 macbartender.com
culturedcode.com
When disaster strikes Some apps are so
The award-winning task and your hard drive fails, simple and effective
manager has been having a backup can be that you don’t know
redesigned to be more a lifesaver. This app how you lived without
powerful. Use Siri, Things’ makes creating and them. Bartender is one:
app extension and restoring from backups an absolute it lets you choose what appears in
widgets to create a quick to-do. Create breeze. It comes with a helpful guided the menu bar, and when things appear
projects and group them as you like. A restore feature, plus a Cloning Coach that too. You can set triggers, such as an app
today list offers an overview of the day monitors what you do and looks out for only appearing when it’s updating, and
ahead, and plan your day with your to-dos potential problems. If you’re looking to rearrange items. Bartender’s settings are
listed by your calendar. Tags offer easy clone or back up your hard drive, this clear and concise. It sounds simple, but
ways to search and customise your day. is the app you need. it’ll change the way you use your Mac.
PHOTO EDITOR (iOS) PRODUCTIVITY APP (MAC/iOS) EMAIL MANAGER (MAC/iOS)

Pixelmator Fantastical 3 Spark
£4.99 pixelmator.com From £3.25 per month Free sparkmailapp.com
flexibits.com
Pixelmator is a full- Feeling inbox anxiety?
fledged layer-based If your calendar and The solution could be
photo editor, graphic reminders are getting out Spark, our favourite
design and painting app. of control, Fantastical can iPhone email app after
It offers over 100 sort things out. It has winning MF #340’s
brushes, dozens of tools and 32 blending support for natural group test. Its ‘smart inbox’ prioritises
modes giving you full control, all for a language entry, so you can enter events emails based on perceived importance –
really affordable price. The app works with and reminders as you would say them. It’s no more vital messages getting lost in
iCloud to sync all your projects across got a nifty menu bar shortcut, plus a great a sea of spam. You can snooze messages
devices including Mac. It also supports interface, clever calendar management to be reminded about them later, and
formats like PSD, PNG and JPEG, making and a powerful iOS app. Its predecessor search your mailboxes using natural
it the best app for all your graphic needs. won MF #338’s group test. language. And to top it all off, it’s free.
Image credits (left to right, top to bottom): Skylum, Telestream, Information Architects,
Haha Interactive, Bombich Software, Surtees Studios, Pixelmator, Flexibits, Readdle AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 87
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EDITORIAL
Editor ROB MEAD-GREEN
Art Editor PAUL BLACHFORD
Operations Editor JO MEMBERY
Head of Art & Design RODNEY DIVE
Group Art Director JO GULLIVER
CONTRIBUTORS
EDITORIAL: Adam Banks, Alex Blake, Matt Bolton, George Cairns,
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Carrie Marshall, Howard Oakley, Nick Peers, Rene Ritchie,
Olivia Tambini
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Group Editor-in-Chief GRAHAM BARLOW
Group Operations Director ANGIE LYONS-REDMAN
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GOODBYE Until next issue…
RANDOM APPLE MEMORY
30-inch Cinema Display

The 32–inch Pro Display XDR isn’t Apple’s first foray
into extra–large screens, recalls Adam Banks
nveiling it at WWDC 2004, Steve compatible model, to provide the dual-link

U Jobs called the 30-inch Cinema
Display “the largest desktop
DVI connection required.
Although Apple claimed wide viewing
canvas ever created”. With a resolution angles, reviewers found significant colour
of 2560x 1600, the 16:10 TFT LCD not only shifts when pixels were viewed from as little as
boasted an unheard-of four million pixels but 45° off-centre. The screen was so big the edges
also a dramatically imposing physical size. would always be viewed obliquely unless you
Compared to the regular 23-inch Cinema sat so far away that you couldn’t see details
Display, the 30-inch screen had 70% greater clearly. For video, animation and game
area. From a normal working distance, it creators, the 16-millisecond response time
could feel overwhelming. wasn’t fast enough to avoid ghosting on fast
Just two inches thick, with a flat slab design motion, drawing unfavourable comparisons
mounted on a tilting stand, the aluminium-clad with CRT image quality. And despite the
panel seemed impressively slim compared to relative stability of the LCD matrix, the
the cathode-ray tube monitors still lingering in cold-cathode fluorescent backlighting
professional use, even if its wide bezels (similar wasn’t even and would fade over time.
to a modern iMac, but part of the metal case Still, the 30-inch was a popular studio
rather than glazed over) look clunky with purchase, manufactured for six years before
hindsight. The price of £2,549 didn’t include being replaced by the 27-inch 2560x1440
upwards of £449 for the new Nvidia GeForce LED-backlit Cinema Display costing just £899.
6800 Ultra graphics cards that had to be With the launch of Apple’s 32-inch Pro Display NEXT ISSUE ON SALE
installed in the Power Mac G5, the only XDR, however, premium big screens are back. 28 JULY

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The UK’s best-selling Apple magazine

THE AMAZING NEW Make docs

> Ultra-portable powerhouse on test – the definitive verdict

Digital detox tips 5 best laptop bags Photoshop for iPad

Mac iPhone iPad Watch iCloud iTunes Photos

macformatuk.tumblr.com facebook.com/macformat twitter.com/macformat Instagram.com/MacFormatUK

AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 3

4 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 macformat.com @macformat

32 Plan a journey APPLE CHOICE

APPLE SKILLS DIGITAL REVIEW

30 ENHANCE IMAGES DETOX

macformat.com @macformat AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 5

The ageing iMac should ﬁnally be getting

Email your queries to

Join the conversation at

6 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020

iMac Pro will presumably get a refresh too

8 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 macformat.com @macformat

APP OF THE MONTH

PortraitPro 19 £69.90 Women In Music

Image credits (left to right, top to bottom):

Crave THE GEAR WE’RE LUSTING AFTER

10 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 Image credit: AOC

> Hankering after a more colourful (and

> If the Nimbus+ seems custom-made for Apple

Logitech Circle View

> Designed to work with Apple’s HomeKit, the

12 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 Image credit: Boinx Software

Win One of 10 copies of the brilliant

macformat.com @macformat AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 13

14 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 macformat.com @macformat

Create top-quality documents with Pages, Numbers

A empower you to make

macformat.com @macformat AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 15

1 Create and apply styles

HOW TO Create master objects

1 Add a regular object

16 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 macformat.com @macformat

Click Document in the toolbar to open

5 Add screenshots 6 Insert a hyperlink

You can add images from your

macformat.com @macformat AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 17

A happier that we’re not

1 Use two or more screens

2 Tailor your view

18 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 macformat.com @macformat

1 Simple style replication

Think about using this to broadcast

5 Control from iOS

macformat.com @macformat AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 19

1 The Function button

HOW TO Manage a league

1 Set up the table

20 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 macformat.com @macformat

2 Work your workdays

5 Copy from old versions

6 Take visual stock

7 Relatives and absolutes

macformat.com @macformat AUGUST 2020 | MACFORMAT | 21

shrinking its size in advance (File >

In Finder, shared status is listed next to filenames

22 | MACFORMAT | AUGUST 2020 macformat.com @macformat

6 Check what’s shared

Our tutorials and guides

MacFormat is for Apple fans of all