Macworld Negative criticism is fun, as Anton Ego so wisely observed. And I had a lot of fun this week watching Marques Brownlees polite demolition of the Humane AI pin, which he described as the worst product Ive ever reviewed. Not just a solution in search of a problem, but a future in search of a present. Humanes product, a chunky AI-powered pin that sits on your lapel and operates by voice and gesture rather than possessing any kind of screen, is riddled with problems. Some of these feel like

Macworld At a glance Pros Reliable, easy to set up, and good at working behind the scenes to create backup archives Easy to migrate Time Machine data over to new Macs as needed Good level of encryption-based security for backup data Cons Almost exclusively local backups rather than cloud-based backups Limited backup scheduling options Restore interface can be confusing Our Verdict Time Machine remains an outstanding solution for local backups on your Mac, but backups require an external drive, n

Macworld Any professional knows that data is critical. However, what may be more important is breaking down large or complex data sets into a manner that other collaborators or colleagues can understand. Microsoft offers top-rated diagramming tools in Microsoft Visio Professional 2021, and through April 22, lifetime access is only $19.97 (reg. $249). In addition to the shape and tool library from the standard edition of Visio, the Professional version adds a broader library that can be expanded

Macworld Watching what you want to watch on a hotel TV can be frustrating, especially now that so much of TV is dominated by streaming services. Customers rejoiced when Apple announced the iOS 17 feature at WWDC last summer that hotels would soon support AirPlay in a secure fashion on their hotel TVs, but the feature has taken quite a while to actually roll out. Starting today, anyone with iOS 17.3 or later can use AirPlay at up to 60 select IHG hotels in North America. You can see the full list

Macworld You probably have a lot of online accounts, and in order to remember your login details you are quite likely to reuse those same few passwords over and over again. Perhaps you even have a document with them all in. Its perfectly understandable, but definitely not safe. We know that its important to use an original password for each account and update them on a regular basis, but it can be a Herculean task trying to retain that information in our heads. This is made even more challenging

Macworld At a glance Expert's Rating Pros Powerful Good design Several adapters Four charging ports Cons Relatively heavy Our Verdict The Satechi 145 W USB-C Gan Travel Charger makes life easier when traveling. You can replace all your chargers with this one. Its also just as perfect to keep at home on your desk. Plenty of wattage and ports (as well as different plugs) make it a great buy. Price When Reviewed $119.99 Best Prices Today: Satechi 145W USB-C GaN Travel Charger Retailer Price $119.99

Macworld When the iPhone 16 line launches this September, we expect it to usher in a new A-series processor. As has been the case in the last few years, the top-end Pro models will get a new processor while the regular iPhone 16 non-Pro models will likely get a version of the A17 Pro chip found in this years iPhone 15 Pro. As we do every year, well look at the history and performance of the A-series processors from the last several years, along with the recent rumors and overall industry trends,

Macworld If you lost one or both left and right pieces of your Nintendo Switch controller or simply want an upgrade in your Switch gamings style and function , this deal is for you. Save 27% when you order this Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch, which features RGB lights, while its on sale for only $30.99 (reg. $42). This controllers new chip technology offers a more responsive, connected experience. Its also made with durable, non-slip ABS material so your controllers can keep up with you

Macworld Install the April 2024 iWork update and youll gain access to a new feature thats decades old: noncontiguous text selection. Put simply, it means you can select text that doesnt flow continuously from one letter to the next. This lets you select multiple areas of text for manual formatting or character styles all at once instead of one at a time. (Apple doesnt let you use Find & Replace to select everything that matches the Find field, however.) To make a noncontiguous selection: Start b

Macworld At a glance Expert's Rating Pros Clean design Great password generator Dark web monitoring Cons No support for Passkeys Past security problems Our Verdict LastPass remains a good password manager, but time seems to have passed it by when compared to some of its rivals. Price When Reviewed Free tier (one device); $3 per month, billed annually Best Prices Today: LastPass Retailer Price LastPass (annually) $36 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price

Macworld If you werent on X/Twitter over the weekend, you missed out on the latest iPhone outrage. As first spotted by British television presenter Rachel Riley , when the word Jerusalem was typed using the stock keyboard, one of the suggested emojis was the Palestinian flag, which Riley and others saw as a deliberate provocation. In her post, Riley asked Apple to explain whether this is an intentional act by your company, or whether you have no control over rogue programmers. Both Israel and Pa

Macworld At a glance Expert's Rating Pros Plenty of features, Excellent password generator Solid security Huge value Family & Friends package Cons No native desktop apps Free tier limited to 25 passwords Our Verdict Great tools, password management features, and a surprisingly generous family and friends package, makes Dashlane one of the very best password managers around. Price When Reviewed $4.99 per month, $59.99 a year Best Prices Today: Dashlane Retailer Price Dashlane (annually) $59.99 Vi

Macworld Last week, my family and Ilike so many others in the U.S.hopped in a car to try and catch sight of a total eclipse . And, like so many other parents, I planned to distract my kid for some part of this lengthy adventure with an iPad. As my kid is still under two, there hasnt been a lot of time spent with screens, aside from occasionally playing a game on our phones or watching some videos of trains. This marked the first time I planned to actually hand over a whole devicealbeit still wit

Macworld If youre a Nintendo Switch gaming fan, you may want a smoother way to transition your Switch to TV mode, as well as an accessory that charges up your Switch without harming it. The solution? This portable Switch dock charger brick , which is now only $35.99 (reg. $39). The nearly 2-inch, 36W dock is ultra-portable and can easily slip into a pocket for on-the-go play wherever you go. Its outfitted with a 4K@60Hz HDMI output, making it simple to plug into any larger monitor for the fully

Macworld At a glance Expert's Rating Pros Powerful security Supports Passkeys Can store other secure information Cons Appearance is clean but a little tame Our Verdict An easy to use and reliable password manager with strong security and useful features. Price When Reviewed $2.99 per month, $36 a year Best Prices Today: 1Password Retailer Price 1Password (annually) $36 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Passwords are one of

Macworld USB-C is the modern connection standard shared by most new devices today. It comes in several different formats but they all have the same reversible connector at the end. By the end of 2023, most of Apples devices will use USB-C for charging and data transfers. Lightning was also reversiblewhere it doesnt matter which side of the connector faces up or down as you plug it inso no big change there, but USB-C is much more than just a symmetrical design. It can transfer data fasterpushing

Macworld Ready to travel on your own but not comfortable with your grasp of your destinations local language? You can make language barriers disappear with a pair of translation earbuds . With the ability to translate 37 different languages to eliminate language gaps, the Mymanu CLIK S could become your new travel best friend. Through April 21, theyre on sale for only $89.97 (reg. $157) These translation earbuds earned the 2019 CES Innovation Award and a Red Dot Award for their ruggedness and ea

Macworld Achievement badges are a funny thing. You know theyre just a simple little bit of visual flair, they dont even do anything, and yet for some reason you just have to collect them. Achievements are great motivators, and the achievement badges for the activity tracking on the Apple Watch have inspired many users to get more exercise. If you want to maximize your badge count, youre going to want to chase down as many activity achievements as you can. Most are available year-round, but there

Macworld Whether you have a MacBook Air or a Mac mini, you can always use more ports. And todays deal turns one port into seven with this ultra-portable dock on sale for a whopping 60 percent off: Amazon is selling the Baseus 7-in-1 USB-C Docking Station for $16 , a savings of $23 and the best price weve ever seen. This mini portable dock connects to your Mac with a single built-in USB-C cable and adds seven ports: HDMI, three USB-A ports, an SD/TF card slot, and USB-C PD. The HDMI port can powe

Macworld Following a brief sojourn at the top of the table, Apple has dropped down to the number-two spot (by units shipped) in the global smartphone market. According to IDCs figures for the first quarter of 2024, Samsung has moved back to the top position with 60.1 million shipments, a market share of 20.8 percent. Apple is in second place with 50.1 million (17.3 percent) while the Chinese firm Xiaomi sits in third place with 40.8 million units and a share of 14.1 percent. Samsung outperformed

Macworld Son, your mother and I want to talk to you about AI. No, dont get up. Look, we dont want you to learn about it on the streets. Because its an ugly business. The Macalope probably doesnt have to detail the many problems with AI. First of all, its a misnomer. Calling todays large language models artificial intelligence is like calling the first combustion engine a warp drive. Second, much like a coal furnace, all these various constructs have to be fed a corpus of content in order to be a

Macworld Microsoft 365 puts all the most useful apps you and your family need in the cloud, so you can tap into them anywhere. This Microsoft 365 Family subscription gives you 15 months of access for six people, with an extra 20% off with code ENJOY20 through April 21. Microsoft 365 gives you access to the full-featured versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel, PowerPoint, and more, offering productivity apps in use by companies across the world. You also get other tools like the video editing suite

Macworld While Apple silicon has done great things for the Mac, Apple has yet to settle on a predictable update cycle for its Mac lineup. Along with shifting release schedules, each generation of chips has skipped a model without a clear reason why. The Mac Pro and high-end Mac mini never got the M1 chip. The iMac completely skipped the M2. And the M3 hasnt made it to the Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. But a new report claims the M4 will finally put the entire Mac lineup on a level playing f

Macworld iPhone owners feeling skeptical about the reliability of AI may be pleased to hear that Apples take on the technology will probably work on device rather than via the cloud. Initially, at any rate. Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman made the revelation in the Q&A portion of this weeks Power On newsletter . As the world awaits Apples big AI unveiling [at WWDC ] on June 10, it looks like the initial wave of features will work entirely on device, he said (via MacRumors ). That means theres no

Macworld Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy bite-sized roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but its cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too. Big news Its been a rollercoaster ride for the iPhone SE since the glory days of the second-gen model from 2020, with rather more downs than ups. But now, based on a series of unex

Macworld Youve spent hours working on an Excel workbook on a MacBook, but now its gone. Or, when you exit an Excel file, you unintentionally select Dont Save. Is this to say that your entire effort has been in vain? This article systematically explains how to recover lost Excel files on a Mac . With our 4 methods, you can recover unsaved Excel files quickly. After selecting the Dont Save option or shutting down the MacBook without saving files, the Excel file vanishes on the Mac. Then, you shoul

Macworld Of the big Apple events of the year, WWDC is the most reliable: In each of the past 17 Junes, like clockwork, Apple has held a big get-together for its developer partners and announced a raft of important software updates. The September iPhone launch and the March/April spring event (which didnt happen in 2023) seem almost unpredictable by comparison. In this article, we list the major announcements (and some of the smaller titbits) you can expect to hear about at WWDC 2024. Some of the

Macworld With the release of the M3 MacBook Air about a month ago, Apples laptop lineup became up-to-date, with each MacBook sporting some version of the M3 chip, the latest in Apple silicon. So, now it should be time for the other shoe to drop: the updates to the desktop Mac lineup. But of the four models in Apples desktop Mac lineup, only one has an M3 chip, the iMac . That update came five months ago after a two-year wait, and we dont even know if the rest of the lines are going to get an upd

Macworld Microsoft is a world leader in tech because of its vast range of useful applications and software solutions. For those who are interested in a variety of the most popular selections, you can save with this limited-time bundle deal. Through April 16th at 11:59 PM PT only, you can save on this Ultimate 2019 Microsoft Bundle featuring Microsoft Office, Visio, and Windows with code ENJOY20 bringing the rate down to $79.99 (reg. $927). Project Professional features pre-built templates and da

Macworld How do you get someplace youve never been? No trick question here you need a map. Its the same answer for if youre trying to reach a goal or deal with complex data sets, but in that case, you need a diagram. Fortunately, Microsoft Visio Professional 2021 is the necessary tool for creating crisp, easy-to-understand visuals, and lifetime access is only $23.99 (reg. $249) with code ENJOY20 through April 16. Whether youre an architect or analyst, you can use Visios over 250,000 shapes and

Macworld Apples M3-series MacBook Pro was released in the fall of 2023, but Apple has seemingly put the laptop on a more frequent update cycle, with reports of an M4 MacBook Pro hitting the rumor mill. Well see more rumors between now and the M4 MacBook Pro release. This article will keep track of whats being reported, as well as offer a perspective based on Apples current lineup. MacBook Pro M4: Release date Apple has yet to make a big impression in the AI market, which is sizzling hot right no

Macworld Mac security software adds another layer of protection to what Apple already provides, with features that can help to protect your identity, passwords, and financial details. These are the things that criminals are after, and theyll often use cunning ways to extract them rather than spending time trying to break past Apples defenses in macOS. Although some of the packages here are solely focused on macOS, others will also protect Android and Windows devices you might also own, and that

Macworld Its been a long time since you could only buy aniPhonedirectly from Apple or from AT&T. Today, they are offered by all major carriers and big retailers, many of which try to entice you with special deals. Of course, you can still buy from Apple directly , either in-store or online, but the lowest prices can generally be found elsewhere. If you havent yet put in your order for aniPhone 14oriPhone 14 Pro, this article will help you to spend as little money as possible. We provide a summar

Macworld If youre looking for an iPhone but dont want to spend a fortune, the third-gen iPhone SE , Apples cheapest current handset, is the phone for you. It features a powerful processor (the A15, which also appeared in the flagship iPhone 13 Pro from 2021) at an affordable price, starting at $429 in the U.S. or 429 in the U.K. For a phone thats even cheaper, however, you may want to consider the second-gen iPhone SE from 2020. Apple no longer sells this device itself, but other vendors may sti

Macworld If youre looking to buy an iPhone 12 (or 12 mini, 12 Pro, or 12 Pro Max), make sure you get a terrific deal. Following the iPhone 15 launch, retailers will be looking to clear out any remaining stock; until they do, you can expect great deals on the iPhone 12 range, whether SIM-free or on contract. There are some great discounts on refurbished models too. In this article we look at every major retailer and contract provider to find the best deals for the iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro and 1

Macworld Its been a long time since you could only get aniPhonedirectly from Apple or from AT&T. Today, they are offered by all major carriers and big retailers, and many of them want to entice you to buy with them by offering special deals. Of course, you can still buy from Apple directly , either in-store or online, but you can probably find a lower price elsewhere. Thats particularly relevant if youre looking at devices that Apple itself no longer sells. The company still sells the iPhone 13

Macworld Google this week announced that its suite of AI-based photo-editing tools will imminently be available to all Google Photos users without a subscription. In the past, many of these features were restricted to Googles own hardware; Magic Editor, for example, initially launched on Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, while Magic Eraser started out as a Pixel 6 exclusive. But this development means iPhone owners can enjoy access to the same tools without having to switch to an Android handset. And wit

Macworld At a glance Expert's Rating Pros Inductive charging abd magnetic hold on iPad Two different tips at both ends Available in five colors Cons Serious lag with Adobe Photoshop Our Verdict The Pro Stylus 2 is a good alternative to the Apple Pencil. It attaches magnetically to the iPad Air and iPad Pro and is charged at the same time. The Pro Stylus 2 also performs perfectly wellunless youre using Adobe Photoshop. Price When Reviewed $79.99 Best Prices Today: Zagg Pro Stylus 2 Retailer Price

Macworld I was recently visiting my parents when I got the dreaded question: I think my Mac has a virus but I thought Macs didnt get viruses? They were obviously a little concerned and somewhat embarrassed that they could have allowed something to happen to their Mac. First off: yes, your Mac can get a virus , though it is still somewhat rare. After all, there are far fewer viruses in the wild to attack macOS than Windows, and way more PCs than Macs in the world. But there are Mac attacks in the

Macworld Even non-coders probably know how important Python is to the tech ecosystem, but what you may not know is how easy it is to learn with the right training. The 2024 Python for Software Engineering Bundle is the perfect entry point for self-starters, with a focus on hands-on education. In these seven online courses youll get a quick but thorough introduction to the basics that allows you to grasp operators and object-oriented programming in general. For there, its a short leap to a step-

Macworld Most credit-card and debit-card numbers are a sequence of 16 digits, with the final number in the sequence being a checksum, or a calculated number that was once useful in checking that a card number provided was legitimate. Card numbers can easily be stolen in a lot of ways, including thieves obtaining lists of numbers that were issued through people working in the industry, subverting databases, or even hijacking websites and intercepting data. One technique to reduce the misuse of ca

Macworld Your iPhone 15 finally comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable that can charge all of your devices, but you still need a power adaptersomething small, portable, reliable, and fast. Weve got the perfect one for you: Amazon is selling Apples 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter for $40 , a savings of $19 (when you click the coupon on the page) and the lowest price weve ever seen. This power adapter is a little pricey at $59, but for $40 it checks all the boxes: a compact design, downward-f

Macworld A month ago, we told you about the release of Speedometer 3.0 , a new web performance testing benchmark that aims to provide a more fair and representative measure of how a web browser performs at modern web tasks. Unlike earlier versions of Speedometer, which were made more or less by Apples WebKit team, version 3.0 is made in a collaboration between Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla with a new governance model to agree upon what tests are important representations of the modern we

Macworld Apple plans to make a big splash with its Mac releases this year. According to Bloombergs Mark Gurman, the Mac will get an overhaul with an M4 chip that is designed with big AI enhancements. Gurman reports that every Mac model will be updated with an M4, which will come in at least three main varieties. Gurman states that the new wave of AI-enhanced Macs could start later this year and continue into 2025. The AI-enhanced M4 rollout begins with the MacBook Pro, the Mac mini, and iMacs. I

Macworld The M2 Max and Ultra Mac Studio were released at WWDC23 last June, and the M3 era of Apples System on a Chip started last November. So, with WWDC24 creeping up on us, its time to start looking forward to the next Mac Studio. The rumors will start to increase as June 2024 approaches, and whatever is reported now can change (and likely will) before the new Mac Studio is released. Well keep track of whats being said in this article. Update 4/11/24 : Apple is reportedly testing a Mac Studio

Macworld Apple on Wednesday alerted certain users in 92 countries that they may have been the target of spyware. As reported by TechCrunch , the email that was sent said, Apple detected that you are being targeted by a mercenary spyware attack that is trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID -xxx-. Apples message specifically points out that this is a targeted attack on specific users, not a widespread one on the masses. This attack is likely targeting you specifica

Macworld VPN services can give you online privacy, unblock regional content on streaming services like Netflix, iPlayer, Max, and Prime, and allow you to access websites that arent available in your region. They are also an essential tool if you have a MacBook and want to securely connect to open Wi-Fi networks in cafes, hotels, airports and other places. We can help you find the cheapest VPN to suit your needs. Choosing which VPN service to subscribe to can be difficult and this is compounded b

Macworld Apples list of currently available content for Apple TV+ continues to grow, and so does the list of upcoming projects in the works. Films, limited series, specials, and multi-season seriesApples got lots of irons in the fire.d Some of these projects have been officially announced and acknowledged by Apple, while others have been reported by the Hollywood press, which always has its ear to the ground about what projects actors, directors, and producers are involved in. Weve divided this

Macworld It probably wont surprise anyone that the iPhone 16 will have some minor differences from the iPhone 15. Slimmer bezels, a slightly different arrangement of cameras on the back, a new processor, and so on. Now, a pair of new rumors gives us some possible insight into other changes from last years iPhone. First, we have a leaker from Chinese social media site Weibo with an unproved track record who claims to have battery figures for this years iPhone 16 models (compared to the iPhone 15

Macworld According to a report by DigiTimes (subscription required), chip maker TSMC is on schedule with its 2nm manufacturing process, which could mean that Apple will start using 2nm chips as soon as next year. TSMC may be able to start trial runs of 2nm later this year, with small production runs following that, and larger production starting later in 2025. The timing seems to indicate that the A19 processor in the 2025 iPhone Pro would be the first 2nm chip. That could be followed by a 2nm M