The best MacBook for every studentand how to get the best price

Macworld When it comes to buying a MacBook for school, students are usually in a situation where personal budgets are tight and money needs to be spent wisely. Its not enough to say that students need the right amount of processing power for the work at handstudents also need to get a good deal and a machine that will last for many years. Finding a good deal is a chore, but were here to help. Our automatically-updated price comparison tool helps to make sure youre getting the best deal and on top of that, we hand-pick deals we think you should look at. What follows below are our MacBook recommendations for students, along with the top deals. Beyond that, we offer tips and information you should know about shopping as a student, so you can save money. Read on, or click the links in the Table of Contents to skip to the section youre interested in. Read our guide for the best Macs for students if youre interested in a desktop or laptop computer. Best MacBook Air deals right now Here are some of the best deals we are seeing right now. Best U.S. MacBook Air deals for students Walmart, 13-inch Macbook Air (M1, 256GB SSD) : $649 ($350 off, MSRP was $999) Amazon, 13-inch MacBook Air (M2, 256GB SSD) : $889 ($100 off, MSRP, $999) Amazon: 13-inch MacBook Air (M4, 256GB SSD) : $999 ($100 off MSRP, $1,099) Best U.K. MacBook Air deals for students KRCS, 13-inch MacBook Air, M3 (10-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB) 1,424 (75 off, RRP 1,499) KRCS, 15-inch MacBook Air, M3 (10-core GPU, 256GB) 1,234 (65 off, RRP 1,299) KRCS, 15-inch MacBook Air, M3 (10-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB) 1,614 (85 off, RRP 1,699) For more deals take a look at the bestMacBookAir deals this month . Best MacBook Pro deals right now Here are some of the best deals we are seeing right now. Best U.S. MacBook Pro deals for students Amazon, 14-inch MacBook Pro (M3, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 512GB ) : $1,399 ($200 off, MSRP $1,599) Amazon, 14-inch MacBook Pro (M3 Pro, 12-core GPU, 18-core GPU, 1TB) : $2,200 ($199 off, MSRP $2,399) Amazon, 16-inch MacBook Pro (M3 Pro, 12core CPU, 18core GPU, 512GB) : $2,349 ($150 off, MSRP $2,499) Best U.K. MacBook Pro deals for students Amazon, 14-inch MacBook Pro (M3 Pro, 10-core GPU, 14-core GPU, 512GB) : 1,540 (159 off, MSRP 1,699) Amazon, 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 (8-core CPU, 10-core GPU), 8GB RAM, 1TB SSD : 1,700 (199 off, MSRP 1,899) Amazon, 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro (11-core CPU, 14-core GPU), 18GB RAM, 512GB SSD : 1,880 (219 off, MSRP 2,099) Amazon, 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro (12-core CPU, 18-core GPU), 18GB RAM, 1TB SSD : 2,230 (269 off, MSRP 2,499) For up-to-date deals see: BestMacBookPro deals this month . Best MacBook for high school: M2 MacBook Air The MacBook Air is Apples most popular laptop, and for good reasonits an excellent combination of processing power, portability, and price. Its M-series processor handles every taskwriting papers, presentations, internet research, and even video and audio editing. And when your homework is done, kick back with an Apple TV show or escape with a video game. The best part is you can get one for less than $1,000. The M2 MacBook Air has a 13.3-inch Retina display, and inside its 2.7-pound (1.24-kilogram) body is an M2 processor with 8 CPU cores, 8 GPU cores, 8GB of memory, and a 256GB SSD. It has Wi-Fi built in for connecting to the internet, and two Thunderbolt/USB-C ports for connecting devices. And if you check Amazon or Best Buy , you can usually find it for $900 or lower. New Refurbished Retailer Price $899 View Deal $899 View Deal $989 View Deal $999 View Deal $999 View Deal $999 View Deal $1049 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price MacBook Air (2022) 13.3-inch Apple M2 8-core and 8-core GPU 8GB RAM SSD 256GB $826 View Deal MacBook Air (2022) 13.3-inch Apple M2 8-core and 10-core GPU 8GB RAM SSD 256GB $836.35 View Deal MacBook Air (2022) 13.3-inch Apple M2 8-core and 8-core GPU 8GB RAM SSD 256GB $839 View Deal Price comparison from Backmarket Best MacBook for college: M3 MacBook Air In college, youre taking a step up in your studies, so you need to step up your laptop with Apples M3 MacBook Air. It handles everything the M2 MacBook Air does, but its M3 processor is about 20 percent fasteryoull appreciate the faster speed when youre putting together complex presentations and videos. The display is also a little bigger and brighter. The $1,099 13-inch M3 MacBook Air has a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display, and it has an M3 processor with 8 CPU cores, 8 GPU cores, 8GB of memory, and a 256GB SSD. It weighs 2.7 pounds (1.24 kilograms), comes with Wi-Fi, and has two Thunderbolt/USB-C ports. New Refurbished Retailer Price $899 View Deal $899 View Deal $989 View Deal $999 View Deal $999 View Deal $999 View Deal $1049 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price MacBook Air (2022) 13.3-inch Apple M2 8-core and 8-core GPU 8GB RAM SSD 256GB $826 View Deal MacBook Air (2022) 13.3-inch Apple M2 8-core and 10-core GPU 8GB RAM SSD 256GB $836.35 View Deal MacBook Air (2022) 13.3-inch Apple M2 8-core and 8-core GPU 8GB RAM SSD 256GB $839 View Deal Price comparison from Backmarket Best for MacBook for graduate work: 14-inch M3 Pro MacBook Pro Apples 14-inch MacBook Pro comes with an M3 Pro processor, which is 18 percent faster than the M3 in the MacBook Air. If youre going into a field that involves a lot of data crunchingmultimedia and the arts, engineering, or computer science, just to name a fewyoull need a MacBook that can minimize the amount of time youll spend waiting to process data. The M3 Pro MacBook Pro is made for that. The $1,999 14-inch MacBook Pro has an M3 Pro with 11 CPU cores, 14 GPU cores, 18GB of memory, and a 512GB SSD. It has a Liquid Retina XDR display, three Thunderbolt/USB-C ports, an HDMI port, and an SDXC card slot. Retailer Price $1,699 View Deal $1749 View Deal $1999 View Deal $1999 View Deal $1999 View Deal $1999 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket How to use Apples Education Store For college students, teachers, faculty, and homeschool teachers of all grades, Apple offers discount pricing in its Education Store. The discounts range from $100/100 to $200/200, depending on the MacBook model. You can visit the Education Store in your country by clicking one of the links below. U.S. Apple Education Store U.K. Apple Education Store Canada Education Store Australia Education Store Students need to show proof of school registration to shop at the Apple Education Store. U.K. students need to register with UNiDAYS. We have a separate article with details on how to get an Apple student discount at Apples Education Store . Other ways to find MacBook deals The Apple Education Store discount is nice, but youll often find the same kind of markdown from third-party retailers. You can use our price comparison tool to see what retailers are offering, and we also hand-select deals in the section at the top of this page. Here are a few other ways to get a good price on a MacBook. Buy a refurbished MacBook. Apples Certified Refurbished Store often has good prices on laptops that are both current and past models. Refurbished products are fully reconditioned and are like newout of the box, you cant tell the difference between a refurbished and a new MacBook. The price savings can be goodmore than the Education Store discount. The only catch is that your choices are limited to whats in stock, which changes often. Buy an older model. With Apples M-series chips, the MacBooks performance has reached new heightsto a point where a lot of users arent anywhere near pushing the limit. Apple is currently on the M3 series of chips, which generally offers about 20 percent more performance than the previous M2 series. But that M2 series (or even the M1) is certainly no slouch, offering a significant boost over the Intel CPUs they replaced. The M2 MacBook Pro is not only worthy of your consideration performance-wise, but it also comes at attractive prices that are often much lower than those in the Education Store. For example, the 12-inch M2 MacBook Pro that was originally priced at $1,299 can be found online for $999.

Take $400 off the Studio Display and Mac Mini and create the iMac Pro Apple wont

Macworld While Apple may not seem to want to create its own iMac Pro, it doesnt matter because you can put it together yourself now that the Apple Studio Display and the Mac Mini are both on sale for the best prices weve ever seen. The superb Apple Studio Display with a height-adjustable stand is down to $1,750 , a savings of $200 from its usual $1,999, which is a superb discount for this particular model. At the same time, the Mac Mini with an M2 Pro chip is down to $1,149 , down from its MSRP of $1,299. Thats a total of $400 in savings! Apple Studio Displays 27-inch 5K Retina screen provides a stunning visual experience with 600 nits of brightness and some one billion colors, making it a superb addition to anyone, including content creators. The monitor features a 12MP ultra wide camera thats perfect for meetings, as well as three microphones. In our 4-star review of the Studio Display , we noted it has a gorgeous design and great image quality. This model has a tilt- and height-adjustable stand, which gives you fantastic control over your viewing angle. At the same time, the Mac Mini may just be the best option for a space-efficient device that pushes the limits of performance. Featuring an M2 Pro chip, this tiny computer delivers superb performance no matter what you want to do. The computer also has 16G of memory and a 512G SSD, so everything will run smoothly. Together youre getting a very powerful Mac with an amazing display, tons of expansion, a FaceTime camera, and a setup that will look beautiful on your desk. Together, you get a powerful setup that will be perfect for work, video editing, and more power-hungry tasks. With the $400 savings on both right now, the total price comes to $2,899, a whopping $1,200 less than Apple charged for the iMac Pro. So what are you waiting for? The M2 Pro Mac Mini is down to $1,150 Get it at Amazon The Apple Studio Display is 12% off right now Get it at Amazon

I tried Apple Vision Pro and it made me rethink everything

Macworld Parenthood brings many challenges, but the worst for my money is when your child refuses to eat some delicious food theyve never tasted. Just try it, you beg, tears running down your face. Everyone likes halloumi. Not that adults are much better. Were slightly more likely to give unfamiliar food a chance, I suppose, but unfamiliar people and places and political viewpoints? Good luck with that. Unfamiliar technology, too. iPhone users: when was the last time you gave Android a proper try? All of this came to mind last week when I finally got a chance to try out Vision Pro, Apples mixed-reality headset. (It launched in the U.S. back in February, but only recently became available to demo and buy here in the U.K.) Everyone has an opinion on Vision Pro, which was publicly announced as long ago as June last year, but very few people seem prepared to put those opinions to the test. And believe me, the Vision Pro demo really is eye-opening. Because of the lack of a useful parallel (it isnt remotely similar to using an Oculus or any of the other VR products on the market) its extraordinarily difficult to convey what the experience is like. I can outline the basics, such as the eye tracking and finger tapping required to navigate the interface, but that doesnt get across the way this feels, or how those feelings change as you grow accustomed to the device. You just need to experience it for yourself. Personally, I was surprised by how complex the fitting process is, and how tricky it can be to get set up with the optimal Light Seal and headband; a facial scan is supposed to help with this, but my first seal had to be sent back and replaced. Then simply tightening the straps up just the right amount so the weight is distributed comfortably across your forehead and cheeks is more challenging than you might expect, and took some time and various checks before everything was arranged exactly right. This might seem like a complaint, but I was impressed by the commitment and patience shown to make sure the product was at its very best for the demo. Because it really was worth the wait. Using Vision Pro is an odd experience but an utterly immersive one, thanks to the carefully calibrated fit and exceptionally high-quality hardware. There were several moments in the demo where I gasped, or laughed, or looked around excitedly like a tourist, simply because the headset does such a good job of making you feel like youre inside its media. The spatial home movies of strangers could have felt artificial (anyone whos seen the troubling 1995 thriller Strange Days will know roughly what I mean), but the effect is so compelling that it made me think about my own memories and what it would be like to relive them in this format. It was oddly poignant. Hollywood too will be watching the progress of spatial video with the greatest of interest. The demo included a gasp-inducing sizzle reel peppered with up-close dinosaurs and rhinos; no doubt someone is already doing the math to see if a superhero movie in this format would make financial sense. Even 2D films look great in Vision Pros virtual cinema, and I can imagine that long-haul flights will be greatly improved if you remember to bring your headset and a pair of AirPods. Those who can no longer afford to attend big concerts will find this format a close second best. And as for watching sports in a spatial format this might be a longer-term prospect, but the potential is enormous. All of this is going to take time and a significant investment but Vision Pro presents an incredible opportunity for bringing events to people rather than selling a limited number of tickets. David Price / Foundry David Price / Foundry David Price / Foundry The media side of things, then, is a triumph for Vision Pro. But its also important to cover the more challenging aspects, such as that unfamiliar control method mentioned earlier. Once again Apples patient expert had to metaphorically hold my hand, since I suspect the interface would have been baffling without assistance. Moving over the years from iPod to iPhone, from iPad to Apple Watch, has always felt like a natural and intuitive evolution, but the Vision Pro is completely new. To select an icon you have to look at it and then tap your finger and thumb together. Both of these elements were a cause of mild stress for me, particularly at first. Ive always had a strong aversion to the idea of eye-tracking technology, which feels intrusive and dystopian in ways I cant fully explain. And I felt anxious about the gesture recognition too, thanks partly to my tendency to fidget nervously and partly to my general worrying about getting things wrong. Theres just, for me, a continuous low-level anxiety about having the movements of my hands and eyes constantly monitored. But heres the thingit quickly gets better. My stress had dipped significantly by the end of the demo, whereas my excitement about the immersive media elements had not. And thats why its so important to experience Vision Pro thoroughly for yourself: you dont know which parts youll like and which you wont until you try it, and you dont know if those effects are temporary until you try it properly . I hope my thoughts in some small way help you understand what Vision Pro is. (You can read a far more thorough account in our Vision Pro review .) But the message Id like you to take away is that, more than any other Apple product, this is something you have to decide for yourself. And for that, you need to book yourself a demo and eat the damn halloumi.

Disk Drill iPhone data recovery review

Macworld At a glance Pros Slick UI Very thorough recovery Free option may suffice for many Cons Pro version is expensive Our Verdict Disk Drill is an ideal option for recovering an email or message youve lost, but the price of the Pro version may make it a tall order for occasional usage. Price When Reviewed Basic: Free; Pro: $89; Enterprise: $499 Best Prices Today: Retailer Price CleverFiles $89 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket We looked at Disk Drill for Mac , a solution for when your Mac hard drive fails and you need to recover data, but what about if the same happens to your iPhone? Here we look at the version of the same software for anyone seeking to recover data from their iPhone. When it comes to the best data recovery apps for your iPhone , theres one thing thats key above all else simplicity. After all, if youre looking for lost data the last thing you want are complex menus and jargon to dig through, particularly if time is of the essence. Thankfully, Disk Drill makes getting to your data a priority, meaning you can be sifting through your images, videos, or just about anything else within minutes of installing. If youre recovering under 500MB of data, the free plan may work nicely, but things get significantly pricier for the Pro version. Itll set you back $89/70.56, with an extra option to add future updates for around $15/15, too, while enterprise users can buy a bundle of user licenses. As well cover shortly, in our testing Disk Drill did a great job of, uh, drilling into our test iPhones deleted data, but it actually offers additional features on top of data recovery. Disk Drill can identify duplicate files, spot where your drive may be hoarding data, and can back up copies of files to prevent them from being accidentally deleted in the future. First Impressions Disk Drill looks like it could have been made by Apple . Disk Drill looks like it could have been made by Apple . Foundry Disk Drill looks like it could have been made by Apple . Foundry Foundry While Dr Fone and other apps are full of colorful icons, I was impressed by just how much Disk Drill looks like a stock Apple app on macOS. Note: This is a Mac app that can uncover lost files on your iPhone (and other places), its not an iPhone app. The sidebar holds all of the potential drive locations you can recover from, including local, NAS, RAIDs, and other devices. It even factors in Time Machine data, so you can dig quickly through your backups. Disk Drill can help recover files buried deep in old backups. Disk Drill can help recover files buried deep in old backups. Foundry Disk Drill can help recover files buried deep in old backups. Foundry Foundry As I mentioned earlier, that makes it easy to start digging through data much more quickly than some other apps that bombard you with options from the jump. Disk Drill features Disk Drill takes some time to get going, but will find plenty of old data. Disk Drill takes some time to get going, but will find plenty of old data. Foundry Disk Drill takes some time to get going, but will find plenty of old data. Foundry Foundry Thats not to say that Disk Drill doesnt add plenty of features. In my testing, it was able to pull from data I thought was long lost from my iPhone. I will concede it took some time to scan, though, running for around an hour before I could dig into the data. I was impressed by how many old Whatsapp messages it could recover, as well as old contact information and more. Disk Drill can create a disk image of your machine. Disk Drill can create a disk image of your machine. Foundry Disk Drill can create a disk image of your machine. Foundry Foundry Aside from recovery, Disk Drill offers plenty more tools. Its duplicate finder runs on local storage as well as cloud-based options like Dropbox or Google Drive , while Data Protection stores a copy of a deleted file in case you need to refer back to it. On the opposite end of the spectrum, it can shred files so that theyre unrecoverable, too. Alongside that, it can even create a backup macOS boot drive, or a disk image of your entire hard drive ideal for older Macs with mechanical drives that could fail. Disk Drill annoyances Scanning takes some time. Scanning takes some time. Foundry Scanning takes some time. Foundry Foundry Aside from the relatively high price and the time it takes to get a phone scanned, my only real complaint with Disk Drill has been that on occasion it got a little upset when my phone locked itself. On a couple of occasions that ended up stopping the scan dead in its tracks, meaning I needed to start over again. On most of the other occasions, though, this didnt cause any issues, so it could just have been a bug. The Bottom Line It could be a little expensive for one-off users, but as a safety net for anyone looking to regularly recover data from devices, or for enterprise users, Disk Drill is likely to be a very easy recommendation. We also have a round-up of the best Mac recovery apps .

How to automate cloning your drives on a Mac

Macworld What if something goes wrong and you need immediate access on-site to a full backup of your Macs startup volume or an external drive, and you need to return to work as soon as possible? The introduction of Apple silicon made it difficult to create a drive you could swap in and start up from, but that shouldnt stop you from making a backup that will get you back in business. (There are workarounds, but it requires ongoing effort.) The best option to have a nearly hot-swappable copy of your most important locally stored data is a clone. A clone is an exact copy of the current state of a volumea snapshot, really. Time Machine offers a form of this capability, but it also archives older files. You can configure cloning software just to keep an up-to-date copy of the drive you want to mirror and nothing additional. Ive relied on Carbon Copy Cloner or CCC ($49.99) for years. It supports cloning and a number of related features, like archiving. An alternate is SuperDuper! ($27.95), which is more tightly focused on volume cloning. With apps, you pick a source (typically a volume) and a destination, set a schedule, and configure fiddly options, like verifying files after copying in CCC. Cloning lets you use a drive that is no bigger than the drive youre copying from for cloning, unlike Time Machine and archiving modes in other backup software, which need space to store multiple versions of files over time. (Time Machine always archives older files until a backup volume starts to fill, and then it purges the oldest versions of archived files first.) Ive found that cloning software has an advantage in reliability over Time Machine, which stores data in date-stamped snapshots. If your startup volume dies and your Mac is still working, you can use an external drive, install macOS on it, and use Migration Assistant during setup to import files. However, Ive had problems on multiple occasions where Migration Assistant wont recognize what seems to be an up-to-date Time Machine copy of my startup volume. I have turned to a cloned backup of that volume, which works compatibly with Migration Assistant and doesnt seem to fail in the same circumstances. Ive been grateful that I had this extra copy. A Macworld reader asked in particular about setting up a quickly accessible external drive in case the drive they kept their Photos library on failed. Could they swap immediately to a clone thats been kept up to date on the other drive? Yes, and its a great purpose for a clone. In that scenario, you could quit Photos (if it hadnt already told you of a problem and quit), eject the failing drive, launch Photos while holding down Option, and select the Photos Library file on the cloned drive. Depending on how frequently you have the clone operation set, you might lose little or no work. With iCloud Photos enabled, you would also need to set the cloned library as your System Library in > Photos > Settings > General by clicking Use as System Photo Library . You can also drill down with clones, copying just part of a volume instead of the whole thing. I had a Photos library meltdown in 2021 that took me hours to recover from and then days to get back to normal. Something in my Photos Library package corrupted so badly that even restoring from a Time Machine backup failed. In the end, I had to rebuild from scratch and let Photos sync with iCloud to retrieve all my images and videos. Vowing not to let that happen again, I setup a nightly clone of my locally stored Photos Library package to a high-capacity external hard drive. While the hard drive is slow, the clone update happens overnight, so it doesnt overlap with my daytime work. Carbon Copy Cloner gives me an extra set of suspenders on my Photos Library backup by making an exact copy, updating just any changed files for efficiency, every night. Carbon Copy Cloner gives me an extra set of suspenders on my Photos Library backup by making an exact copy, updating just any changed files for efficiency, every night. Foundry Carbon Copy Cloner gives me an extra set of suspenders on my Photos Library backup by making an exact copy, updating just any changed files for efficiency, every night. Foundry Foundry Because a straightforward clone doesnt let you go backward, I strongly advise you to have at least a couple other forms of backups. Time Machine is the easiest for a Mac owner. Add to that Backblaze or another encrypted, online backup service. Or, if youre keeping all your documents and images in a syncing serviceiCloud Photos/iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive/Google Photos, etc.you can lean on that as your second backup. This Mac 911 article is in response to a question submitted by Macworld reader Michael. Ask Mac 911 Weve compiled a list of the questions we get asked most frequently, along with answers and links to columns: read our super FAQ to see if your question is covered. If not, were always looking for new problems to solve! Email yours to mac911@macworld.com , including screen captures as appropriate and whether you want your full name used. Not every question will be answered, we dont reply to email, and we cannot provide direct troubleshooting advice.

Best PDF Editor for Mac

Macworld Many workplaces and educational institutions have completely switched from paper documents to digital ones. Consequently, Mac users are increasingly dealing with PDFs and other e-document file formats. Were here to help you find the best PDF editor for your Mac from the multitude of options. There are various PDF editing apps that cater to various budgets and workflows and among them are a few that stand out in terms of features, performance, and design. When selecting a PDF editor, consider one that can create, convert, and export PDFs from various file types, while preserving the original formatting and making the text searchable and editable through OCR technology. The editor should also allow for content editing, including modifying text, inserting, resizing, and moving images, and reorganizing pages. Additionally, it should enable users to add comments and annotations to PDF files during review, with tools for marking up both text documents and graphic-heavy files. Security features, such as password protection, permissions setting, and content redaction, are also important for access control. Lastly, consider a PDF editor with mobile support, either through a dedicated mobile app or cloud access. If youre looking for basic annotation and page organization, the free Preview app that is available as part of macOS may be sufficient. If you need more in the way of editing tools, then one of these apps could better support your needs. We have reviewed all the PDF editors below, so read on to find out exactly what we thought. 1. Preview Pros Pre-installed and free Clear user interface Lots of handy tools Cons No iOS or iPadOS apps Doesn't allow you to edit existing text Price When Reviewed: Free Best Prices Today: Free at Apple Apple Preview is the default document and image viewer on macOS, offering a range of useful features beyond just viewing photos and PDFs. Click on any PDF (or any image format) to open it and it will launch in Preview. Alternatively, open Preview and it will open the Finder, allowing users to browse through folders to locate the file they want to view. The app features a toolbar at the top of the screen, which allows users to view file details, zoom in or out, share the file, fill in a form, or mark up the file. The Markup button reveals tools for selection, doodling, inserting shapes or sticky notes, signing, and typing text. These tools are easily customizable, allowing users to control the color and size of a shape or text box, as well as pick between multiple fonts when typing. There is also an autofill helper. Apple Preview is not designed to replace image or PDF editors, but it still offers some power-user features. The menu bars Tools button allows users to reveal more advanced image controls, such as granular resizing, color adjustments, and automatic background removal. The File menu includes a Export button that allows users to choose the outputs quality and file format, allowing them to convert images to various formats. When viewing a PDF file in Apple Preview, users can easily re-order or delete its pages using the sidebar, allowing them to limit the file to the important bits they need. If exporting the PDF using Preview, users can optionally add a password, quartz filter, or file restrictions. If youd prefer not to pay for Adobe Acrobat or another solution, Apple Preview may be more suitable for you. Apple Preview offers free tools that Adobe has paywalled, including PDF page organization/deletion, password protection for PDF files, and document scanning. Read our full Preview review 2. Readdle PDF Expert Pros Wide range of handy tools Intuitive user interface Flexible pricing Cons Lifetime license only enables use on Mac, not mobile Unavailable on Android and Windows Price When Reviewed: Free 7-day trial; $139.99 perpetual plan; $79.99 a year (6.08/month); free 7 day trial Best Prices Today: $79.99 at Readdle (annually) PDF Expert has a wide range of reliable tools and an intuitive user interface. Its a great option if you are looking for more than Preview offers for free. Upon launching PDF Expert, users are greeted by a Tools tab with shortcuts to various features, such as organizing, optimizing, protecting, reviewing, or converting documents. The app runs smoothly and gives you everything you need to fully control a PDF file, including edit text and images, sign, fill checkboxes, add links, redact content in multiple ways, insert shapes, highlight text, doodle, and even measure the distance between two points or calculate specific areas. The PDF Expert toolbar features layout settings, an advanced search bar, and an AI Chat button. The AI Chat button allows users to interact with the integrated chatbot, summarize PDFs, list key points, generate hashtags, and more. The toolbars center includes commonly used PDF editing functionalities, such as annotation, editing, file conversion and exporting, signing, and optical character recognition (OCR). For most users, PDF Experts features are sufficient, as it allows users to manipulate a documents content, add or remove elements, protect the file with a password, and shrink its size. While Adobe Acrobat offers more advanced tools, PDF Experts core functionalities are sufficient for most users. There are two payment options on macOS: a lifetime license for $139.99/139.99, or a annual license for $79.99/72.99 per year, which induces future updates and mobile support. Students can get 50% off and there is a free 7-day trial. It is available for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, but is not available on Android or Windows devices. Read our full Readdle PDF Expert review 3. Adobe Acrobat Pros Cross platform and available on all relevant operating systems Advanced PDF manipulation tools Supports signature collection from other users Cons Mac app is bloated Free version is limited compared to Preview in macOS Paid subscriptions are expensive Price When Reviewed: Acrobat Reader: free; Acrobat Standard: from $12.99 a month; Acrobat Pro: from $19.99 a month Best Prices Today: $12.99 at Adobe (Monthly) Adobe Acrobat is a popular PDF viewer and editor on Mac, offering basic annotation tools. However, the free Acrobat Reader tier offers the same basic annotation tools that are present in Apples built-in Preview app, which is far superior in most cases. One point in its favor is that Acrobat is available across macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Windows, Android, and even the web, making it accessible from most modern computing devices, while Preview is limited to macOS. Subscribing to Adobe Acrobat Standard for $12.99/13.14 per month provides access to all PDF editing functionality, including more control over the PDFs content, reorganization of the entire documents layout, and more advanced tools like object measurements, accessibility preparation, JavaScript support, and search index insertion. For the advanced Adobe Acrobat Pro features its $19.99/19.97 a month. Pay that to get permanent redaction, web form creation, PDF comparisons, accessibility checks, audio/video insertion, and much more. Acrobat Pro is necessary for tasks like converting scanned documents into searchable and editable PDFs. Adobe Acrobats paid subscriptions are expensive and do not offer one-time purchase options. The slightly higher monthly cancel anytime price is a good option if you only need the features temporarily. Read our full Adobe Acrobat review 4. ABBYY FineReader Pro Pros Reasonably accurate and reliable OCR functionality Supports scanning and importing documents from iPhone Can convert from PDF to a wide range of file format Cons Similarly priced apps include superior PDF editing tools Price When Reviewed: $69 a year, $11.99 a month (from Mac App Store) Best Prices Today: $69 at ABBYY Other PDF editing apps offer optical character recognition (OCR) as an added perk, Abbyy FineReader PDF leads on its optical character recognition software and file converter, and, while it offers reliable OCR and file conversion functionalities, it falls short when it comes to PDF editing. FineReader PDF is a simple user interface with three main tabs: viewing PDF documents, quick and advanced file conversion tools, and importing documents. It has been optimized for macOS and offers a modern design. FineReader PDF supports viewing and highlighting PDF files, with preset highlight colors and comments. The quick conversion feature processes inputted files to detect content and then selects the outputs format. Supported file formats include PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, EPUB, FB2, TXT, HTML, RTF, ODT, and CSV. It doesnt support Apples HEIC image format, so users may need to convert HEIC iPhone shots to JPG first. Each format offers its own customizations, such as ebook title, author, layout, and page size. FineReader PDF exports the document, making it more editable. However, it doesnt support proper PDF editing, so it may not be the ideal PDF solution for manipulating files. It doesnt offer a one-time purchase option and has relatively high recurring fees. Its $69/59 a year plan on the Abbyy website, or $11.99/11.99 a month on the Mac App Store (which is a good option because you can cancel at any time). Theres a full-featured 7-day free trial. Read our full ABBYY FineReader Pro review FAQ 1. Do Macs have built in PDF? Macs have a built-in PDF editor called Apple Preview, which offers a comprehensive set of PDF markup tools, including form filling and password protection. This editor is superior to Adobe Acrobats free tier in terms of PDF editing capabilities. The PDF editing tools in macOS can be accessed through Quick Look or the Preview app, and they allow users to add text, highlight, underline, and strikethrough text, rotate pages, add and remove pages, add arrows and other shapes, and add comments to PDFs. Additionally, Apple Preview allows users to add their signature to a PDF. However, its worth noting that Apple Preview has limited native sharing options and is only available to Mac users. 2. How to make a PDF on a Mac To create a PDF on a Mac, you can use the built-in Preview app. Simply create a document on your Mac, then choose Print > PDF and edit in Preview. The Preview app also allows you to export PDFs with options for quality and file format, and add password, quartz filter, or file restrictions. Alternatively, you can use tools like Adobe Acrobat Pro or Standard, one one of the other options in the list above, but these require a subscription. 3. How to fill in a PDF on a Mac Filling in a PDF with Apple Preview is easy. The Mac app, included on every Mac, includes a form-filling feature that automatically detects fields and allows easy filling. In addition, AutoFill, a feature introduced in macOS 14.2, uses Contacts to select the necessary information and makes filling out PDFs faster and more secure. If you need more advance features then one of the options above will give you additional viewing, editing, converting, and PDF signing abilities. Read: How to edit a PDF on a Mac 4. Can I edit a PDF for free on a Mac? Yes, you can edit a PDF for free on a Mac using Apples built-in Preview app, which offers a full set of PDF markup tools, including encryption, password protection, and permissions for files . Adobe also offers a free Acrobat Reader for reading and filling in PDFs, but it lacks some features that Apples built-in Preview app offers. Read: Best free PDF editors for Mac 5. Whats the difference between Preview and Acrobat? Adobe Acrobat and Apple Preview both offer basic annotation tools. While both have a form-filling feature, Preview automatically detects fields for easy filling, unlike Acrobat which requires manual alignment. Preview also offers free tools that Acrobat charges for, including PDF page organization/deletion, password protection, and document scanning . Furthermore, Preview is preloaded on Macs, providing faster performance and a sleeker design. However, Previews editing functionality is limited and it is not designed for advanced editing, unlike Acrobat which offers more functionality it you pay for it. Read: Apple Preview vs Adobe Acrobat

Apple takes direct aim at Google with surprising launch of Apple Maps on the web

Macworld Apple Maps might have had an inauspicious start, but over the years its gotten a whole lot better. Today, Apple Maps is as good or better than Google Maps, with stunning visuals, incredibly detailed topography, and rock-solid turn-by-turn directions and traffic updates. The only problem (other than a secret Duck Duck Go integration) is it only works on Apple devices. Now the secrets out. Apple on Wednesday launched Apple Maps on the web in beta, allowing anyone to use the service in a browser. Now, you wont need an Apple device to use Apple Maps, and many features are already available, including driving and walking directions; point-of-interest information including photos, hours, ratings, and reviews; ordering food directly from the Maps place card; and curated Guides to discover places to eat, shop, and explore in cities around the world. Additionally, Apple says the Look Around feature, which lets you explore 360-degree panoramic views of some places, will be available in the coming months. Apple Maps on the web joins Apple Music and Apple TV on the web, but those are for subscribers. Apple Maps will presumably remain a free service available as an alternative to Google Maps. It is currently available in English with Safari and Chrome on Mac and iPad, as well as Chrome and Edge on Windows PCs. Support for additional languages, browsers, and platforms will be expanded over time, Apple notes. There is no timetable for the service to come out of beta.

Report: iPhone 17 Slim will emphasize design over features and specs

Macworld The iPhone 17 Slim (as some are taking to calling it) is one of the more interesting rumors to pop out of Cupertino in a while. The gist of it is that, in the fall of next year, Apple will introduce a new ultra-thin iPhone in addition to some of the usual lineup. The rumors keep changing and evolving into a picture of an iPhone unlike any weve seen so far. The latest rumors come from a Medium post by Ming-Chi Kuo , a noted supply chain analyst who has often been right with past leaks (but whose record has been more mixed recently). Kuo says the new ultra-slim iPhone is expected to emphasize innovative form factor design rather than competing on hardware specifications. To that end, he claims these are the specs of the slim iPhone 17 that he knows about so far: Screen size: Approximately 6.6 inches Screen resolution: Approximately 2740 by 1260 pixels Processor: A19 chip (with the higher-end iPhones using the A19 Pro) Dynamic Island area: Similar to current models Metal frame: Adoption of a titanium-aluminum alloy metal frame, with a lower percentage of titanium than the current Pro and Pro Max metal frames (with other iPhone 17 models using aluminum metal frames) 5G chip: Adoption of Apples in-house 5G chip Camera: Single rear camera (wide camera) Most of it lines up with previous rumors: a screen size not quite as large as the Pro Max variants but close, Dynamic Island etc. This is the second time weve heard it will use the lower-end A19 chip not the Pro version from the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. Without knowing the differences between them, its hard to say if thats a big deal or not. The most notable new details are that the phone will use Apples own in-house 5G chip, which is now years behind schedule and seems to never quite get over the finish line. If its ready for what will likely be a premium, expensive phone by next fall, thats certainly news. But one rear camera? No ultra-wide nor telephoto? That feels like a big step back, no matter what the priorities of this phone are. Kuo doesnt dive into price, which has previously been rumored to be everything from similar to the iPhone 17 Plus would be to more expensive than the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Take 24% off this HomeKit power strip and power your office with smarts and Siri

Macworld We all need power strips around the house, but wouldnt it be awesome to have a smart one? Well, the meross smart power strip is on sale for $32.78 at Amazon right now, down from its usual $43, an impressive 24 percent discount and just pennies away from the all-time low. Not only does it feature plenty of outlets and ports, but its also compatible with the Apple HomeKit, which perfectly integrates into the Apple ecosystem. Equipped with 4 individually controlled outlets and 4 group-controlled USB ports, this power strip enables you to efficiently manage your devices. Each outlet supports up to a 15A maximum load, while the USB ports provide up to a combined 4.0A, making it ideal for charging phones, tablets, and your Apple Watch. One of the standout features of this power strip is the HomeKit remote control. Basically, if you use a HomePod, Apple TV 4K, Apple TV HD, or an iPad acting as a HomeKit bridge, you can control the outlets on the power strip from anywhere. And of course, you can even Siri voice controls for extra convenience. And itll save you money too with scheduling so you can set timers to power down and save energy when devices are not in use or left on by mistake. So go grab this excellent deal on the Meross Smart Power Strip for a superb opportunity to take your smart home setup to the next level. Get the meross smart power strip with Apple HomeKit for $32.78 Get it at Amazon

SanDisk Professional G-Drive ArmorATD review: Ruggedized external 6TB HDD

Macworld At a glance Expert's Rating Pros Ruggedized and weatherized Up to 6TB of capacity Good 2.5-inch HDD performance Cheap per terabyte compared to SSDs Cons Not an SSD A bit bulky for a 2.5-inch hard drive Our Verdict SanDisk Professionals sturdy, jacketed, weatherized ArmorATD USB hard drive ships with up to 6TB of capacity and is a good performer for the ilk. Price When Reviewed $99.99 (1TB), $119.99 (2TB), $149.99 (4TB), $189.99 (5TB), $229.99 (6TB) Best Prices Today: G-Drive ArmorATD Retailer Price Western Digital $99.99 View Deal $169.99 View Deal $174.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket External 2.5-inch hard drives have been stuck at 5TB of capacity for a number of years, but WD/SanDisk has just released a peck of new 6TB drives, including the impressively ruggedized and weatherized SanDisk Professional G-Drive ArmorATD thats the subject of this review. SanDisk Professional G-Drive ArmorATD: Features The ArmorATD is a bulkier-than-usual, external 5Gbps 2.5-inch USB hard drive available with up to 6TB of capacity. In this case, bulk is a good thing as it provides room for shock absorption and crush resistance (up to 1,000 pounds/454 kilograms). Though we dont have the means to test the ArmorATD with 1,000 pounds of pressure, the construction of the drive leads us to belive the claim. The drive also carries an IP54 rain/dust rating . Part of the 5.1 by 3.45 by 1.15-inch (13.30 by 8.76 by 2.92 centimenters), 13-ounce (0.37-kilogram) heft of the G-Drive ArmorATD is a silicone jacket that covers the edges, corners, and ends. This includes a captive silicone plug covering the USB-C port. WD/SanDisk bundles both USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cables so you can use it on any computer. The warranty on the G-Drive ArmorATD is three years, limited. Limited with hard drives generally refers to major physical abuse such as dropping it from the Empire State Building, running it over with a steam roller (now generally gas- or diesel-powered!), or baking it in an oven. The ArmorATD with the weatherizing Type-C port plug extended. The ArmorATD with the weatherizing Type-C port plug extended. The ArmorATD with the weatherizing Type-C port plug extended. SanDisk Professional G-Drive ArmorATD: Price That the ArmorATD wasnt pricier is surprising, given the extra material required for ruggedizing/weatherizing. Its only marginally more expensive than the WD My Passport Ultra for Mac and ships in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 5TB, and 6TB flavors. As typical with hard drives, the price is better per terabyte when you go with the larger capacities. As of the time of this writing, the 6TB ArmorATD is $230/226, which is about $38/38 per terabyte. However, the 5TB model is the current sweet spot for price/capacity in our estimationit was $170/170, which is $34/34 per terabyte. SanDisk Professional G-Drive ArmorATD: Performance Being a 2.5-inch hard drive, the ArmorATDs performance is not going to look sexy compared to SSDs. We did use hard drives for decades and still managed to get along. The 110 to 140MBps or so that the ArmorATD reads and writes at is plenty fast enough to stream music and audio (multiple streams), record video, and back up using Time Machine or some such in the background. Note also that the ArmorATD approached 140MBps under CrystalDiskmark 8 on the PCWorld test beds USB 3.22 port10MBps faster than the WD My Passport Ultra for Mac, or the stirringly named My Passport, Works with USB-C drive. Factor that into your buying calculation. These are slightly better numbers than the recently reviewed My Passport Ultra for Mac turned in and right on par for an external 2.5-inch hard drive. These are slightly better numbers than the recently reviewed My Passport Ultra for Mac turned in and right on par for an external 2.5-inch hard drive. These are slightly better numbers than the recently reviewed My Passport Ultra for Mac turned in and right on par for an external 2.5-inch hard drive. The Blackmagicdesign Disk Speed Test numbers for the ArmorATD are slightly better than the My Passport Ultra for Mac, and right on par for an external 2.5-inch hard drive. The G-Drive ArmorATDs performance under AmorphousDiskMark is about average for an external 2.5-inch hard drive. This is an average performance for a 2.5-inch external hard drive under AmorphousDiskMark. This is an average performance for a 2.5-inch external hard drive under AmorphousDiskMark. This is an average performance for a 2.5-inch external hard drive under AmorphousDiskMark. Should I buy the G-Drive ArmorATD? I cant think of an external 2.5-inch hard drive that outstrips the SanDisk Professional G-Drive ArmorATD in terms of ruggedness, weather-proofing, features, or performance. Its no small fry, but its a travel beastin the best possible sense. See how it compares to other hard drives for Mac in our round-up of the best. Macworld: How we test storage devices Macworld runs Blackmagicdesigns Disk Speed Test and AmorphousDiskMark 4 with the drive formatted to APFS. But we also put drives through sister publication PCWorlds battery of tests as follows: IDG storage testing currently utilizes Windows 11, 64-bit running on an X790 (PCIe 4.0/5.0) motherboard/i5-12400 CPU combo with two Kingston Fury 32GB DDR5 4800MHz modules (64GB of memory total). Both 20Gbps USB and Thunderbolt 4 are integrated to the back panel and Intel CPU/GPU graphics are used. The 48GB transfer tests utilize an ImDisk RAM disk taking up 58GB of the 64GB of total memory. The 450GB file is transferred from a 2TB Samsung 990 Pro which also runs the OS. Each test is performed on a newly NTFS-formatted and TRIMd drive so the results are optimal. Note that in normal use, as a drive fills up, performance may decrease due to less NAND for secondary caching, as well as other factors. This is less of a factor with the current crop of SSDs with their far faster NAND. Caveat: The performance numbers shown apply only to the drive we were shipped and to the capacity tested. SSD performance can and will vary by capacity due to more or fewer chips to shotgun reads/writes across and the amount of NAND available for secondary caching. Vendors also occasionally swap components. If you ever notice a large discrepancy between the performance you experience and that which w e report , by all means, let us know.

Leak reveals Googles set-top box that will replace the Chromecast

We know Google will unveil four new Pixel phones at its big event next month, but theres even more new hardware in the works. After The post Leak reveals Googles set-top box that will replace the Chromecast appeared first on BGR .

iPhone SE 4: Everything you need to know about Apples next budget phone

Macworld Apple updated its entry-level iPhone in March 2022, adding a few nips and tucks here and there along with a quiet price increase. It kept the Home button and small form factor that appeals to some, but the aging design and minimal upgrades meant the new iPhone SE was coolly received by the masses, with many looking forward to the next generation and reviewers hoping Apple was planning a more radical overhaul of the device. Right on cue, rumors are now starting to appear about what that might look like. In this article weve gathered together everything we know so far, and what we can reasonably speculate, about the iPhone SE 4. For information about the other upcoming iPhone the iPhone 16 series read our separate article about the iPhone 16 rumors . Update April 12, 2024: Added a rumor about the iPhone SE 4s dimensions. April 9, 2024: Weve added some specs and details from the latest rumors about the iPhone SE 4, which is estimated to launch in the spring of 2025. iPhone SE 4 release date: When will the iPhone SE 4 be released? Apples iPhone SE doesnt follow the same predictable annual release schedule as the standard line, and the intervals between updates can be harder to predict. The timing of the next launch points to a biennial routine, but that followed a far longer gap between the first and second phones. Heres when the three models released so far made their debut: iPhone SE (3rd gen) : March 2022 iPhone SE (2nd gen) : April 2020 iPhone SE (1st gen) : March 2016 Analyst Jeff Pu thinks that the iPhone SE will arrive in 2025, and Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom OMalley claim the iPhone SE 4 is unlikely to launch in 2024. Since the SE models typically launch in the spring, it seems obvious that were looking at a 2025 release date (or later). Furthermore, Ming-Chi Kuo tweeted that Apple was using a prototype iPhone SE to test its 5G modem, which will arrive in the iPhone SE before the flagship iPhone models. Kuo states that there are no plans for mass production and sales of this prototype iPhone SE and has reported that the next iPhone SE isnt expected until 2025. Apples current budget phone, the iPhone SE (2022) Apples current budget phone, the iPhone SE (2022) Dominik Tomaszewski Apples current budget phone, the iPhone SE (2022) Dominik Tomaszewski Dominik Tomaszewski iPhone 4 SE price: How much will the iPhone SE 4 cost? Pricing has steadily increased across the three existing generations, no doubt influenced by the global cost of components and distribution. While the iPhone SE (3rd generation) was released around the same price as the model it replaced, Apple added a chunk onto the cost, making the current model somewhat less desirable than previous iterations, especially when you factor in the measly amount of storage that comes with the baseline model. Heres how they line up: iPhone SE (3rd gen, 2022): 64GB: $429/449 128GB: $479/499 256GB: $579/609 iPhone SE (2nd gen, 2020): 64GB: $399/419 128GB: $449/469 256GB: $549/569 iPhone SE (1st gen, 2016): 32GB: $399/379 128GB: $499/449 However, the iPhone SE needs to be inexpensive, and wed be surprised to see much of an increase with the next generation, even with several rumored upgrades. The latest rumor claims the fourth-generation iPhone SE will start at $499. Thats a significant price increase over the current model but still less expensive than any other new iPhone Apple sells. iPhone 4 SE design: What will the next iPhone SE look like? As the iPhone SE has always traditionally been one of the smallest devices Apple offers, it seems logical that the discounted iPhone 13 mini format might make its way down to replace the iPhone 6 chassis on the SE. But this is only one of several futures Apple could choose for the SE line. On an August 2022 episode of the Geared Up podcast , tech tipster Jon Prosser said the iPhone SE 4 is just the iPhone XR, meaning it has an all-screen design and a 6.1-inch display. However, a report by Ross Young in late October 2022 claimed that Apple is also mulling a 5.7-inch display as well, which would be a new size for an iPhone. The iPhone 13 mini is 5.4 inches and the iPhone X and XS were 5.8 inches. Young also says that Apple is deciding whether to use LCD or OLED for the display. In February 2023, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is moving forward with a 6.1-inch OLED display for the iPhone SE 4 with an overall design and features similar to the iPhone 14. Another rumor in April 2024, suggest that the body will resemble an iPhone 14, with a 6.1-inch OLED and notch. The rumored dimensions of the iPhone SE 4 state that it could be about the same size as the iPhone 15 but a smidge taller. Finally, a rumor in July 2024 suggested Apple will change course with the iPhone SE 4 and instead use the same body as the iPhone 16 , making it a true budget version of the latest iPhone lineup. What features will the iPhone SE 4 have? The most recent rumors say the new iPhone SE will have Face ID with a notch (not dynamic island), similar to an iPhone 13 or iPhone 14. That means Touch ID, which has been a staple of the SE line since its debut, will go away. It is said to be powered by the A16 Bionicthe same chip found in the iPhone 15 (not the Pro model). However, since the phone isnt arriving until 2025 after Apple Intelligence arrives , its likely to use the newer A18 chips with 8GB of RAM. Renders by Ian Zelco on Front Page Tech show the iPhone SE 4 with a single camera, so you can probably expect a similar 12MP wide-angle lens. That one camera is said to be more or less the same as the 48MP main camera on the iPhone 15. The selfie cam is expected to be 12MP. The iPhone SE 4 might be the first iPhone to feature one of Apples own 5G modems. In February 2023 analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expected it to be and claimed the baseband chip will be manufactured with a 4nm process and support only sub-6GHz bands. In April 2023, MacRumors reported that analyst Jeff Pu believes that Apple will release a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem in 2025. TSMC will manufacture the modem chip. However, Pu doesnt have a track record for accuracy like other analysts. In April 2023, Kuo tweeted that the iPhone SE 4 is dead (again) and that Apple is using an engineering prototype iPhone SE to test its 5G modem. With the iPhone 13 range moving to a baseline of 128GB (and the 14-series handsets following suit), its hoped that the new iPhone SE might do likewise, as 64GB isnt enough for most people anymore, especially since system files take up more than 10GB. But were not terribly hopefulthe iPhone SE (3rd gen) launched after the iPhone 13 range and still started with the same 64GB of storage, and the redesigned 10th-generation iPad also starts at 64GB. We explain more about this in why you shouldnt buy the 64GB iPhone SE . We expect the iPhone SE 4 to feature a USB-C port for charging, as all new iPhones do, and IP68 water resistance. The current SE is one of the last remaining Apple devices to still have a Lightning port . Hopefully, we wont have to wait too long to find out. Well update this article as more information becomes available, so check back regularly to see what we can dig up. In the meantime, if you cant wait until next year, heres a roundup of the best iPhone deals available at the moment. iPhone, Smartphones

PDF Expert review

Macworld At a glance Expert's Rating Pros It provides a wide range of handy tools that work reliably It has an intuitive user interface that is easy to grasp It is well-optimized and runs swiftly / Its Mac version offers flexible pricing Cons The mobile version doesnt offer a one-time purchase option Its unavailable on Android and Windows devices Our Verdict While Adobe Acrobat offers more advanced tools for the pros, PDF Experts features are more than enough for most users, with little to ask for beyond these core functionalities. The app is intuitive to operate despite being feature-rich. We wholeheartedly recommend it. Price When Reviewed Free 7-day trial; $139.99 perpetual plan; $79.99 a year (6.08/month); free 7 day trial Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Readdle (annually) $79.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Finding the best PDF editor for your Mac can be a challenging task. After all, countless companies offer all sorts of different apps that cater to various budgets and workflows, and things can get confusing real fast. However, there are a few options that stand out in terms of features, performance, and design. Readdles PDF Expert is one of my personal favorites, as, in my opinion, it has mastered the PDF editing format. Price and availability PDF Expert offers two payment options on macOS. For a one-time $139.99/139.99 fee, you could own a lifetime license of the current Mac edition, but miss out on future updates, mobile support, and the AI integration. Alternatively, you could pay $79.99/72.99 per year to run PDF Experts latest, full-fledged versions across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Readdle also offers eligible students and educators a 50% discount on its annual plan. There is also a free 7-day full-functioning trial you can download from Readdles website . Notably, PDF Expert isnt available on Android or Windows devices. First impressions When you launch PDF Expert on your Mac, youll be greeted by a Tools tab that highlights shortcuts to some of the apps handiest features. The list includes actions to organize, optimize, protect, review, or convert a certain document. You could also start from scratch by creating a blank PDF file if you dont want to edit an existing one. The shortcut buttons are well-categorized and color-coded, making it easy to visually identify a certain action and directly jump to it. The app itself also runs fluidly and follows modern design guidelines. So, you likely wont face any lags, glitches, or archaic user interface elements. Foundry Foundry Foundry PDF Expert features Once you load or create a document in PDF Expert, the app will surface a toolbar towards the top of the screen. On its left, youve got layout settings, which allow you to control the number of pages displayed at once, view bookmarks and the outline, in addition to inserting, deleting, or rotating pages. On the right side, the toolbar offers an advanced search bar and an AI Chat button. Clicking the latter starts a conversation with the integrated chatbot. You can ask it to summarize the PDF, list key points, generate hashtags, and much more. Once it answers your question, itll also link to the document page(s) it based its response on, which makes locating relevant information in large files much simpler. Finally, the toolbars center packs the most commonly used PDF editing functionalities, including annotation, editing, file conversion and exporting, signing, optical character recognition (OCR), and more. You also get to easily reorder this sections buttons as desired. Through these features, you can pretty much fully control a PDF file. You get to edit its text and images, sign, fill checkboxes, add links, redact content in multiple ways, insert shapes, highlight text, doodle, and even measure the distance between two points or calculate specific areas. I used the aforementioned tools extensively, and they all worked reliably on my end. In fact, I even tried to overload the app to reveal potential shortcomings or bugs, but PDF Expert didnt disappoint. Foundry Foundry Foundry Should you buy PDF Expert? While apps like Adobe Acrobat offer some more advanced tools that cater to the pros, I do believe that PDF Experts features are more than enough for most users. Through it, you get to manipulate a documents content by adding or removing any elements, protecting the file with a password, shrinking its size, etc. So, for many users, theres not much to ask for beyond these core functionalities. It should meet (and, in some cases, exceed) the general expectations. Beside the balanced set of tools, PDF Expert is simply pleasant to look at and use. I cant think of a single way Readdle could meaningfully improve the user interface or experience, as the entire app is intuitive to operatein my opinion, at least. Despite PDF Expert being a feature-rich app, I didnt come across any overwhelming menus, either. Perhaps the main downside here is the lack of Android and Windows clients, but thats irrelevant to those strictly using Apple products. Some users also wont appreciate that the iOS and iPadOS versions are only available through a recurring subscription. Fortunately, Readdle offers a one-week free trial that users can claim without submitting their payment details. Thats in addition to a 30-day money back guarantee, in case you change your mind after buying or subscribing to PDF Expert. If I personally had to pick a single document editor to use indefinitely, it would most certainly be Readdles PDF Expert. MacOS, PDF Editors

The latest iPhone SE 4 rumor claims Apple now wants to make a budget iPhone 16

Macworld In an unexpected twist, next years iPhone SE 4 will reportedly be based on the chassis of the iPhone 16 , which hasnt even launched yet. Apples previous (and current) budget SE phones have used older designs and technology to keep costs down, so this would be a major surprise. The prediction comes from what appears to be a credible source, the Weibo-based leaker Fixed Focus Digital (via Macrumors ). Whereas previous rumors from earlier this year had indicated the SE 4 would employ the same chassis design as the iPhone 14 from 2022, the leaker says its backplate manufacturing process is instead the same as that of the standard iPhone 16. Weve heard for years that the next iPhone SE will be based on one of the newer iPhones, but we were expected the iPhone 14 or earlier. There are several reasons why Apple would choose to use the iPhone 16 chassis, howeverstreamlined manufacturing, camera placement, heat dissipation, etc. And although budget phones can often achieve lower manufacturing costs by compromising on older designs, older components can ironically sometimes be more expensive to make because they are no longer needed for other devices. If it chose to use the same backplate for the iPhone 16 and the iPhone SE 4, Apple could simply increase the scale of production, rather than having to ramp up production of a phone that by that point will be the oldest device in the range and likely experiencing minimal demand. While this would make sense from an economical point of view, Apple may have other ideas in mind, such as a major upgrade to the rear-facing camera on the SE. The expected vertical lens arrangement of the iPhone 16 may be a better fit for this than the diagonal configuration of the iPhone 14, while also potentially enabling the new SE to capture Spatial Video for the Vision Pro. The new SE model is expected to arrive in the spring of 2025. For all the latest news and rumors, check our regularly updated iPhone SE 4 superguide. Or, if you cant wait that long, pick up a bargain on the current model with our roundup of the best iPhone SE deals . iPhone

Apples move to RCS takes its first casualty: Samsung Messages

Macworld For as long as Galaxy phones have been a thing, Samsung has been trying to make its own apps the preferred choice for users. However, the launch of RCS on the iPhone appears to have ended the dream for at least one of Samsungs homegrown apps. According to Samsung, if you buy a new Galaxy Z Flip6 or Fold6 , it wont come with the Samsung Messages app preloaded for the first time since the companys folding phones launched in 2019. They will still be installed on non-folding Galaxy phones, but its just a matter of time before those phones lose the app as well. Its hard not to see the connection with the upcoming release of RCS for Messages in iOS 18 . Apples support for rich communication services wont just bring richer media and delivery and read receipts for those who dont useiMessage, itll let Galaxy users talk to iPhone users without feeling like second-class citizens. And Samsung understands how important that is. Back in 2022, Samsung began shipping Google Messages as the default messaging app on Galaxy phones, but it still preinstalled Samsung Messages as an option. Now, at least in the U.S., users will need to specifically search for Samsung Messages in the Samsung Galaxy Store if they want to use itwhich few are likely to do. While Samsung Messages supports RCS, the carrier support isnt as wide as Google Messages. And if Samsung wants to keep Galaxy users upgrading (and maybe catch some switchers), the RCS experience needs to be perfect. With Google Messages, it will be as close as it can get. Granted, theres still the issue of end-to-end-encryption, which probably wont be ready for launch despite Apples efforts, but at least Galaxy users know Samsung is fully invested in making the RCS experience top-notch. Even if it means using Google Messages. iPhone

Apple Back to School 2024: When and what is Apples back to uni deal?

Macworld Apple holds a Back to School promotion every year (now known as the Higher Education Offer to avoid confusion because its only open to students once they enter higher education, and the institutions and teachers, not school-age children). As part of the deal, Apple offers an incentive with purchases of qualifying Apple products. Apples Back to School deal runs in various locations around the world during the summer months. The deal usually ends about a month after the first university semester begins in that country. Apple Higher Education Offer kicked off in the U.S., Canada and India back in June and since early July has been running in the U.K. and Europe. In the U.S., U.K. and Canada Apple is giving away gift cards with qualifying product purchases. In Europe and India, customers get money off the purchase of AirPods instead. The offer has already run in Australia , New Zealand , Brazil and South Korea , where it started on January 4 and ran until March 13, 2024. Read on to find out when Apples Higher Education giveaway will start where you live and what the deal is likely to include. We also explain who qualifies and how to take advantage of Apples education deal. What is Apples Back To School offer? Vouchers or AirPods depending on where you are based For a long time, Apple gave away a pair of AirPods with qualifying sales of certain Macs and iPads as part of its education promotion, but since 2022 Apple has stopped giving away AirPods in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia. Instead, Apple offers gift cards with qualifying purchases during the promotional period. Students get different gift card denominations depending on the products purchased. Not all Apple products are included in the offer. This means those taking advantage of the deal get more choice about what they spend their money on, rather than being limited to headphones. Apple also offers gift cards during its Black Friday shopping event . Apple doesnt offer the same deal everywhere though. In parts of Europe and India, for the summer of 2024, the promotion allows shoppers to get discounted AirPods or Apple Pencil with qualifying purchases. There was a similar deal in January 2024 where those based in Brazil could claim free AirPods with a Mac or free Apple Pencil with their iPad purchase in January-March 2024. This isnt the only education-related saving Apple offers though. Apple doesnt only offer education-related deals during the summer months. All products sold to students via Apples Education Store include a discount all year round, so you can always make a saving on Apple products, as long as you qualify. The summertime education-focused deal is in addition to these year-long discounts Apple offers to students and education institutions. We explain everything you need to know about getting a discount, including how much you can save as a student and how to use Apples Education Store, in our Guide to shopping in the Apple Education Store. We also have advice about the Best Mac for Students and the Best iPad for Students . You may also like to read our Apple student buying guide . Apple Back to School Sale Dates 2024 The Higher Education deal runs at different times depending on which side of the Earth you are based. Apple runs the promotion at different times in different places due to differences in when the school year starts around the globe. Apple runs the promotion in the southern hemisphere in the first few months of the year. Hence, if you live in Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Brazil Apples deal ran from early January to March 13 2024. The same deal runs between June and late September/October in North America, and between July and October in Europe and the U.K. U.S. & Canada : Apples Higher Education Offer started on June 20, 2024 and run until September 30. U.K. & Europe: The deal started on July 3 and will run until October 21, 2024. Australia, New Zealand, South America, South Korea : The deal ran between January 4 and March 13, 2024. Similar dates are likely for 2025. India: The deal started on June 20 and will run until September 30, 2024. Apple Back to School Sale U.S. & Canada dates 2024 June 20 to September 30 CONFIRMED The giveaway is underway in the U.S. and Canada, The promotion will run from June 20 to September 30. This start date is a little later than in 2023 when the deal started on June 5 and ran until October 2 in North America, which was a longer period than traditionally. In 2022 the deal ran from June 24 to September 26, while in 2021 the deal ran from June 17 to September 27. In 2020 Apple launched the U.S. sale on 15 June with an end date set for 29 September, although Apple ended up extending the end date to October 12 instead, moving it to just a day before Amazons Prime Day, which took place over October 13-14, 2020. Apple Back to School Sale UK/Europe dates 2024 July 3 to October 21, 2024 CONFIRMED This start date is a little earlier than usual. In 2023 the deal ran from July 13 to October 23. In 2022 Apples Higher Education Offer (aka Back to School Sale) started on July 14 and ran until Monday, October 20. Apple U.K.s Back to School Sale in 2020 started on July 9 and lasted until October 29. Apple launched its 2019 sale on July 9, and its 2018 sale began on July 12. Apple Back to School Sale India dates 2024 June 20 to September 30 CONFIRMED The Higher Education offer dates correspond to those in the U.S. and Canada. Apple Back to School Sale Australia/New Zealand/South America/South Korea 2024 January 4 to March 13, 2024 CONFIRMED The dates in Australia , New Zealand , Brazil , and South Korea correspond with the new school year there. In 2023 the deal ran from January 18 to March 13. In 2022 the deal ran from January 6 to March 14, 2022. In 2021 the sale ran from January 7 to March 16. In 2023 the deal started a little later on January 18. What is Apples education offer in 2024? Apple tends to either give away vouchers or AirPods with qualifying purchases. Read on to find out what Apples Back To School promotion is where you are. U.S. & Canada In the summer of 2024, U.S. and Canadian students can get gift cards with qualifying Apple purchases. For summer 2024 students can get the following: Buy an iMac, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air and get a $150 Apple gift card. Buy a Mac mini and get a $100 Apple gift card. Buy an 11-inch or 13-inch M4 iPad Pro or an 11-inch or 13-inch M2 iPad Air and get a $100 Apple gift card. The terms and conditions of the deal are here: U.S . Apples education discounts are available all year round. Visit the U.S. Education Store and Canada Education Store for more information. U.K. In summer 2024 Apple is offering the same deal as the U.S. and Canada in the U.K. For summer 2024 students can get the following: Buy an iMac, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air and get a 120 Apple gift card. Buy a Mac mini and get a 80 Apple gift card. Buy an 11-inch or 13-inch M4 iPad Pro or an 11-inch or 13-inch M2 iPad Air and get a 80 Apple gift card. The voucher values are lower than summer 2023 when students could get the following with qualifying Apple purchases. Buy an iMac, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air and get a 130 gift card. Buy a Mac mini and get a 100 gift card. Buy a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, 11-inch iPad Pro, or iPad Air and get a 100 Apple gift card. The terms and conditions of the deal are here: U.K . Apples education discounts are available all year round. Students and educators need to log in via UNiDAYS website to see the offers. Educational Store discounts are usually up to 280 for U.K. students. See Apples terms and conditions . Europe In (most of) Europe in 2024 Apple will give shoppers a promotional discount on a pair AirPods or Apple Pencil with qualifying product purchases. Buy an iMac, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air and get 199 off AirPods 3rd gen, AirPods Pro or AirPods Max. Buy a Mac mini and get 149 off AirPods 2nd gen, AirPods 3rd gen, AirPods Pro or AirPods Max. Buy an 11-inch or 13-inch M4 iPad Pro or an 11-inch or 13-inch M2 iPad Air and get 149 off an Apple Pencil Pro or 89 off an Apple Pencil USB-C. French details here . German details here . Spanish details here . Italian details here . In the Netherlands Apple is giving away gift cards. Details here . India In India the Back to University deal is the same as in Europe: AirPods or Apple Pencil discounts. Buy an iMac, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air and get 19900 off AirPods 3rd gen, AirPods Pro or AirPods Max. Buy a Mac mini and get 12900 off AirPods 2nd gen, AirPods 3rd gen, AirPods Pro or AirPods Max. Buy an 11-inch or 13-inch M4 iPad Pro or an 11-inch or 13-inch M2 iPad Air and get 11900 off an Apple Pencil Pro or 7900 off an Apple Pencil USB-C. Details here . Australia and New Zealand When the deal kicked off in Australia in early 2024 the offer included free Apple Gift Cards. This deal finished on March 13, 2024. Students could get a free gift card with the following purchases: AU$240 with a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or iMac AU$160 with a Mac mini AU$160 with an iPad Air or iPad Pro AU$120 with an iPad 10th Gen 20% off AppleCare+ is also available Visit Apple Australias website for more information. The terms and conditions of the deal in Apple Australia are here . There were similar gift voucher savings in New Zealand . Brazil and South Korea In Brazil and South Korea Apple gave away AirPods with Mac purchases and Apple Pencil with iPad purchases from January to March 13, 2024. Apple Apple Apple Which products are part of Apples Education offer? Qualifying purchases for Apples deal in 2024 included: iMac 24inch, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini, iPad Pro 11- and 13inch, iPad Air 11 and 13-inch. (In Australia in early 2024 the iPad 10th generation was included, but this wasnt the case later in 2024). In summer 2023 qualifying purchases included: iMac 24inch, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini, iPad Pro 12.9inch, iPad Pro 11inch, and iPad Air. Students can also take advantage of a reduced subscription to Apple Music with which they get access to Apple TV+ when they buy an Apple product. Read: How to get the student deal for Apple Music and free Apple TV+. How to get Apples Back To School deal As long as you are based in an area where Apple is running the deal at the time of your purchase, and are a student in higher education, or about to start higher education, you can qualify for Apples Higher Education deal and get gift cards with your purchase. There are more details about who the deal applies to below. Note that if you qualify you are able to get discounts all year round by shopping in the Apple Education Store, so you dont need to shop during the Back to Uni deal period to get a bargain. You can also get discounts on other products not included in the offer (although there is no education discount for the iPhone). In the U.S. you need to visit Apples U.S. Education Store, but logging on from your university network may make the process easier. In the U.K. you can visit the U.K. Education Store , but you will also need to verify your student or staff status with UNiDAYS . Go to the Apple Education Store for other regions using the links below: Canada Australia New Zealand Brazil South Korea India France Germany When you make yourpurchase you will be able to request the Apple Gift Card or discount depending on your location. Who can get Apples Back to School deal? If you are registered at a higher education facility (thats post-K12 education: universities and colleges) you will qualify for the free AirPods deal as well as Apples usual education discount. Employees of these institutions can also qualify. If you are a parent buying for your student offspring then you can also qualify. Here are Apples Ts&Cs for the U.S . Alternatively, if you are an employee of a public or private K-12 institution/school in the U.S. or Canada you are also eligible. Apples Education pricing isnt available to parents with kids at school, but a homeschool teacher can qualify. Even when Apple isnt running the Back to School Deal students and education institutions can still take advantage of its standard educational pricing on its Educational Pricing page ( U.S. here / U.K. here ). How much can you save with Apples education pricing? Students can save up to $200/220 on Macs and up to $100/100 on iPads at any time of the year. More here: How to get an Apple student discount at Apples Education Store. Which iPads are included in Apples Back to School deal? The 10th gen iPad could be a good partner to have at university. The 10th gen iPad could be a good partner to have at university. Macwelt/Apple/Amazon The 10th gen iPad could be a good partner to have at university. Macwelt/Apple/Amazon Macwelt/Apple/Amazon Not every Apple product you can buy in the Education Store is included in the deal. In 2023 Apple included the following iPads in the deal in the U.S & U.K.: iPad Air, M2, 11-inch or 13-inch iPad Pro, M4, 11-inch or 13-inch Its notable that Apple doesnt include the cheaper iPad 10th gen in the 2024 deal (although it did in Australia earlier in the year). The iPad mini is also omitted. You can still get discounted Educational Pricing on the iPad and iPad mini if you qualify, you just wont be able to get the freebie. If you dont qualify for the education pricing we have a separate guide on where to get the best deals on the iPad . For advice about which iPad to buy read: Which iPad is best for students . Which Macs are included in Apples Back to School deal? A MacBook Air is a good choice for students. A MacBook Air is a good choice for students. Foundry A MacBook Air is a good choice for students. Foundry Foundry Not every Apple product you can buy in the Education Store is included in the promotion. Apple doesnt usually offer incentives to buy the newest Apple products, but this year it does appear to be including the new 15-inch MacBook Air in the deal. In 2024 the following Macs were included in the deal: MacBook Air MacBook Pro iMac Mac mini This is the same as in 2023, which was the first year in a while that the Mac mini had been included in the deal. You can already take advantage of education pricing for all of those Macs. If you dont qualify for an education discount have a look at these round-ups of the best deals on a new Mac: Best MacBook Pro deals MacBook Air deals Mac mini deals Best iMac deals Best Mac Studio deals We also have this advice about which Mac is best for students . Apple Inc, iPad, Mac

Massive global IT outage is a perfect ad for buying a Mac

Macworld If you couldnt fly, buy tickets, withdraw money, watch the news, or buy groceries this morning, youre not alone. A massive global IT outage affecting countless businesses and services grounded United, Delta, and American Airlines flights, delayed British soccer team Manchester United ticket sales, and knocked Sky News off the air. The reason? A Windows update. According to CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz, a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts pushed Friday morning wreaked havoc on computers around the world and resulted in the dreaded blue screen of death on all clients connected to the host, rendering the machines unable to function. CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed. We George Kurtz (@George_Kurtz) July 19, 2024 Of note, Mac clients were not impacted by the issue, which has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed, though it could be a while before things are working normally again as affected PCs are sent into recovery mode and unable to reboot. On Reddit, a workaround from CrowdStrike Engineering has been posted, but it needs to be applied separately to each machine. And since Crowdstrike posted it behind a login page, many users will likely be unable to find it. Previous Apple software engineer Ananay outlined a full technical breakdown of how the update took down so many networks. In the meantime, somewhere Apples marketing team is working on a new ad . Mac

Apple TV+ this week: Lady in the Lake and Omnivore are now streaming

Macworld Apple has planted its own flag in the streaming wars with Apple TV+ , its in-house streaming service that focuses almost entirely on original programming rather than an extensive library of existing TV shows or movies. This guide will list all the Apple TV+ content you can watch today, divided into episodic shows or series and movies. Theres also a ton of new content in the works for Apples $9.99-a-month service. If you want to know whats on the way, check out our list of upcoming Apple TV+ shows and movies . Updated 07/19/24: Lady in the Lake , starring Natalie Portman andMoses Ingram, is now streaming. So is Omnivore , a food documentary series. Mentioned IN THIS story Apple TV 4K (2022, 3. Gen.) 128GB WiFi + Ethernet Read our review Price When Reviewed: 64GB $129 | 128GB $149 Best Prices Today: $129 at Apple Whats new on Apple TV+ Lady in the Lake Released: July 19, 2024 Omnivore Released: July 19. 2024 Me Released: July 12, 2024 Sunny Released: July 10, 2024 Fancy Dance Released: June 28, 2024 WondLa Released: June 28, 2024 Land of Women Released: June 26, 2024 How to get Apple TV+ If you want to start watching Apple TV Plus heres how. You can subscribe to Apple TV+ on Apples website here , or via the Apple TV app on your device. It costs $9.99/8.99 a month, which you can cancel at any time (Read: How to cancel and Apple subscription ). You can also opt for a one-year subscription for $99/89, which essentially gives you two months free each year. Apple also offers various trials so that you can try out Apple TV+ before you subscribe. Take a look at our article explaining all the ways you can watch Apple TV for free , and the best Apple TV+ deals you can get. Students can get Apple TV+ for free with an already subsidized Apple Music subscription. Best shows on Apple TV+ Theres far too much content on Apple TV+ to sift through it all yourself. If youre looking for something to watch and dont know where to start, here are a few of the Macworld staffs favorite shows, series, and movies. Bad Sisters Synopsis: A dark comedy about a group of Irish sisters who find themselves at the center of a life insurance investigation after John Paulthe abusive husband to one of the sistersdies unexpectedly. Number of seasons: 1 Release date: August 19, 2022 Black Bird Synopsis: A gripping miniseries about a convicted con artist who works for the FBI to try to get a serial killers confession before he is released from prison. Based on the true story of James Keene and Larry Hall. Number of seasons: 1 Release date: July 8, 2022 For All Mankind Synopsis: What if the U.S.S.R. put a man on the moon before the U.S.? How would the ensuing space race change history throughout the decades? Thats the high concept behind this gripping big-budget sci-fi series. Number of seasons: 4 Release date: November 1, 2019 Mythic Quest Synopsis: A lighthearted workplace comedy about a game development studio and the big egos and personal conflicts that happen within. Its goofy good fun but sometimes quite touching. Number of seasons: 3 Release date: February 7, 2020 Physical Synopsis: Even if youre not old enough to remember the aerobics craze in the 80s, Physical will give you all the big hair and leotard vibes. Starting Rose Byrne as an alternate-universe Jane Fonda, this dark comedy will keep you laughing, guessing, and sweating with plot twists and crisp writing. Number of seasons: 3 Release date: June 18, 2021 Severance Synopsis: A combination of dystopian sci-fi drama and workplace comedy about a company where employees are severedwhen at work, they cant remember their outside lives, and vice-versa. Number of seasons: 1 Release date: February 18, 2022 Shrinking Synopsis: A surprisingly quick-witted comedy about a therapist who has trouble dealing with the death of his wife and his eccentric patients. Number of seasons: 1 Release date: January 27, 2023 Slow Horses Synopsis: Gary Oldman turns in a great performance as the cranky leader of a band of misfit spies. Number of seasons: 3 Release date: April 1, 2022 Ted Lasso Synopsis: Apples fish-out-of-water comedy/drama about a midwestern college football coach who heads to England to coach Premiere League soccer is a breakout hit for good reason. Number of seasons: 3 Release date: August 14, 2020 The Morning Show Synopsis: Big star power and a fantastic performance by Jenniffer Aniston highlight this fast-paced drama that goes behind the scenes of a fictional morning news program. Number of seasons: 3 Release date: November 1, 2019 Apple TV+ shows and series These are all the episodic series you can currently watch on Apple TV+, including both recurring and limited series. This list is in alphabetical order. Title Premiere Seasons / Episodes 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything May 21, 2021 8 episodes Acapulco October 8, 2021 3 seasons, 30 episodes Amazing Stories March 6, 2020 1 season, 5 episodes Amber Brown July 29, 2022 1 season, 10 episodes Bad Sisters August 19, 2022 1 season, 10 episodes Becoming You November 13, 2020 1 season, 6 episodes Best Foot Forward July 22, 2022 1 season, 10 episodes Big Beasts April 21, 2023 1 season, 10 episodes Black Bird July 8, 2022 6 episodes Boom! Boom! The World vs Boris Becker April 7, 2023 2 episodes The Buccaneers November 8, 2023 1 season, 8 episodes Calls March 19, 2021 1 season, 9 episodes Camp Snoopy June 14, 2024 10 episodes Carpool Karaoke August 8, 2017 5 seasons, 75 episodes Central Park May 29, 2020 3 seasons, 39 episodes Circuit Breakers November 11, 2022 1 season, 7 episodes City on Fire May 12, 2023 1 season, 8 episodes Constellation February 21, 2024 1 season, 8 episodes Criminal Record January 10, 2024 1 season, 8 episodes Curses! October 27, 2023 1 season, 10 episodes Dark Matter May 8, 2024 1 season, 9 episodes Dear Edward February 3, 2023 1 season, 10 episodes Dear June 5, 2020 2 seasons, 20 episodes Defending Jacob April 24, 2020 8 episodes Dickinson November 1, 2019 3 seasons, 30 episodes Doug Unplugs November 13, 2020 2 seasons, 26 episodes Dr. Brain November 3, 2021 1 season, 6 episodes Drops of God April 21, 2023 1 season, 8 episodes Duck & Goose July 8, 2022 2 seasons, 17 episodes Earth at Night in Color December 4, 2020 2 seasons, 12 episodes Earthsounds February 23, 2024 1 season, 12 episodes Echo 3 November 23, 2022 1 season, 10 episodes El Deafo January 7, 2022 3 episodes Eva the Owlet March 31, 2023 1 season, 8 episodes Extrapolations March 17, 2023 1 season, 8 episodes Five Days at Memorial August 12, 2022 8 episodes For All Mankind November 1, 2019 4 seasons, 40 episodes Foundation September 24, 2021 2 seasons, 20 episodes Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock January 21, 2022 2 seasons, 27 episodes Fraggle Rock: Rock On! April 21, 2020 1 season, 6 episodes Frog and Toad April 28, 2023 2 seasons, 18 episodes Get Rolling with Otis October 8, 2021 2 seasons, 18 episodes Ghostwriter November 1, 2019 3 seasons, 39 episodes Greatness Code July 10, 2020 2 seasons, 13 episodes Gutsy September 9, 2022 1 season, 8 episodes Harriet the Spy November 19, 2021 2 seasons, 20 episodes Hello Tomorrow! February 17, 2023 1 season, 10 episodes Hello, Jack! The Kindness Show November 5, 2021 2 seasons, 16 episodes Helpsters November 1, 2019 3 seasons, 40 episodes Helpsters Help You April 24, 2020 6 episodes High Desert May 17, 2023 1 season, 8 episodes Hijack June 28, 2023 7 episodes Hollywood Con Queen May 8, 2024 3 episodes Home April 17, 2020 2 season, 19 episodes Home Before Dark April 3, 2020 2 seasons, 20 episodes Interrupting Chicken November 18, 2022 2 seasons, 17 episodes Invasion October 22, 2021 2 seasons, 20 episodes Jane April 14, 2023 2 seasons, 15 episodes John Lennon: Murder Without A Trial December 6, 2023 3 episodes Lady in the Lake July 19, 2024 7 episodes Land of Women June 26, 2024 1 season, 6 episodes Lessons in Chemistry October 13, 2023 8 episodes Liaison February 24, 2023 1 season, 6 episodes Life by Ella September 2, 2022 1 season, 10 episodes Lincolns Dilemma February 18, 2022 4 episodes Liseys Story June 4, 2021 8 episodes Little America January 17, 2020 2 seasons, 16 episodes Little Voice July 10, 2020 1 season, 9 episodes Long Way Up September 18, 2020 11 episodes Loot June 24, 2022 2 seasons, 20 episodes Losing Alice January 22, 2021 1 season, 8 episodes Lovely Little Farm June 10, 2022 2 seasons, 14 episodes Make or Break April 29, 2022 2 seasons, 15 episodes Manhunt March 15, 2024 7 episodes Masters of the Air January 26, 2024 9 episodes Me July 12, 2024 1 seasons, 10 episodes Messi Meets America October 11, 2023 6 episodes Messis World Cup: Rise of a Legend February 21, 2024 4 episodes Monarch: Legacy of Monsters November 17, 2023 1 season, 10 episodes Monster Factory March 17, 2023 6 episodes Mr. Corman August 6, 2021 1 season, 10 episodes My Kind of Country March 24, 2023 1 season, 8 episodes Mythic Quest February 7, 2020 3 seasons, 30 episodes Now and Then May 20, 2022 1 season, 8 episodes Omnivore July 19, 2024 1 season, 8 episodes One-of-a-Kind Marcie August 18, 2023 39 min. Oprah Talks COVID-19 March 21, 2020 1 season, 13 episodes Oprahs Book Club November 1, 2019 1 season, 14 episodes Pachinko March 25, 2022 1 season, 8 episodes Palm Royale March 20, 2024 10 episodes Physical June 18, 2021 3 seasons, 30 episodes Pinecone & Pony April 8, 2022 2 seasons, 16 episodes Platonic May 24, 2023 1 season, 10 episodes Prehistoric Planet May 23, 2022 2 season, 10 episodes Presumed Innocent June 12, 2024 8 episodes Pretzel and the Puppies February 11, 2022 2 seasons, 18 episodes Puppy Place October 15, 2021 2 seasons, 16 episodes Real Madrid: Until the End March 10, 2023 3 episodes Roar April 15, 2022 1 season, 8 episodes Sago Mini Friends September 16, 2022 2 seasons, 19 episodes Schmigadoon! July 16, 2021 2 seasons, 12 episodes See November 1, 2019 3 seasons, 24 episodes Servant November 28, 2019 4 seasons, 40 episodes Severance February 18, 2022 1 season, 9 episodes Shantaram October 14, 2022 1 season, 12 episodes Shape Island January 20, 2023 1 season, 8 episodes Shining Girls April 29, 2022 1 season, 8 episodes Shrinking January 27, 2023 1 season, 10 episodes Silo May 5, 2023 1 season, 10 episodes Slow Horses April 1, 2022 3 seasons, 18 episodes Slumberkins November 4, 2022 1 season, 8 episodes Snoopy in Space November 1, 2019 2 seasons, 24 episodes Still Up September 22, 2023 1 season, 8 episodes Stillwater December 4, 2020 3 seasons, 30 episodes Strange Planet August 9, 2023 1 season, 10 episodes STEVE! (martin): A documentary in two pieces March 29, 2024 2 episodes Sugar April 5, 2024 8 episodes Sunny July 10, 2024 1 season, 10 episodes Super League: The War for Football January 13, 2023 4 episodes Surface July 29, 2022 1 season, 8 episodes Surfside Girls August 19, 2022 1 season, 10 episodes Suspicion February 4, 2022 1 season, 8 episodes Swagger October 29, 2021 2 season2, 18 episodes Ted Lasso August 14, 2020 3 seasons, 34 episodes Tehran September 25, 2020 2 seasons, 16 episodes The Afterparty January 28, 2022 2 seasons, 16 episodes The Big Cigar May 17, 2024 6 episodes The Big Conn May 6, 2022 4 episodes The Big Door Prize March 29, 2023 2 seasons, 20 episodes The Changeling September 8, 2023 1 season, 8 episodes The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin March 1, 2024 1 season, 6 episodes The Crowded Room June 9, 2023 1 season, 10 episodes The Dynasty February 16 2024 10 episodes The Enfield Poltergeist October 27, 2023 4 episodes The Essex Serpent May 13, 2022 6 episodes The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey March 11, 2022 6 episodes The Last Thing He Told Me April 14, 2023 7 episodes The Line November 19, 2021 4 episodes [a] The Long Game: Bigger Than Basketball April 22, 2022 1 season, 5 episodes The Me You Cant See May 21, 2021 1 season, 6 episodes The Morning Show November 1, 2019 3 seasons, 30 episodes The Mosquito Coast April 30, 2021 2 seasons, 17 episodes The New Look February 14, 2024 1 season, 10 episodes The Oprah Conversation July 30, 2020 1 season, 15 episodes The Problem with Jon Stewart September 30, 2021 2 seasons, 20 episodes The Reluctant Traveler February 24, 2023 2 seasons, 13 episodes The Shrink Next Door November 12, 2021 8 episodes The Snoopy Show February 5, 2021 2 seasons, 26 episodes The Super Models September 20, 2023 4 episodes They Call Me Magic April 22, 2022 1 season, 4 episodes Tiny World October 2, 2020 2 seasons, 12 episodes Truth Be Told December 6, 2019 3 seasons, 28 episodes Trying May 1, 2020 4 seasons, 32 episodes Visible: Out on Television February 14, 2020 5 episodes Wanted: The Escape of Carlos Ghosn August 25, 2023 4 episodes Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson July 30, 2021 1 season, 6 episodes WeCrashed March 18, 2022 8 episodes Wolfboy and the Everything Factory September 24, 2021 2 seasons, 20 episodes WondLa June 28, 2024 1 season, 7 episodes Apple TV movies and short films Apple TV+ is home to a fair number of original movies, too. Some of the movies saw a limited theatrical release, all are listed here in alphabetical order. Title Release Date 9/11: Inside the Presidents War Room September 1, 2021 Argylle April 12, 2024 Beastie Boys Story April 24, 2020 Billie Eilish: The Worlds a Little Blurry February 26, 2021 Blush October 1, 2021 Boys State August 14, 2020 Bruce Springsteens Letter to You October 23, 2020 Causeway November 4, 2022 Cha Cha Real Smooth June 17, 2022 Cherry March 12, 2021 CODA August 13, 2021 Come from Away September 10, 2021 Dads June 19, 2020 Emancipation December 9, 2022 Fancy Dance June 28, 2024 Fathom June 25, 2021 Finch November 5, 2021 Fingernails November 3, 2023 Flora and Son September 29, 2023 Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds November 13, 2020 Ghosted April 21, 2023 Girls State April 5, 2024 Greyhound July 10, 2020 Hala December 6, 2019 Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas November 22, 2023 Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth April 17, 2020 Killers of the Flower Moon January 12, 2024 Louis Armstrongs Black & Blues October 28, 2022 Luck August 5, 2022 Mariah Careys Magical Christmas Special December 4, 2020 Mariahs Christmas: The Magic Continues December 3, 2021 Napoleon March 1, 2024 On the Rocks October 23, 2020 Palmer January 29, 2021 Raymond & Ray October 21, 2022 Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me November 4, 2022 Sharper February 17, 2023 Sidney September 23, 2022 Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne December 10, 2021 Snoopy Presents: Its The Small Things, Charlie Brown April 15, 2022 Snoopy Presents: Lucys School August 12, 2022 Snoopy Presents: To Mom (and Dad), With Love May 6, 2022 Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin February 16, 2024 Spirited November 18, 2022 Stephen Curry: Underrated July 21, 2023 Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie May 12, 2023 Swan Song December 17, 2021 Tetris March 31, 2023 The Banker March 20, 2020 The Beanie Bubble July 28, 2023 The Bloody Hundredth March 15, 2024 The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse December 25, 2022 The Elephant Queen November 1, 2019 The Family Plan December 15, 2023 The Greatest Beer Run Ever September 30, 2022 The Pigeon Tunnel October 20, 2023 The Sky Is Everywhere February 11, 2022 The Tragedy of Macbeth January 14, 2022 The Velvet Underground October 15, 2021 The Velveteen Rabbit November 22, 2023 The Year Earth Changed April 16, 2021 Twas the Fight Before Christmas November 26, 2021 Who Are You, Charlie Brown? June 25, 2021 Wolfwalkers December 11, 2020 Apple TV

10 reasons why youll want to upgrade your iPhone 14 Pro this fall

Macworld iPhones are famous for their long life spans, thanks to their premium hardware and Apples commitment to at least five years of software support. Weve probably all come across somone still rocking an iPhone 8, as a mere battery swap typically gives these devices a new lease on life. Nevertheless, Apple has been really boosting the iPhone lately, which could entice certain customers to upgrade more often. While the iPhone 14 Pro is just two years old, you may find yourself coveting an iPhone 16 Pro upgrade this fall. After all, Apple has made some significant changes in the past couple of years, and if the rumors about the iPhone 16 Pro features are true, there are at least ten reasons why this upgrade may not feel like just a minor step. 1. Apple Intelligence One of iOS 18s biggest highlights is Apple Intelligence . Coming later this year, this native AI solution will supercharge your mobile computing experience. Well, except that its not coming to your iPhone 14 Pro, as its restricted to the 15 Pro and future models. By upgrading to an iPhone 16 Pro, youll be unlocking advanced features like email and notification summaries, text enhancement tools, image and emoji generators, and more. Apple Intelligence on its own could notably impact how you use your device, let alone when bundled with the hardware changes we will list below. 2. Titanium design With the iPhone 15 Pro models, Apple retired the stainless steel body in favor of a titanium one. While on paper this may seem like a trivial tweak, it actually makes a lot of difference. For starters, the company redistributed the internal weight, which causes the phone to feel lighter, especially when held for prolonged periods. Similarly, Apple rounded the frame and got rid of the sharp edges that would leave marks on your fingers when used for a long time. So, despite personally upgrading from an iPhone 14 Pro to the (heavier) 15 Pro Max, I found myself operating the new handset more comfortably. Beyond the ergonomics, titanium is less prone to scratches and fingerprint marks than stainless steel. This makes it look fresher and less worn out. And with the iPhone 16 Pro models, Apple is rumored to apply a glossy layer on the frame to further enhance the cosmetics. 3. Larger displays For years, flagship iPhones, including the 14 Pro, have been offering 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch variants. This could be changing this fall, as rumors point to larger iPhone 16 Pro models. If the leaked details turn out to be accurate, the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max will feature 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, respectively. This would make the viewing experience much more immersive and comfortable. 4. Improved display performance Speaking of displays, rumors also suggest that the iPhone 16 Pro models will be adopting finer OLED panels. Apple is reportedly looking into the the micro-lens technology, which would increase the displays brightness while maintaining the same power consumption. Alternatively, the company could rely on this technology to retain the current brightness while consuming less energy. Regardless of the route Apple takes, the iPhone 16 Pros screen is expected to outshine that of the 14 Pro. Foundry Foundry Foundry 5. Superior cameras The iPhone is many users primary (and even sole) camera, as it has advanced enough to capture high-resolution moments. While the iPhone 14 Pro packs an excellent 48MP wide lens, upgrading to a 16 Pro model will unlock even more advanced photography tools. For starers, the smaller iPhone 16 Pro is rumored to adopt the 15 Pro Maxs tetraprism lens. This would extend the maximum digital zoom from 15x to 25x and the optical one from 3x to 5x. And if you opt for the iPhone 16 Pro Max variant, then you may be able to utilize a super telephoto periscope lens, which could increase the optical zoom beyond 5x and enhance portrait shots of faraway subjects. Thats not to mention that the ultra-wide lens resolution is expected to receive a welcome bump from 12MP to 48MP. 6. Action button Since the original iPhone, every Apple smartphone had had a Silent switch. Since many of us keep their phones muted at all times, the company decided to give users more choice. Starting with the iPhone 15 Pro models, an Action button has replaced the classic switch. It allows users to remap its functionality, and will get even more flexible and useful in iOS 18 . This includes taking photos, recording audio, translating, triggering actions from the Shortcuts app, and more. So, if the Silent toggle doesnt mean much to you, youll particularly appreciate the Action button when you upgrade your iPhone 14 Pro to a 16 Pro. Foundry Foundry Foundry 7. Capture button Clicky upgrades may not strictly revolve around the Action button, however. The iPhone 16 Pro models are rumored to introduce an all-new Capture button, which could allow users to open the Camera app, control its zoom, take photos, and more. So, if you often use your iPhone 14 Pro to capture everyday life moments, youll want to grab an 16 Pro model this fall. 8. Faster charging speeds Recent iPhones, including your 14 Pro, support up to 27W wired and 15W MagSafe wireless charging. Upgrading to an iPhone 16 Pro model may speed up fueling your device by increasing these rates to 40W and 20W, respectively. This would spare you the need to wait too long when topping up your phones juice. 9. Overhauled internal components The iPhone 16 Pros battery upgrades may not be strictly limited to faster charging speeds, though. Rumors also hint at the stacked battery technologys adoption, which could increase the energy density and help preserve the maximum capacity for a longer period. Apple may also incorporate a graphene thermal system, which can prevent overheating more efficiently than its copper counterpart. The iPhone 16 Pro may also encase the battery with metal to help maintain neutral temperatures. 10. Higher storage capacity Lastly, the iPhone 16 Pro could increase the maximum storage capacity from 1TB to 2TB. This would allow you to store around double the data on your device. Given that iPhones now produce larger videos and run more complex apps, the 2TB optioncoupled with the universal USB-C port and more capable A18 Pro chip could help future-proof your device. Foundry Foundry Foundry iPhone 14 Pro is starting to show its age While the iPhone 14 Pro is still relatively fresh, the rumored iPhone 16 Pro upgrades truly highlight its shortcomings. When it first launched, we celebrated the always-on display, Dynamic Island, and 48MP main camera lens. They undoubtedly were groundbreaking coming from an iPhone 13 Pro. Now, all of these changes seem trivial when juxtaposed with an upcoming iPhone that packs Apple Intelligence, two new buttons, a superior build, a larger display, even better cameras, and more. Since smartphone upgrades have generally been iterative in recent years, Im quite surprised by Apples present advancements in this field. The company is still managing to uncover and patch iPhone shortcomings, without necessarily coming up with completely different form factorslike foldables. The iPhone is constantly evolving, but its still just an iPhone. iPhone

Time Machine vs iCloud: Do you need to use both and can one back up to the other?

Macworld We all understand the importance of backing up our Mac, even if we arent already doing so. A backup protects your data if your Mac fails or is stolen, or if a software update breaks something you rely on and you need to revert to an older version of your Mac. If you arent sold on why you should back up your Mac read: How to use Time Machine to back up a Mac and How to back up a MacBook or Mac , which covers more options than Time Machine. We also reveal the Best Mac Backup software in our round-up. How is iCloud different to Time Machine? There is an important distinction between iCloud and Time Machine. Time Machine is a really simple way to back up your Mac so that you can retrieve older versions of documents and recover the contents and settings of your Mac if you lose your Mac or something goes wrong with it. One of the features of iCloud is that you can back up your iPhone or iPad and restore your iPhone or iPad from an iCloud backup of those devices. If you have an iPhone or iPad you are probably using iCloud to back up those devices, in which case you may be wondering if you can back up your Mac to iCloud. Unfortunately, this functionality isnt available for Macs. Only a Time Machine (or other backup application) can create a backup that can be used to recover a Mac, settings and all. However, there are some features of iCloud that are beneficial to Mac users. Beyond the iPhone or iPad backup, iCloud is a way to sync data between your devices. If you have enough iCloud storage (which starts at $0.99/99 for 50GB and goes up to $59.99/54.99 for 12TB) you can back up all your photos, and your Desktop and Documents folders on your Mac, so that you can access that data on every device linked by your Apple ID. For example, you can use iCloud Photos to sync full res copies of your photos to the cloud, iTunes Match to store your music library in the cloud, and with iCloud you can sync everything in your Documents and Desktop folders to the cloud. Crucially, this aspect of iCloud isnt a backup, its a sync. If you delete or amend a file in iCloud you wont be able to recover an older version of that file from a backup or retrieve the file that you deleted (in most circumstances anyway). Do you need to use Time Machine if you are using iCloud? If you use iCloud to sync the Desktop and Document data from your Mac, use iCloud Photos to store your photos in the cloud, and either subscribe to Apple Music or have iTunes Match to store your music in the cloud, there may be very little on your Mac to backup. To get an idea of how much data is on your Mac that can be backed up take a look at System Settings > General > Storage. Here you will see what is taking up space on your Mac. In our case, 42GB applications, 38GB Photos and various other things. Note that iCloud Drive is only taking 100MB of space. The 38GB of Photos stored on our Mac are a small fraction of the 688GB in iCloudif you pay for iCloud Photos then the photos taking up space on your Mac will not be the high res versions, those are all stored in the cloud where they can be viewed on all your devices. You may therefore feel confident that all the files you dont want to lose are in iCloud and not think you need to back up your Mac. While it is true that losing your Mac is not as drastic as it once was because so much of our data is now in the cloud there will inevitably be important files only stored on your Mac that you should back up. In fact, we guarantee if you are only relying on iCloud and delete everything on your Mac you will likely find you have lost something very important. The other benefit of a Time Machine backup is that if you have to replace a stolen or broken Mac it is only via a Time Machine backup that you will be able to recover all your settings and the data on your Mac that is not synced to iCloud. Another reason not to fully rely on iCloud as a means of backing up your Mac, or any of your devices for that matter, is that it is linked to your Apple ID and if you forget your password or get locked out of your Apple ID not only will you lose access to iCloud, you will lose access to your data too. Can you back up iCloud to Time Machine? The inability to back up whats in iCloud is actually quite a significant problem. You can back up an iPhone or iPad to a Mac or iCloud, you can back up a Mac to Time Machine, you can even archive some important files on your Mac and transfer them to iCloud as a sort of backup (see how to use iCloud to back up a Mac ). But you cannot backup the data in iCloud to anywhere other than iCloud (which isnt a backup as we explained above). Your data is uploaded to iCloud where it can be accessed on all your devices, but if you delete it from iCloud its gone. You are relying on Apple to keep your files safe, and while their servers may be very secure when you are unable to connect to them you will not have access, and if you, for example, forget your login information you will completely lose access iCloud and your files. (Luckily in the short term this shouldnt be a huge issue as recently edited versions documents and files are kept on your Mac, but its still worth keeping in mind if you are relying on iCloud.) With that in mind you may be wondering if you can back up everything in iCloud to your Time Machine drive as an extra layer of security. Unfortunately, this isnt a possibility. Currently, there is no way to back up the data in iCloud. If you forget your Apple ID or login and cant access iCloud you should read this: How to recover a forgotten Apple ID. Why you shouldnt rely on iCloud This is a scenario that a reader highlighted in a letter to Ask Mac 911 back in 2018. Glenn Fleishman explained at the time: Apples integration of iCloud into all its services and the availability of iCloud Drive makes it an attractive sync and storage option. You can use it to make sure your contacts and events are up to date across your Macs and iOS devices, and reachable via iCloud.com. Your photos and videos automatically upload for backup, and your passwords and other secret data gets securely synchronized on all your hardwarein a way that even Apple cant peer into. You can even offload files on your Desktop and in your Documents file if you start running out of storage in macOS. But theres a problem: Apple doesnt offer any way to let you backup the data for which it has the only copy. And, in many cases, you may have a mix of information that could make it hard to restore, even if you have a full copy. Macworld reader Mana wrote in about this particular issue. They asked for a method to backup iCloud Drive in particular, but the same issue applies more broadly to all iCloud services except iCloud Keychain and the People albums facial ID in Photos (as Ill explain below). Mana noted, quite accurately, Good comprehensive backups would seem to be a vital precaution that we should all take. Bravo. Its not that I worry that Apple will have some massive iCloud storage failure. They use multiple layers of file and geographic redundancy, just like all companies that operate cloud-storage, allowing recovery even when there are huge hardware failures or natural disasters. But I dont like the idea of having all ones eggs in one basket. If the only copy of some or a good portion of your data remains on Apples servers, then if something goes terribly wrong for them, or, if for reasons beyond your control Apple suspends your Apple ID account or you permanently lose access for some reason, you need to have your own data stored separately. (What could go wrong? I regularly get email from readers who lost access to an old email address, and wind up with that address being the only way they can apparently recover their Apple ID account, and not being able to provide Apple with sufficient proof to regain use of it.) Ive written separate columns about elements of this, such as Photos and iCloud and Desktop & Documents Folders, but it seems like the right time for a full list and a description of the limitations of each, and alternatives. I recommend against Desktop & Documents sync because you cant back up data only stored in iCloud. I recommend against Desktop & Documents sync because you cant back up data only stored in iCloud. I recommend against Desktop & Documents sync because you cant back up data only stored in iCloud. In many cases, as long as a Mac is in the set of synced/associated devices, you have a full backup; if youre iOS only or iOS plus another desktop operating system, you may have much more trouble or find a backup or restore impossible. Also note that not all backup software backs up all files. Many cloud-based tools, like Backblaze, may exclude some system-wide preference directories in which archives and incremental snapshots of certain kinds of data, like contacts, get stored. To make sure you have copies of everything, you need to use local backup software that clones the entire drive, like Time Machine, Carbon Copy Cloner, or SuperDuper. Contacts, calendar events, and to-dos. iCloud syncs all of this, so copies exist on every device. Disabling iCloud or iCloud going away wont delete local copies unless you choose to remove data when that option is presented to you. If you wanted to be extra sure youd never lose data, set a calendar remind (irony) to export archives in macOS, and make sure the archives are stored in a folder or on a drive that gets backed up. In Contacts, choose File > Export > Contacts Archive . In Calendar, choose File > Export > Calendar Archive . Desktop & Documents Folders synced via iCloud. As I noted in this April 2018 column , by default macOS automatically manages which files get deleted from your Mac when more free storage is needed. Theres no way to ensure a backup of all files in those locations. I recommend never using this feature if you want to have absolute assurance a copy outside iCloud exists. (You can uncheck a box in the iCloud system preference panes iCloud Drive Options dialog to prevent optimization, which defeats the point of the feature by not removing any files when storage becomes tight.) iCloud Photo Library and a local Photos library. With iCloud Photo Library enabled on any supported device, you can opt to store full-resolution images and videos, or optimized versions, which are low-res thumbnails or previews. With the optimized option, you cant even specify a set of media that should always remain downloaded. My recommended solution is to have one Mac with enough storage that Photos can be set to house all the originals. (Choose Photos > Preferences > iCloud and select Download Originals to This Mac .) iCloud Keychain and the People albums facial-identification information. Apple uses a strong method of encryption for these two oddly unrelated services that synchronizes data through iCloud, storing a copy there in encrypted form without Apple having the encryption details to decipher the data. Full copies of this information is only stored locally on each of your linked devices, and thus backed up with Time Machine, a clone, or any other local full-backup system. iCloud Music Library and iTunes. This can get a little complicated depending on whether you subscribe to iTunes Match, Apple Music, or both. (If neither, the iCloud feature isnt enabled.) Effectively, you need to make sure to force downloads to a Mac, which can then back up any of your media. However, if you use iTunes Match, you may wind up with a copy of a song you digitized in one place and the iTunes Stores copy in all the others. You can consult this January 2018 column for more details. iCloud Drive. Everything else in iCloud Drive is synced and stored locally across all linked Macs if the Optimize Mac Storage box is unchecked. Any sensible backup will include iCloud Drive by default. However, if you optimize storage, youll have the same issue as with Desktop & Documents of never knowing which files are stored locally or not. (If you use other cloud file sync services, like Dropbox, they may let you selectively sync folders to different machines, but ostensibly youd have at least one backup of all files among different Macs.) Messages in iCloud. This feature, enabled in a mid-stream release of iOS and macOS, allows the use of iCloud to sync and store messages. Even with it enabled, Messages in macOS continues to store transcripts, although theyre deep in a library folder. Find them at /Library/Containers/com.apple.iChat/Data/Library/Messages/Archive . Ask Mac 911 Weve compiled a list of the questions we get asked most frequently along with answers and links to columns: read our super FAQ to see if your question is covered. If not, were always looking for new problems to solve! Email yours to mac911@macworld.com including screen captures as appropriate, and whether you want your full name used. Every question wont be answered, we dont reply to email, and we cannot provide direct troubleshooting advice. Backup Software, iCloud, MacOS

Can you use an old Mac laptop without a battery?

Macworld A Macworld reader has a perfectly good 2009 MacBook Proexcept for its swollen lithium-ion battery. He wants to keep it on hand for limited uses after safely removing and disposing of the battery. Is there a downside to working battery-free? Not really. As long as youre always plugged in, a Mac laptop has no idea about or interest in whether its drawing power from a battery or a wall outlet. Years ago, I used a hand-me-down iBook like this (in the era in which you could just pop out a dead battery, as they were removable) so my kids had a machine to work on when they were little. Of course, the big problem is that any power discontinuity means that the Mac shuts off instantly. Hard drives used in older Mac laptops can suffer from an instant power off but are typically okay as long as the machine isnt being moved around. Any work in progress thats not saved is lost. Our reader is savvy about this, however, and has already planned the right complement to a battery-free Mac laptop: an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) . You dont need a model with a lot of battery capacity, as youre just trying to buy yourself a moment or so to save and shut down in the event of a full-on power outage. In most cases, the UPS helps the Mac over any minor hiccups that would cause it to crash or restart. This Mac 911 article is in response to a question submitted by Macworld reader Tom. Ask Mac 911 Weve compiled a list of the questions we get asked most frequently, along with answers and links to columns: read our super FAQ to see if your question is covered. If not, were always looking for new problems to solve! Email yours to mac911@macworld.com , including screen captures as appropriate and whether you want your full name used. Not every question will be answered, we dont reply to email, and we cannot provide direct troubleshooting advice. Mac

Best laptop power banks for MacBook

Macworld Many of us are quite used to carrying around a handy power bank to top up our iPhone batteries during a long day away from a power socket, but these pocketable battery packs are usually not powerful enough to keep an unplugged and energy-hungry MacBook going all day. Weve rounded up the best portable laptop power banks with battery capacities high enough to recharge a fading MacBook if you wont be able to plug it into an electrical outlet for some time. Despite new laptops boasting improved battery life duration, its easy for your trusty MacBook to lose power after a day of intense meetings and PowerPoint presentations. No one wants to see the Macs Your battery is running low warning, especially when halfway through watching a downloaded Netflix series on a long-haul flight. We looked at seven main factors for recommending laptop power banks: battery capacity, charging speed, total power output, power input, USB ports, portability and safety. Power bank battery capacity The larger the laptop power banks capacity the more charges it will be able to give your MacBook. While nearly all laptop power banks give their battery capacity in milliamp hours (mAh) its more instructional to know the battery capacity in watt hours (Wh) as Wh provides a more accurate estimation of a batterys energy capacity for devices with varying power requirements. A 13-inch MacBook Air has a battery capacity of around 50Wh. The 16-inch MacBook Pros battery is rated at nearly twice thatjust under 100Wh. To find out the Wh rating of your MacBook, check our our list of all the MacBook battery capacities . In theory, a 100Wh power bank could recharge the smaller laptop twice and the larger one once. While its not quite that simple, you will certainly get more charge from a power bank with a higher Wh rating. Watt hours is also the measure used by airlines to determine whether you can carry the power bank onto a plane with you: see below our list of the best MacBook power banks for national and international in-flight battery regulations . Manufacturers are required to mark lithium-ion batteries with the watt-hour rating, but its often not clearly indicated on the packaging or on the power bank itselflook for some tiny writing on one side of the battery pack and youll eventually find the Wh rating. Dont worry, weve done that for you in our recommendations below. You can calculate the number of watt-hours your battery provides if you know the batterys nominal voltage (V) and capacity in ampere-hours (Ah), by using this calculation: Ah x V = Wh. If you know only the batterys milliampere hours (mAh), divide that number by 1,000 to get the ampere-hours (Ah). For example, 1200mAh divided by 1,000 = 4.4Ah. Then multiply that number by the power banks voltage. Battery to laptop charging speed The speed at which a power bank can charge your laptop is important, especially if you are charging the MacBook while using it. Like any USB-C charger, look for the wattage at which the power bank can output power. A small laptop requires perhaps as little as 40W to keep it powered up. A larger MacBook might require 65W or 100W. A 16-inch MacBook Pro can be fast-charged at 140W. In technical terms, chargers and power banks have a USB PD (Power Delivery) rating. PD 3.0 has a maximum power output of 100W. PD 3.1 (useful for the 16-inch MacBook Pro) can output at 140W. The PD rating is assigned to each USB port (see below). That top-end MacBook can be charged at 100W, but it will take longer to charge. If you use a much lower wattage charger, or power bank, your MacBook battery might not fill up as fast because the laptop battery is being used by your applications. As such we havent looked at any laptop power bank rated at under 65W and make recommendations for each power bank we have tested as to which MacBook model it is best suited for. It is fine to use a 140W PD 3.1 charger or power bank on a smaller laptopnothing untoward will happen as the power output is regulated by the laptop being powered. Indeed, you can safely charge your AirPods case with a 140W charger even though it wont take more than 5W. Total power output A power bank with multiple ports will also have a maximum total output, which is how much power all the ports can give out together at one time when each is connected to a different device. A power bank might have two ports each rated at 100W, but if the total power output is 100W then that power will be shared between the ports. Look for a total power output that means the power bank can handle charging multiple devices at the same time at full speed. Power input Power Input is the wattage at which the power bank itself can be charged via a USB-C charger . Again, the more watts, the faster the charge up to the power banks full capacity. USB ports A power bank needs at least one USB port to carry the power from itself to the device being charged. USB ports today come in two basic varieties: old-school rectangular USB-A and modern reversible USB-C. You will get the fastest charge using USB-C at the power bank end. At the MacBook end, the USB-C end of the cable will connect with the MacBooks Thunderbolt port, which is identical to USB-C in looks and basic operation. Thunderbolt is backward compatible with USB-C. Look for power banks with multiple USB ports so you can charge more than one device at a time: more than one laptop, or a laptop plus a phone or two, or your AirPods case and Apple Watch. A USB-A port might be useful if you need to power-up a device whose charger uses the older standard; for example, a Fitbit. Power vs portability There are some giant power banks, usually called portable power stations, that can keep a family going all weekend, but they are way too large to carry with you on your travels. Our sister site PCWorld.com has tested the best of these much larger portable power stations . As a rule, the higher the battery capacity, the larger and heavier the power bank. We have included size and weight so you can determine if each power bank suits your traveling needs. There are much smaller, lighter and more portable power banks for phonescheck out our recommendations of the best power banks for iPhone . You could use some of these to recharge a laptop but we recommend the power banks tested and reviewed here for the best results when powering up a laptop. Power bank safety Batteries can present a fire risk in certain circumstances, such as rapid overheating (a process called thermal runaway), overcharging and exposure to high temperatures. As such we recommend only power banks from trusted, premium manufacturers with a long record of producing safe, high-quality products. You will find cheaper power banks, but we believe that the safety of the device you are charging, your home or office, plus your bag if carrying it around with you, are paramount. If you want to take your power bank on a plane, there are also regulations to abide byor youll be leaving it at the Security Desk. See below the chart of our favorite laptop power banks for international airline rules on permitted power banks and batteries. Which power bank is best for your MacBook We have indicated which models of MacBook we think each power bank is best suited to, but that doesnt mean you cant pair any with different MacBooks. The 16-inch MacBook Pro can be fast-charged at 140W (using Apples USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable) so owners of that model should look for a PD 3.1 power bank. But even a 13-inch MacBook Air will work well with the higher-capacity power banks. They might not charge any faster, but they will be recharged more times if you pick a high-capacity battery pack. Anker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank (250W) Best overall MacBook power bank Pros Large battery capacity 140W (PD 3.1) charging power 170W input 250W total output 3 powerful ports Dedicated app Price When Reviewed: $179.99 Best Prices Today: $119.99 at Amazon Prime $179.99 at Amazon $179.99 at Anker Battery capacity: 99.56Wh Fastest Power Output: 140W Total Power Output: 250W Power Input: 170W USB ports: 2x USB-C (140W PD 3.1); 1x USB-A (65W PD 3.0). Dimensions: 6.4 x 2.2 x 2 inches (16.2 x 5.7 x 5cm) Weight: 23.3oz (659g) Airline compatible: Yes The Anker Prime 27650mAh Power Bank is one of the most powerful laptop power banks that you can match with your MacBook. It is a great fit with the top-end 16-inch MacBook Pro, which has a battery rated at around the same watt hours (99.6WH) as this power bank (99.56Wh). Attach Apples USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable to the power back and you can utilize one of the 140W PD 3.1 ports to fast-charge the 16-inch Pro. Although the power bank ships with a 140W-capable cable, Apple allows fast-charging only using its proprietary charging cable. Anker claims that you can fast-charge that top-end MacBook Pro up to 50% in 28 minutes. An iPhone 14 could be charged four and a half times over if using all of the power banks battery capacity. In our tests, we charged a 14-inch M2 MacBook Pro to full power with a little battery power remaining in the pack. There are three USB ports. Each of the two USB-C ports can be used to power at 140W. While it has a maximum total output of 250W you cant fast-charge two 16-inch MacBook Pros at the same timewhen using the two USB-C ports at the same time one runs at 140W and the other at 100W, which is still powerful enough to fast-charge one laptop and still charge another simultaneously. When using all three ports, one USB-C will have 140W potential, the other USB-C can charge at up to 92W and the USB-A port at 18W, which is enough to fast-charge an iPhone. You can recharge the power bank itself in under 40 minutes using the two USB-C ports at the same time at an impressive 170Wfaster than any other laptop power bank we have tested. This is a sophisticated power bank with some tricks of its own. It can be controlled by an app, which gives real-time charging stats (Remaining Charging Time and Input and Output power indicators) and can be optimized to help extend the battery life of the devices being charged as well as its own. You can even use the apps Find Device feature to activate a sound alert from the power bank when you need to locate it. The Anker Prime 27650mAh Power Bank is available in either black or gold colors. In reality, the black color is more of a metallic gray. Great for: 16-inch MacBook Pro. Read our full Anker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank (250W) review Ugreen 48000mAh Portable Power Bank (300W) Best high-capacity MacBook power bank Pros Large battery capacity 140W (PD 3.1) charging power 300W total output Carry handle 5 powerful ports Cons Larger and heavier than most Price When Reviewed: $199.99 Best Prices Today: $199.99 at Ugreen Not Available at Amazon Battery capacity: 153Wh Fastest Power Output: 140W Total Power Output: 300W Power Input: 140W USB ports: 1x USB-C (140W PD 3.1), 2x USB-C (100W PD 3.0); 2x USB-A (22.5W). Dimensions: 6.3 x 5.7 x 3 inches inches (16 x 14.5 x 7.6cm) Weight: 3.6lb (1.65kg) Airline compatible: Yes (with carrier approval) The Ugreen 48000mAh 300W Portable Power Bank is the missing link between a laptop power bank and a full-blown power station. It has a huge battery capacity but is still portable, although you wouldnt want to carry it around in your backpack all day, and its too powerful to take on a commercial flight. It has a handle so is carriable, but the bulk and weight mean it is one to move around inside or carry in a car. It would be the perfect power companion on a camping trip. Its not super-heavy, but it is noticeably larger than the other laptop power banks tested here. Keep it powered up in case of power outages and it should keep your laptop and phone going for days. There are five ports (three USB-C and two USB-A) with a maximum simultaneous power output of 300W. As it has a 140W PD 3.1 USB-C port, it can be used to fast charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro. At the same time, you could charge another top-end MacBook Pro at 100W, and use one of the USB-A ports at 22.5W. The smart display shows the remaining battery, total input and output power. Great for: 16-inch MacBook Pro. Read our full Ugreen 48000mAh 300W Portable Power Bank review Anker Prime 20000mAh Power Bank (200W) Best mid-range laptop power bank Pros Compact size Decent battery capacity 3 powerful ports 200W total output Price When Reviewed: $129.99 Best Prices Today: $129.99 at Amazon $129.99 at Anker Battery capacity: 72Wh Fastest Power Output: 100W Total Power Output: 200W Power Input: 100W USB ports: 2x USB-C (100W PD 3.0); 1x USB-A (65W PD 3.0). Dimensions: 4.9 x 2.1 x 2 inches (12.7 x 5.5 x 5cm) Weight: 18.7oz (529g) Airline compatible: Yes The Anker Prime 20000mAh Power Bank is a recommended laptop power bank that is lighter and smaller than the top-end Anker Prime 27650mAh Power Bank, but boasts the same number of USB ports. It doesnt feature that power banks 140W PD 3.1 USB-C ports, instead packing two 100W USB-C ports and the same 65W USB-A port. That doesnt rule it out as a battery pack for the 16-inch MacBook Pro, but it cant fast-charge Apples largest laptop. Its a great option for the smaller MacBooks unless you need as much power in the bank as you can carry. As the maximum power output is 200W, you could simultaneously charge two MacBooks at 100W. Using all three ports, you can power a MacBook at 100W, another at 60W and still have 40W over for a third MacBook or any other device. Like its big sibling, the Anker 200W 20000mAh Power Bank features a clear display but doesnt work with the Anker app. While the 27650mAh Anker Prime can be charged itself at 200W, the Anker 200W 20000mAh Power Bank can be charged at a lower, but still reasonable, 100W using just one of its USB-C ports. Available in either gray (Anker calls it black) or gold. Great for: 14-inch MacBook Pro, 13-inch or 15-inch MacBook Air. Ugreen Nexode Power Bank 20000mAh (130W) Pros Compact size Decent battery capacity Price When Reviewed: $99.99 Best Prices Today: $99.99 at Amazon Battery capacity: 72Wh Fastest Power Output: 100W Total Power Output: 130W Power Input: 65W USB ports: 1x USB-C (100W PD 3.0); 1x USB-C (30W PD 3.0); 1x USB-A (22.5W PD 3.0). Dimensions: 5.2 x 2.1 x 2 inches (13.1 x 5.4 x 5.1cm) Weight: 16.9oz (480g) Airline compatible: Yes Ugreens equivalent to the Anker Prime 20000mAh Power Bank is the Nexode Power Bank 20000mAh . The battery capacities of both are identical, but the Ugreen is noticeably lighter even though its dimensions are closely aligned. Each has a smart display that tells you more than enough about whats going on between the power bank and the devices being charged. The Ugreen Nexode is a more portable solution, but we still prefer the Anker Prime model for its impressive USB ports. The Anker has two 100W USB-C ports, while the Ugreens USB-C ports are rated at 100W and 30W. As the Ugreen power bank has a maximum power output of 130W, this doesnt matter, but the ANker can pump out 200W simultaneously, making its powerful ports more useful. Power input is also better on the ANker (100W) vs the Ugreen (65W). However, weve seen the Nexode Power Bank 20000mAh priced more competitively than the Anker Prime 20000mAh, and that weight difference may be important to you. Great for: 14-inch MacBook Pro, 13-inch or 15-inch MacBook Air. Cuktech 20 Power Bank 25000mAh (210W) Budget 140W PD 3.1 power bank Pros Large battery capacity 140W (PD 3.1) charging power 110W input 210W total output Price When Reviewed: $114.99 Best Prices Today: $99.99 at Amazon Battery capacity: 90Wh Fastest Power Output: 140W Total Power Output: 210W Power Input: 110W USB ports: 1x USB-C (140W PD 3.1); 1x USB-C (45W PD 3.0); 1x USB-A (30W). Dimensions: 6.3 x 2.2 x 2.2 inches (16 x 5.5 x 5.5cm) Weight: 636g Airline compatible: Yes The Cuktech 20 Power Bank 25000mAh 140W PD 3.1 power bank looks a lot like the Anker Prime 27650mAh, reviewed above, in a tall format with an informative smart display. As with the Anker, there are three USB ports, with one at the required 140W for fast-charging a 16-inch MacBook Pro. The other two ports arent as powerful as the Ankers though: 45W vs 140W, and 30W vs 65W. An M2 MacBook Air should be fully charged with a little power left over for your iPhone, AirPods or Apple Watch. Power input is also not as great, but at 110W its impressive enough compared to most. Maximum simultaneous power output is 210Wagain not as high as the Anker but still respectable. The Cuktechs display gives more data than the Anker, which is informative for wattage junkies but probably overkill for most of us, who just need to know how much battery life remains in the power bank. Ankers dedicated app is perhaps more useful. Again, this is a nice to have and the Cuktech power bank does the important stuff of recharging the laptop at a price point that is noticeably lower than Ankers. Great for: 16-inch MacBook Pro. Ugreen 25000mAh Power Bank (145W) Power in a portable package Pros Large battery capacity 140W (PD 3.1) charging power Portable shape Cons 65W input Price When Reviewed: $119.99 Best Prices Today: $79.99 at Amazon Prime $119.99 at Amazon $119.99 at Ugreen Battery capacity: 90Wh Fastest Power Output: 140W Total Power Output: 145W Power Input: 65W USB ports: 1x USB-C (140W PD 3.1); 1x USB-C (100W PD 3.0); 1x USB-A (22.5W). Dimensions: 6.3 x 3.2 x 1.1 inches (16 x 8.1 x 2.8cm) Weight: 17.7oz (503g) As well as its oblong Nexode laptop power banks, Ugreen offers an alternative slab shape in the form of the Ugreen 25000mAh Power Bank . We think the slab shape works better for portability, while the more vertical Anker shape looks good when sitting on your desk. Offering 140W PD 3.1 via one of its USB-C ports, it is ideal for fast-charging the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Maximum power output, however, is only a little over 140W so theres not much power left if you want to charge another device at the same time. Theres not enough battery to fully recharge Apples top-end MacBook Pro, but it gets very close when recharging our test 14-inch M2 MacBook Pro. It is closest to the 27650mAh Anker prime power bank, and while having a little lower battery capacity it is nearly a quarter of the weight so is easier to carry around with you. The Ugreen battery pack can charge the same number of devices (three) as the Anker, but the Anker can pump out 250W of power simultaneously while the Ugreen is limited to 145W. The Anker is also much faster to re-charge itself, with 170W power input compared to Ugreens 65W. The display is not as smart as those on other laptop power banks reviewed here, showing just the remaining percentage. That said, this is the key statistic youll be interested in rather than more detail on power input and output wattages. Great for: 16-inch MacBook Pro. Ugreen 100W 20000mAh Power Bank Lightest laptop power bank Pros Decent battery capacity Lightweight Portable shape Cons 65W input Price When Reviewed: $79.99 Best Prices Today: $54.39 at Amazon Prime $79.99 at Amazon $79.99 at Ugreen Battery capacity: 72Wh Fastest Power Output: 100W Total Power Output: 100W Power Input: 65W USB ports: 1x USB-C (100W PD 3.0); 1x USB-C (30W); 1x USB-A (22.5W). Dimensions: 5.5 x 3.2 x 1.1 inches (14 x 8.2 x 2.8cm) Weight: 14.8oz (419g) As well as its 25000mAh laptop power bank, Ugreen the a smaller and lighter Ugreen 100W 20000mAh Power Bank that is well-suited to the MacBook Air. This power bank should have enough juice in it to fully recharge a 15-inch M2 MacBook Air. This model has a 100W power output so is less able for the 16-inch MacBook Pro, although it would still offer enough recharge to give even that laptop a few more hours of usage on the road, although with a total 100W, its limited to also charging other devices at the same time as a larger laptop. This one is a useful option when portability is the main aim, as at 419g its the lightest laptop power bank with a decent battery capacity. Great for: 14-inch MacBook Pro, 13-inch or 15-inch MacBook Air. Anker Prime 12000mAh Power Bank (130W) Best budget compact laptop power bank Pros Compact size Affordable 130W total output Cons Lower battery capacity than most 65W fastest output 65W input Price When Reviewed: $89.99 Best Prices Today: $89.99 at Amazon $89.99 at Anker Battery capacity: 43.2Wh Fastest Power Output: 65W Total Power Output: 130W Power Input: 65W USB ports: 2x USB-C (65W PD 3.0) Dimensions: 5.3 x 2.2 x 1.4 inches (13.3 x 5.5 x 3.3cm) Weight: 14.8oz (360g) Airline compatible: Yes Smaller still than the Anker Prime 20000mAh Power Bank, the little(ish) Anker Prime 12000mAh Power Bank is more portablesmaller and lighterthan its fellow Prime battery packs. The compromise is its 65W USB-C ports, but these are fine for the MacBook Air and the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro. Its also fine for larger MacBooks unless you need the fastest charging. It should charge a MacBook Air to about 70% battery capacity. Its also a great option for iPhone users, as it can power up an iPhone 14 or 15 Pro twice over. If your MacBook Air just needs a small power boost, and you want to keep your iPhone going, this is a great compact option. Maximum simulataneous output is 130W, using both USB-C ports, so you can power two MacBooks at 65W each at the same time. Theres no USB-A port if you still need the old USB standard. The smart display shows you how much battery capacity is remaining in the power bank. Unlike the other Anker Prime laptop power banks, the 12000mAh model is available in the gray color onlyno gold for the budget-conscious. Great for: 13-inch or 15-inch MacBook Air. Baseus Laptop Powerbank PD 100W 20000mAh Slimmest power bank for MacBook Pro Pros Slim body Cons No display in watts 65W input Price When Reviewed: $129.99 Best Prices Today: $99.99 at Amazon $129.99 at Baseus Battery capacity: Wh Fastest Power Output: 100W Total Power Output: 100W Power Input: 65W USB ports: 2x USB-C (100W PD 3.0); 2x USB-A (30W). Dimensions: 5.3 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches (13.4 x 13.4 x 1.8cm) Weight: 445g Airline compatible: Yes The Baseus Blade HD Laptop 20000mAh Power Bank is a different design to most other laptop power banks. It is slim (1.8cm) and almost square rather than a rectangular obelisk. This makes it easier to slip into the laptop compartment of a backpack or case. There are four ports: two 100W USB-C, and two 30W USB-A. The 20000mAh capacity is enough to charge a 13-inch MacBook Air from zero to 100% once, with about 5% remaining. The Blade HD also recharges via either of the two USB-C portsalthough at 65W its slower than others reviewed here. In our tests it reached 90% after just 90 minutes and is fully charged after just under two hoursbatteries always take longer to fill the last part of the charge. Like other laptop power banks, it features a smart display, but this one is harder to read than the others tested here. It provides information about the capacity percentage, voltage, and current, as well as the approximate time for the charging process, but the practical benefit of the display would be even greater if the power was displayed in watts and not in a combination of volts and amps. Baseus makes good products but can be let down by a confused product lineup. As well as the Blade HD , there is also a Blade with very similar specs and price but slightly longer (6.4 vs 5.3 inches). As far as we can tell, only the Blade is available in the U.K. while the smaller Blade HD is available in the U.S. and E.U. Great for: 14-inch MacBook Pro, 13-inch or 15-inch MacBook Air. Read our full Baseus Laptop Powerbank PD 100W 20000mAh review Baseus 120000mAh Blade 2 Power Bank Slimmest power bank for MacBook Air Pros Super-slim body Lightweight Cons Lower battery capacity than most 60W input Price When Reviewed: $99.99 Best Prices Today: $99.99 at Amazon $99.99 at Baseus Battery capacity: 46.44Wh Fastest Power Output: 65W Total Power Output: 65W Power Input: 60W USB ports: 2x USB-C (65W PD 3.0) Dimensions: 6.4 x 5.2 x 0.3 inches (16.3 x 13.2 x 0.8cm) Weight: 328g Airline compatible: Yes The Baseus Blade 2 is not, as you might expect, an upgrade on the original Blade. In fact, it has a lower battery capacity, lower power output and lower power input., plus two fewer USB ports. It is, however, remarkably slimeven slimmer than the Blade HDand lightweight, and its a great fit for the MacBook Air. Like the Anker Prime 27650mAh Power Bank, reviewed above, it can connect to a basic app to show you much the same data as youll see on its smart display. The display is small but easier to read than on the Blade HD. Its available in blue, silver or orange colors, and you can pick one of these colors for the display via the app. Great for: 13-inch or 15-inch MacBook Air. Which spare batteries and power banks can you take on a plane? When damaged, short-circuited or overheated, batteries can catch fire and explode, so there are regulations in place to ensure safety onboard commercial aircraft. If you are lucky youll find a charging point at the airport, but we know these are usually already taken. Many plane seats also have a USB port, but its often old-school USB-A where most chargers these days use the more modern, powerful and reversible USB-C connector. Youd be wise to carry your own USB-C wall charger, which you can use if your plane seat includes a regular AC power socket. Remember that you might need a travel adapter depending on the nationality of the airline. Most national and international batteries in flight regulations allow for lithium-ion batteries up to 160Wh, if permitted by the individual airlines. U.S. TSA and FAA battery and power bank regulations The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) states that any spare (uninstalled) lithium ion and lithium metal batteries, including power banks and cell phone battery charging cases, must be carried in carry-on baggage only. Both TSA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FFA) state that with airline approval, passengers may also carry up to two spare larger lithium-ion batteries (101160Wh). TSA requirements apply to both air carriers and airports, and the FAA requirements only apply to commercial airlines. U.K. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) battery and power bank regulations Up to two spare batteries for portable electronic devices containing lithium-ion batteries exceeding a Watt-hour rating of 100Wh but not exceeding 160Wh when carried for personal use are allowed for carry-on baggage and on ones person. They are not permitted in checked (hold) baggage. European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) battery and power bank regulations The European Union regulations are stricter: If the Wh is higher than 100 but not higher than 160, you will need an approval from the operator to carry the item. EASA also states that power banks should not be connected or providing power to a device while on board the aircraft. So you can carry the power bank with you but not actually recharge your phone or laptop while on the plane. Accessories, Computer Accessories, Laptop Accessories, Mac, Power

macOS Sequoia: How to use window tiling

Macworld When using a Mac, often multiple apps and windows are open at once. This can make it tricky to find the app or window you needwhen youre humming along working, sifting through windows and apps is a jarring hiccup. With macOS Sequoia, Apple provides a new window tiling function to help you find an app or window. The feature takes its cues from third-party utilities that add the functionality to macOSSequoias window tiling isnt as robust as those apps, but its still very useful. (If youre already using such an app, you may want to stick with it .) Learn more about the next Mac operating system in our macOS Sequoia superguide . Heres how window tiling in macOS Sequoia works. At a glance Tools required: macOS Sequoia 1. Check macOS Sequoias Desktop & Dock settings Foundry While the new window tiling feature is on by default, you can check to make sure the setting is on. Go to System Settings > Desktop & Dock and then scroll down to the Windows section. Apple has three new settings for window tiling: Tile by dragging windows to screen edges : turn this on if you want to place window tiles by dragging on the screen. There are other ways to tile windows if you turn this off. Ill detail how this works in the following steps. Hold the[Option] key while dragging windows to tile : turn this on if you dont want to drag the window all the way to the spot to place it. Tiled windows have margins : With this one, a bit of space is inserted between the windows. Once youve adjusted the settings, close System Settings. 2. First way to organize windows: Drag and place Foundry One way to place a window is to click and drag it to a spot on the screen. If you drag a window to a spot, an outline appears to indicate where the window will be placed. Let go of the window to place it. Here are the spots on the screen where to drag windows: Left or right side of the screen : places the window of the half of the screen to which you drag. Top of the screen : places the window either in the center of the screen, or it centers it and fills the screen but its not full-screen mode. Dont drag past the top of the screen because this opens Mission Control. Corners : Places the window in a quarter of the screen. This spot can be a little tricky to locate because its the very corner of the screen. While dragging a window, the cursor needs to reach the spot on the screen to trigger the placement. Make it easier on yourself by clicking and holding the window in a location close to the spot where you want to drag to. If you decide to turn this off (see step 1), there are other ways another to tile windows. Go to step 3. 3. Second way to organize windows: Hold Option and place Foundry When you turn this on in settings, you can click and hold the window, then hold down the Option key, and then move to the left or right to place a window in a half-screen layoutyou dont have to drag the window all the way to the edge of the display. However, you still must drag the window all the way to the corner if you want to do a four-window layout or drag to the top for a center-screen placement. 4. Third way to organize windows: The green button Foundry The quick and easy way to place a bunch of windows is to use the green button at the upper left of every window. Hover over it (dont click it) with the cursor and window tiling option pop-up. Select a layout and your windows are automatically placed. 5. Using macOS Sequoia windows tiling The screen here is set to 1440-by-932 on a 15-inch MacBook Air. As you can see, this four-window layout has a lot of overlapping windows. Foundry Here are a few things you should know about using Sequoias windows tiling: The maximum layout has four windows. If you have more than four, Sequoia places windows underneath the four on top. You can switch between one-, two-, three-, and four-window layouts using the green button pop-up. Windows will stack if you have more windows than the layout you choose. You can adjust the window size after it has been placed, but you cant adjust the window sizes in the layout templates. Sometimes a developer has set certain window sizes for its apps, so that app may not fit in a placement properly. For example, Apple has set its News app at a minimum height so that its taller than the space set for a four-windows layout. Windows tiling doesnt really work with screen resolutions lower than the default (see the screenshot above). Sequoia windows tiling does work on multiple displays. MacOS

iPhone 17: Everything we know so far about the 2025 iPhone

Macworld It doesnt take long for iPhone rumors to circulate. Its one of the most iconic and influential tech gadgets of all time, and everyone wants to know whats coming next. That Apple is so secretive only heightens the appeal of iPhone rumors and leaks. So it should come as little surprise that iPhone 17 rumors, leaks, and info started to circulate months before the iPhone 16 was even formally announced. Heres everything we know so far, but dont take any of it as solid info: even when early rumors are accurate, plans can change, and nothing is ever certain until Apple announces it. iPhone 17: Release date Heres something we do know: The new iPhone lineup is almost always announced in Septemberusually on a Tuesday in the second week of September, to be specific. So we would expect the iPhone 17 line to be announced on or around September 9, 2025. Heres when the most recent models were released: iPhone 15: September 12, 2023 iPhone 14: Sepember 7, 2022 iPhone 13: Sepember 14, 2021 i Phone 12: October 13, 2020 (delayed due to Covid) Historically, preorders for the iPhone begin on the Friday after the announcement, and the phones ship a week later. On occasion, some specific models may ship a couple of weeks later than the others due to production issues. iPhone 17: Price We havent yet heard if the iPhone 17 line will cost the same as the iPhone 16 line, which at this time hasnt even been announced yet. Since Apple already increased the price of the Pro Max this year, we expect pricing for the iPhone 17 to remain similar to that of the iPhone 15 line: iPhone 15: $799/749 iPhone 15 Plus: $899/899 iPhone 15 Pro: $999/999 iPhone 15 Pro Max: $1,199/1,199 However, some rumors suggest that Apple will release a new higher-end model that could have a higher price tag than the iPhone Pro Max. However, we still expect the existing models to keep the same pricing. iPhone 17: Colors We havent yet heard anything about what colors to expect from the iPhone 17 line. The iPhone 16 is expected to launch in seven colors, with white and purple joining blue, pink, yellow, green, and black.Additionally, desert yellow and cement gray are expected which are reportedly reminiscent of the classic gold and space gray options. We havent heard any rumors about the iPhone 17s colors and probably wont until after the iPhone 16 launches. The iPhone 17 is expected to have an ultra-thin model liket he M4 iPad Pro. The iPhone 17 is expected to have an ultra-thin model liket he M4 iPad Pro. Petter Ahrnstedt The iPhone 17 is expected to have an ultra-thin model liket he M4 iPad Pro. Petter Ahrnstedt Petter Ahrnstedt iPhone 17: New Slim model Its been rumored for years that Apple is planning to launch a new model with higher-end features above the Pro Max. It looks like it may finally arrive in 2025. Several analysts have reported that the existing Plus model will be replaced by a new Slim model with a larger screen size and a much thinner body. Analyst Jeff Pu was the first to report this change , and The Information later reported on the Slim model , stating that it would be a new even-higher-end model that sits above Pro Max in the lineup and would have a centered rear camera and a smaller Dynamic Island. Apple jumped back on the thin train with the launch of the M4 iPad Pro in May. Its also rumored that Apple will launch a thinner Apple Watch and MacBook Pro over the coming months. iPhone 17: Rumored new features All iPhone 17 models have been rumored to feature a 24MP front-facing camera and the always-on display is supposed to finally be available on the non-Pro models . Some believe that ProMotion will come to the non-Pro models too, since the same LPTO technology that enables the always-on display is what makes ProMotion possible, in Apples iPhone implementation. If true, it would be the first time Apple has offered ProMotion on a non-Pro device. Apple is also said to be working with Corning on a new anti-glare and scratch-resistant glass for the iPhone 17 lineup. We dont know much about what chips will power the iPhone 17 line, but thanks to the demands of Apple Intelligence we can expect every model to have at least 8GB of RAM. The high-end models will get an A19 Pro, while the non-Pro models will get either some variant of the A18 or a somewhat cut-back version of the A19. When it comes to wireless, the cellular modem is likely to still be supplied by Qualcomm; Apples own efforts to produce a top-tier 5G modem seem to be stalled and likely wont be ready in time for next years iPhone 17 line. Wi-Fi 7 support seems likely, too. iPhone

Should you keep your MacBook plugged in when youre using it?

Macworld Over the last several years, Apple has dramatically improved how it handles lithium-ion battery charging in iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches. Across multiple system releases, the company moved from always charging to 100% to a more careful analysis of how much charge is needed based on your daily usage patterns. Lithium-ion batteries have a remarkable number of charge cycles. You can charge them fully, drain them, and charge them full again hundreds of times without seeing much degradation in full charging capacity. This makes them ideal for smartphones, tablets, laptopsand electric vehicles. But this category of battery has a problem that works a bit like pressurization. Fill a balloon to a certain amount, and its pliable and safe and deflates slowly over time. But try to estimate what its 100% maximum is, and you might err, and it pops suddenly. To avoid this, hardware manufacturers charge Li-ion batteries to a safe level below their theoretical maximum capacity. However, as charging starts to approach that level, devices slow down how much energy transfers from an AC-to-DC power adapter or a USB battery pack so that it doesnt suddenly pop the balloon. From 80 to 100 percent, Apples devices, in particular, take a lot longer than, say, from 20 to 40 percent. You can use your laptop while plugged in and not worry about whether its at or above 80 percent. Just make sure you didnt change a default setting at > System Settings > Battery > Options : Optimized Battery Charging should be turned on. Make sure youre using optimized battery charging for best battery health. Make sure youre using optimized battery charging for best battery health. Foundry Make sure youre using optimized battery charging for best battery health. Foundry Foundry You can see how Apple charges your devices by going to Settings > Battery in iOS/iPadOS or > System Settings > Battery on a Mac laptop. The Last 24 Hours graph shows how the operating systems analysis of your usage pattern reflects charging. On my iPhone, its learned I tend not to get up in the middle of the night, so iOS charges the device from near empty at bedtime to 80 percent until around 3 a.m., and then slowly higher after that so its ready when I wake. You can see how your laptop manages charge on a granular level over 24 hours (outlined in red). You can see how your laptop manages charge on a granular level over 24 hours (outlined in red). Foundry You can see how your laptop manages charge on a granular level over 24 hours (outlined in red). Foundry Foundry On my laptop, which I keep plugged in nearly all the time, charging keeps it topped up, near 100 percent. Before Apple added battery management tools, I would regularly remove my MacBook Air from power, run it down to nearly empty, and recharge it to make sure I wasnt stressing the battery out. Now, I know that the system will only charge as needed. Its approaching four years old with 88 percent of its original charge capacity remaining. This Mac 911 article is in response to a question submitted by Macworld reader Joe. Ask Mac 911 Weve compiled a list of the questions we get asked most frequently, along with answers and links to columns: read our super FAQ to see if your question is covered. If not, were always looking for new problems to solve! Email yours to mac911@macworld.com , including screen captures as appropriate and whether you want your full name used. Not every question will be answered, we dont reply to email, and we cannot provide direct troubleshooting advice. Mac

Should you install the iOS 18 beta?

Macworld The iOS 18 beta is out now! Its tempting to rush out and download it. Now that you dont even need a paid developer account to grab the Developer Beta, theres nothing but a couple minutes of filling out forms standing between you and an early look at the big iOS update coming this fall. But you may not want to rush out and grab it right away. Running beta operating systems always carries some risk, and early iOS betas especially so. Plus, all the features you may want to try out arent in it yet. Heres what you need to know to decide whether to try out the iOS 18 beta or not, based on the best available current information. Well update this article throughout the beta test as the situation changes. Updated July 17: The first public beta release is out now, corresponding with an updated version of the third developer beta. RCS support is more widespread. We now think its a reasonable idea to install the beta if you want to try it out. Current version and features The current version of the iOS 18 beta is: Developer Beta 3 (updated), which is also the first Public Beta. This version has a lot of the new features, like the new home screen customization, new Control Center, RCS, Passwords app, new Photos app, and more, but its missing some of iOS 18s most exciting new stuff.. Notably, none of the Apple Intelligence features are present, and that includes the new Mail app categorization, Notification summaries, text tools, Image Playground app, and so on. Some of the other hot features are not present yet either. Odds are, a lot of the features youre dying to try arent yet in the beta. If you want to use RCS, it will require support from your carrier. While major carriers support the feature (Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T) most of the MVNOs do not yet (Cricket, Visible, Xfinity, Mint Mobile, etc.). Bugs and problems Its not uncommon for iOS betasespecially early developer betasto be full of bugs. Thats the point of beta-testing after all. Compared to some years, these first developer beta releases are actually pretty stable, but thats not to say they are remotely bug-free. There are occasional crashes when running everyday apps like Apple Music, Control Centers layout sometimes freaks out, and weve seen the typical reports of increased battery drain. The latest iOS 18 beta is certainly not bug-free, but the general consensus is that most apps work well enough and there arent any major showstoppers. Your experience may not be quite as smooth as with a final official release, but beta testers are by-and-large having a relatively smooth experience. Macworld recommends: OK to test We always think its a good idea to run any iOS beta release on a secondary device, or at least have a secondary device up-to-date with the latest iOS 17 release and all your apps so you can use it to access anything you may need. In the case of iOS 18, you dont really need to run the beta right now unless youre a developer who really needs to start testing your app or updating it to use new frameworks and APIs. The latest release does offer plenty of new features, but the smarter Siri and new Apple Intelligence stuff is not present at all. If those are the things you are most excited to try, you might as well wait. But the beta has been smooth sailing with only minor hiccups for most who have tried it, so adventurous users with a fresh backup should feel empowered to jump in. iOS

Abbyy FineReader PDF review

Macworld At a glance Expert's Rating Pros It offers a relatively accurate and reliable OCR functionality It supports scanning and importing documents from iPhone It can convert from PDF to a wide range of file format / It offers both monthly and annual subscription plans Cons Most similarly priced apps include superior PDF editing tools No one-time purchase option Our Verdict While FineReader PDF undoubtedly offers reliable OCR and file conversion functionalities, it falls short when it comes to proper PDF editing. If youre dealing with a ton of physical documents that need digitalizing, then itll likely be a perfect match. If youre seeking an all-in-one PDF solution, look elsewhere. Price When Reviewed $69 a year, $11.99 a month (from Mac App Store) Best Prices Today: ABBYY FineReader Pro Retailer Price ABBYY $69 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Many workplaces and educational institutions have completely switched from paper documents to digital ones. Consequently, Mac users are increasingly dealing with PDFs and other e-document file formats. Abbyys FineReader PDF is one of the popular options you may come across when hunting for apps that can handle these documents. While the app is generally reliable for optical character recognition (OCR) and file format conversion, it misses out on the PDF editing tools that most users would expect from a premium solution. Price and availability Abbyy offers FineReader PDF on both macOS and Windows. While the Windows edition is a full-fledged PDF editor with support for more powerful features, the macOS variant mostly revolves around OCR and file conversion. If you download FineReader PDF from Abbyys website, youll be limited to the $69/59 a year plan. On the other hand, grabbing FineReader PDF from the Mac App Store offers an $11.99/11.99 a month option (along with the annual one), which is better suited to those with short-term OCR needs, because you can just cancel after a month. (Incidentally, the yearly plan on the Mac App Store is 69.99 in the UK, so more than if you purchase from Abbyy). Beyond the aforementioned billing systems, both the web and Mac App Store versions offer 7-day free trials and are virtually identical in terms of feature sets. Foundry Foundry Foundry First impressions Abbyys FineReader PDF offers a simple user interface, featuring three main tabs. The first is for viewing PDF documents, while the second and third offer quick and advanced file conversion tools respectively. To import a document to FineReader PDF, you can either browse the Finder, use the Continuity Camera for an iPhone scan, or scan a real-life document using a connected scanner. The app has been optimized to run smoothly on the latest version of macOS , and its modern design complements that of the operating system. In terms of performance and general user experience, FineReader PDF doesnt disappoint; the limited functionality is a different story, however. FineReader PDF features FineReader PDF supports viewing and highlighting PDF files. You get to pick between different, preset highlight colors and add comments if needed. As a result, you certainly shouldnt pay for this app if youre seeking PDF annotation tools. The built-in Apple Preview app caters to more use cases and is available for free. OCR is where FineReader PDF shines. As mentioned above, you can import a document using your preferred method. This could be another PDF file that youre looking to scan and optimize or an image of a paper document youve taken. Keep in mind, though, that the app seemingly doesnt support Apples HEIC image format, so you may need to convert your HEIC iPhone shots to JPG first . Foundry Foundry Foundry The quick conversion feature processes the file youve inputted to detect its content. Once it analyzes the text and images, you get to pick the outputs format. The supported file formats include PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, EPUB, FB2, a wide range of image types, TXT, HTML, RTF, ODT, and CSV. Each of the formats above also offers its own set of customizations. So, you get to choose the ebooks title and author when converting to EPUB, for example. As for PDF, you can pick the layout, whether the output should exclude detected images, the page size, and much more. Once you select the outputs specifics, FineReader PDF will export the document. The fresh file should now be more editable, as FineReader PDFs OCR technology optimizes photographed text and digitalizes it. Beyond this point, however, Abbyys app is of no use. Foundry Foundry Foundry While the advanced conversion mode lets you review and fine-tune the OCRs results before it outputs a new file, FineReader PDF doesnt let you edit the actual content. So, you could help it detect text fields and images and alter its misconceptions, but its doesnt support proper PDF editing. Should you buy Abbyy FineReader PDF While FineReader PDF undoubtedly offers reliable OCR and file conversion functionalities, it falls short when it comes to proper PDF editing. So, it cant be the sole PDF solution you use for scanning and manipulating these files. And given that it doesnt offer a one-time purchase option and its relatively high recurring fees, its hard to justify paying for it. After all, many similarly priced PDF editing apps offer OCR as an added perk. Through these alternatives, you get to access more advanced features while paying the same fee. While the OCR functionality of these apps may not be as well-developed as that of FineReader PDF, it should work fine for casual document scans. Ultimately, FineReader PDF stands out as an optical character recognition software and file converter. If youre dealing with a ton of physical documents that need digitalizing, then itll likely be a perfect match. Otherwise, if youre seeking an all-in-one PDF solution, then Abbyys app is not it. While FineReader PDF undoubtedly offers reliable OCR and file conversion functionalities, it falls short when it comes to proper PDF editing. If youre dealing with a ton of physical documents that need digitalizing, then itll likely be a perfect match. If youre seeking an all-in-one PDF solution, look elsewhere. MacOS, PDF Editors

10 ways to protect your Mac from malware and theft

Macworld One of the best things about owning a Mac is the fact that you are less likely to be a victim of malware than with a Windows PC. However, macOS isnt foolproof and you shouldnt be too lax about protecting your investment. Here are our tips for keeping your Mac safe from day one: 1. Choose a strong login password Foundry The first thing you should do with your Mac is set up a good password. You might think that there is no need to password-protect your Mac if youre only going to be using it at home, but there are various reasons why you need this layer of protection. For one thing, without a password on your Mac, nothing on your Mac is secure and someone could gain access to your email, photos, and more. macOS has a number of security features that keep your data safe, but if someone gets past your login screen, they can still gain access to sensitive information. You can choose your password during setup, but if you haventor just want to change the one you madeheres how: macOS Ventura and later Open System Settings. Select Touch ID & Password . You can now set up a password or change your existing password to something safer. If your Mac has Touch ID, you can also enter multiple fingerprints and select that can be used for Apple Pay and other purchases, and auto-filling passwords. macOS Monterey or earlier Open System Preferences. Select Security & Privacy . Click General . You can now set up a password or change your existing password. Make sure you choose a sensible password that wont be easily guessed as your Mac can also be used as part of Apples two-factor authentication for iCloud. 2. Change your Lock Screen settings Foundry You can set your Mac display to turn off when inactive after some time, which will not only protect your data, it will also save power if you are running down the battery. When you select the amount of time you are happy to leave your Mac unprotected keep in mind that if the screen saver doesnt start for half an hour and then your Mac waits another 15 minutes before requiring a password, your Mac will be unprotected for 45 minutes. To choose the length of time you are willing to let pass before having to enter the password after the screen saver starts or the screen turns off, follow these steps: macOS Ventura and later Open System Settings. Click on Lock Screen . Select Start screen saver when inactive and choose 10 minutes. Select Turn display off when inactive we recommend you choose 10 minutes. Select Require password after the screen saver begins or display is turned off and choose 5 minutes. macOS Monterey or older Open System Preferences. Click on Battery (MacBook) or Energy Saver (desktop). On a MacBook, click Battery and select 10 minutes using the Turn the display off after slider. On a desktop, click on Power Adapter and select 10 minutes using the Turn the display off after slider. Go to Security & Privac y and beside Require password after sleep or screen saver begins, choose 5 minutes. In both cases, this will mean your Mac is locked down after 15 minutes of inactivity. If youd like that time to be less adjust the settings accordingly. 3. Use Apples password manager Foundry We all know the importance of a secure password, but remembering them all can be frustrating. Thats why Apple offers a way to secure all your passwords so you only have to remember one. Apples iCloud Keychain is a built-in password manager that works with all your Apple devices and will log you into all your software and services. You just need to make sure you have set up iCloud Keychain : Open System Settings in macOS Ventura or later (or System Preferences on older versions of macOS). Click on the Apple ID information section at the top. Click on iCloud . Click the Password & Keychain toggle to turn it on. Now when you need to enter a password, your Mac will offer to autofill the fields after Touch ID or password authentication. iCloud Keychain will soon evolve into a new Password app , which is set to launch with macOS Sequoia in late 2024. There are alternative password managers that arent just limited to Apple devices, such as LastPass and 1Password , see: Best Password Managers for Mac for even more options. 4. Turn on Find My Mac Foundry Find My is an Apple app that can help you locate a lost Mac or erase it remotely if its been stolen. Heres how to set it up: Open System Settings/System Preferences. Click on your Apple ID. Click on iCloud . Scroll through the options until you find Find My Mac and turn it on. Click Allow on the pop-up box when asked to Allow Find My to use the location of this Mac. Enter your Mac password. If Location Services is turned off you will need to turn it on, so go to Security & Privacy and click on I. Now, youll be able to track your MacBook if its lost and completely wipe away your data if its stolen. Find My is an invaluable tool that we hope you never have to usebut youll be glad you set it up if you do. 5. Set up multiple users Foundry If other people will be using your Mac, its a good idea to set them up as their own users, so they cant access your data. Additionally, if someone needs access to your Mac you can set up a temporary Guest User. macOS Ventura and later Open System Settings. Choose Users & Groups . Click on A dd Account Enter your password to unlock. Enter the full name and account name of the user. Create a password. Click on Create User . macOS Monterey or earlier Open System Preferences. Choose Users & Groups . Click the lock icon and enter your password. Click on the plus symbol. In the New Account section, choose Standard (not Administrator). Give them a name, account name, and password. If you want to set up a Guest User, select the option in the list of names and choose Allow guests to log into this computer. You wont need to set a password as they cant change user or computer settings and all saved files are deleted once they log out. 6. Lock down your Mail Foundry Your email is as much of a risk as Safari or Chrome, so locking it down is just as important. One thing you can do to protect yourself is to stop scammers from being able to use tracking pixels hidden in images to tell them you have opened the email to confirm that the email address is in use. You can also turn on Mail protection right on your Mac to protect your address: Open Mail. Click Mail > Settings (Preferences in Monterey or earlier). Click Privacy . Make sure that Protect Mail Activity is selected. This will hide your IP address and load remote content privately so that senders cant see your activity. Another thing you can do is hover over links and email addresses in the message to see the URL so you can see if they are really what they appear to be. 7. Limit your app downloads Foundry One of the most powerful security features on your Mac is Gatekeeper. Designed to keep you safe by stopping you from installing anything that hasnt been verified by Apple, itll warn you any time your try to install an application from the web and block installation of some apps. The safest way to install apps on your Mac is to only download from the Mac App Store, but if you venture outside the store, your Mac can warn you before installing the app. Open System Settings/System Preferences. Click on Privacy & Security . Select App Store under the Allow applications downloaded from section. This wont prevent you from downloading apps outside the App Store, but it will require a couple of extra steps before it installs. 8. Keep your software up to date Foundry All of Apples protections will be no good to you if you dont update your software when updates are issued so be sure to always update your Mac if Apple issues an update many of which have a security component. To update your Mac follow these steps: macOS Ventura and later Open System Settings. Click on General . Click on Software Update . Your computer will check for updates. If one is available, click Download and Install . macOS Monterey Open System Preferences. Click on Software Update . Your computer will check for updates. If one is available, click Download and Install . To automatically install updates overnight, turn on Automatic Updates on Ventura or check the box beside Automatically keep my Mac up to date on macOS Monterey or older. 9. Augment Apples XProtect antivirus Foundry If malware or a bad app gets past Gatekeeper, macOS includes its own antivirus software called XProtect, which blocks and removes any malware detected on your Mac. XProtect is on by default and is updated by Apple regularly, but its not foolproof, so you might want to check out a Mac antivirus app to give yourself another layer of protection. Weve looked at a number of options in our best antivirus for Mac roundup, many of which offer additional features such as ransomware protection, anti-phishing, email protection, parental, controls, and VPNs. Our top recommendation is Intego Mac Internet Security , but we recommend checking out all of the options to see whats best for you. 10. Use a VPN Foundry You can add another layer of protection by using a VPN on your Mac . A VPN will encrypt all your data and route it to an endpoint operated by the folks who run the VPN service keeping your data completely private. Apple offers its own pseudo-VPN called iCloud Private Relay for anyone who pays for iCloud+ that encrypts your web traffic but doesnt hide your region and only works with Safari. So if you want a VPN that works with other browsers (and one that allows you to access region-locked content), youll need a dedicated VPN. A variety of companies offer VPN services and theyre usually paid for via monthly subscription fees. We have a round-up of the best VPNs for Mac with the top choices being NordVPN and Surfshark . 11. Bonus tip: Turn on Lockdown Mode Foundry Lockdown Mode isnt a setting most people will need to use. Apple says the extreme security measures are for the very few users who, because of who they are or what they do, might be personally targeted by some of the most sophisticated digital threats, such as those from NSO Group and other private companies developing state-sponsored mercenary spyware. When activated, it will block most attachments in Messages, disable complex web technologies, and block incoming FaceTime calls, among other high-level security measures. To turn it on, youll need macOS Ventura or later. Head over to System Settings, then Privacy & Security , and click Turn on next to Lockdown Mode. Antivirus, Mac, MacOS, Security Software and Services

Ugreen 48000mAh Portable Power Bank review: more power and ports than the average battery pack

Macworld At a glance Expert's Rating Pros Huge battery capacity 140W (PD 3.1) charging power Portable with handle Cons Larger than most Our Verdict The Ugreen 48000mAh Power Bank has the largest battery capacity weve seen outside of a preppers portable power station and boasts more ports, as well as beating all comers with its maximum 300W simultaneous power output. Price When Reviewed $199.99 Best Prices Today: Ugreen 48000mAh 300W Portable Power Bank Retailer Price Ugreen $199.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket The Ugreen 48,000mAh 300W Portable Power Bank (300W) boasts a larger capacity battery than any other power bank we have tested. At 48000mAh it is built like the missing link between a laptop power bank and a full-scale portable power station. Its small and portable enough to be designated a personal power bank, but has the miniature look of something you might connect with your solar panels and keep in the garage. With its 140W PD 3.1 USB-C port, its a nice fit with Apples top-end 16-inch MacBook Pro , which can be fast-charged at 140W using Apples USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable. Power bank tech specs Battery capacity: 99.56Wh Fastest Power Output: 140W Total Power Output: 300W Power Input: 140W USB ports: 1x USB-C (140W PD 3.1); 2x USB-C (100W PD 3.0); 2x USB-A (22.5W) Dimensions: 6.3 x 5.7 x 3 inches (16 x 14.5 x 7.6cm) Weight: 3.6lb (1.65kg) Performance power We managed to recharge our test 14-inch M2 MacBook Pro 1.8 times, so wed expect it to recharge a MacBook Air at least twice over. With the Pro, we got from 5% charge to 90% in an hour, which is impressive. Once wed run the MacBook down to 5% again, the power banks display showed 43% of its own battery charge remaining, but this oddly dropped quickly to around 22% when we plugged it back into the laptop. Batteries do charge in a non-linear fashion. Rather than taking in energy at a constant, predictable rate, the rate a battery is charged changes due to many variablesmost importantly, how much charge is already in the battery. The fuller the battery, the slower it absorbs energy. We still got from 5% to 80% on that reduced charge, so it looked like an initial display error. The most important thing is that the power bank kept charging for so long. With its 140W USB-C port, this power bank is best suited to the top-end 16-inch MacBook Pro as it can be fast-chargedalthough Apple requires you use its USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable rather than a standard USB-C to USB-C charging cable. The charging cable that ships with the power bank is capable of 240W, but Apple insists you use its cable for 140W fast charging. While the 140W USB-C is great news for owners of Apples top-end laptop, the Ugreen 48000mAh battery pack is a powerful solution for all MacBook models as it has such a high capacity and more ports than weve seen from the competition. See our list of MacBook battery capacities for more details on the whole range of Apple laptops. It is perfectly safe to charge even the 5W Apple AirPods charging case using a 140W port, so dont worry that you are over-supplying power. This is regulated by the device receiving the charge. That said, this power bank can be set to Trickle Charging Mode that provides a constant, low-level charge for devices that require minimal wattage to charge. To enable this mode, press and hold the power button for three seconds. Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry More USB ports than most While its primary function is for charging laptops, the Ugreen 48000mAh Power Bank can simultaneously charge up to five devices. You could charge a MacBook at the same time as one or two iPhones, iPads, AirPods or Apple Watch. The first USB-C port is rated at 140W, and the other two each at 100W. A couple of 22.5W USB-A ports are there for legacy devices. Maximum power output is 300Wagain a high in all our laptop power bank reviewsso you cant use all three USB-C ports at full power, but there are many options using the five ports. For example, you could charge three MacBooks each at 100W using all the USB-C ports at the same time. Or power a 16-inch MacBook Pro at 140W and another MacBook at 100W, with the other ports spare for other less power-hungry devices. Between the two USB-A ports theres a simple-to-use power button so you can halt recharging without having to unplug cables from ports. High camp capacity The number of ports and that generous 300W total power output, plus the sheer size of the battery capacity gives you lots of options. This power bank looks like a great choice for camping trips where you might need to use it just to charge an iPhone 15 Pro ten times over. While its 153W battery capacity is just within the maximum permissible in-flight limit of 160Wh (if approved by the airline), its unlikely youd need all that power even on a long-haul flight. There are more portable but still high-capacity power banks better suited to air travel, such as Ugreens own Nexode 20000mAh Power Bank . It is better suited to travel in a car, or possibly kept charged at home or in the office in case of local power outages. Preppers might prefer something with a colossal battery capacity. Again, just choosing from Ugreens own range, we point preppers at the PowerRoam 2400W 2048Wh Battery Backup , which is so large it requires its own set of wheels. Charging the power bank Of course, once spent the power bank itself needs charging. It takes about an hour and a half to recharge using the 140W USB-C port. You can see the remaining charge on the power banks central smart display. Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry Big but still portable Its slightly insulting to call the Ugreen 48000mAh power bank big. Its actually quite compact for such a large battery, but compared to other laptop power banks, it is on the chunky side. Its more like a small handbag compared to the suitcase-like portable power stations . It weighs over 3.5 pounds (1.65kg), compared to other laptop power banks that weigh around 20oz (550g). But with its handle its easy enough to carry around the house. It is certainly not pocketable, and would sit rather heavily in a standard backpack. It looks cool in its gun-metal gray, although it does pick up greasy finger marks quite easilyso stick to using the handle. Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry The display on the front of the power bank shows a large Remaining Battery percentage, and below that at either side are readings for Total Input Power and Total Output Power. While not as colorful as some laptop power bank smart displays, it is easy to read even in bright light. Price The Ugreen 48000mAh Portable Power Bank is priced at $199.99 / 199.99 . Check our real-time price comparison above for the best prices in your region. Rival laptop power bank, the 27650mAh Anker Prime has a smaller battery capacity in a more compact form and two fewer ports, but costs just $20/ 20 less. To be fair, its a different proposition being much more portable, but if you are looking for power/price ratio its hard to beat the Ugreen 48000mAh Power Bank. Should I buy the Ugreen 48000mAh 300W Portable Power Bank? The Ugreen 48000mAh 300W Portable Power Bank is larger than most laptop power banks but is still remarkably compact for such a high-capacity battery pack. It has the largest battery capacity weve seen outside of a preppers portable power station, and boasts more ports, as well as beating all comers with its maximum 300W simultaneous power output. Hide it away for emergencies or take it on a camping trip, where it will keep several devices charged for a long weekend. It is particularly well suited to owners of the 16-inch MacBook Pro that can take advantage of its 140W PD 3.1 charging and full battery capacity, but MacBook Air owners will be able to charge their laptops and other devices more than once using this neat power bank. Accessories, Laptop Accessories, Mac, Power

Apple is finally ready to unleash the full potential of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Macworld The future of technology sometimes goes in surprising directions, taking an obvious path and then suddenly doubling back to go down a road less traveled. There was a time when The Future was underpowered client devices powered by remote servers until it wasntand then (thanks to cloud services and AI) it was again. The rise of AI as a force in the tech industryfor good or ill, be it snake oil or world-changing (its probably in between on both counts)has upended a lot of assumptions about how tech works and where its going. The conventional wisdom has held that Apple is behind, and AI puts it at a disadvantage. That might be true, but maybe it isnt. The power of the device AI is generally thought of as a job for cloud computing. Want to train or deploy AI features? Build or rent more servers in more data centers, loaded with power-hungry GPUs. Apples strength is (and has always been) building consumer products, not servers in data centers. And yet just because AI is seen as being a concept that lives in the cloud doesnt mean itll always be that way. Apples ability to perform many AI functions on the device instead of in the cloud gives it an advantage over other AI implementations. Apples ability to perform many AI functions on the device instead of in the cloud gives it an advantage over other AI implementations. Apple Apples ability to perform many AI functions on the device instead of in the cloud gives it an advantage over other AI implementations. Apple Apple When Apple deploys Apple Intelligence, it will do so on millions of Apple devices scattered all over the world. Its investment in the Neural Engine and Apple silicon, in general, means that Apple can deploy AI features that run on the devices people already own. (And, in another boost for Apples bottom line, itll provide a motivator for people to upgrade their hardware to models that support Apple Intelligence.) Some Apple Intelligence features will require cloud servers using Apples Private Cloud Compute system, but many of the features will happen on the devices themselves. While local devices might not be as powerful as cloud servers, they are local no data transfer over a potentially slow network is requiredand as a result, they should be faster and more responsive. But its more than that. Its a matter of sheer numbers: the computing power of millions and millions of iPhones cant be underestimated. Its an enormous amount of power, but not in the data center. And that unlocks a lot of potentialfor Apple and its app developers. Distributed computing Doing AI work on cloud servers is expensive, but doing it on an iPhone (or Mac or iPad) is relatively cheap. (Though I will point out that by moving AI to the device, Apple is having users pay for that computing power on their own electric bills as they charge their devices!) The company has already adapted several popular AI frameworks to run efficiently on Apple silicon, with more undoubtedly to come. Apple Intelligence could shift the world of AI from the cloud to the device. Apple Intelligence could shift the world of AI from the cloud to the device. Apple Apple Intelligence could shift the world of AI from the cloud to the device. Apple Apple So consider this: A developer is writing an app that can benefit from AI functionality, but they cant afford an enormous cloud infrastructure. Imagine a podcast app that needs to generate episode transcripts, for example. Apple Podcasts does this today, but it does it by consuming every podcast in existence and throwing massive cloud server tech at the problem. That works, but its expensive for Apple and cost-prohibitive for independent podcast apps. Now consider the alternative: Apps that dont use the cloud but rely on user devices to do the work. A podcast app could download an episode and then check to see if theres an available transcript. If there is, it would download itjob done. If there isnt, it could use a transcription engine like Whisper to transcribe the episode on the fly itselfand then upload that transcript back up to the podcast apps database. A developer (including Apple itself!) could use this approach to use the combined computing power of its user base as an alternative to an expensive set of cloud servers. Over time, as the devices get more capable and the models get more efficient, things could get really interesting. Imagine that enormous array of cloud servers being bested by a million Macs, iPhones, and iPads working together toward a common goal. Right now it seems a little weird, but if any company can bend the arc of technological progress away from the data center and back toward personal devices, its Apple. iOS

Whether you have an iPhone or need one, these Prime Day deals have you covered

Macworld Amazons big Prime Day sale starts today: July 16 and runs until midnight on July 17. There are lots of discounted products and dealssome of them good, some of them no better than you would find the rest of the year. If youre looking for a new iPhone you may be wondering if the iPhone is on sale for Prime Day. The answer to this question depends on where you are based. If youre in the U.S., Amazon is not the place to go to buy a new iPhone, however, in other countries, including the U.K., you will find the latest iPhones at Amazon at lower prices than Apple sells them for. iPhone deals are available year-round, but it isnt usually until Prime Day that the deals are better at Amazon than from carriers and other retailers. In the U.K., you can find the latest iPhones unlocked at Amazon and at other resellers. Supplies can be limited, and there are usually only small discounts for the newest handsets, but you might see some good deals on the older iPhone models such as the iPhone 14, iPhone 13, and iPhone SE. You can see current deals on various iPhones below. If you arent sure which iPhone to buy take a look at our iPhone buying guide and our comparison of every iPhone handset . First published on Friday, July 12. Updated Tuesday, July 16. Best iPhone deals of Amazon Prime Day If you are in the U.K. the iPhone is sale for Prime Day. These are the best Prime Day iPhone deals weve seen so far: iPhone 15 (128GB): 681 (118 off; RRP 799) iPhone 15 Plus (128GB): 799 (100 off; RRP 899) iPhone 15 Pro (128GB): 899 (100 off; RRP 999) iPhone 15 Pro Max (256GB): 1,059 (140 off; RRP 1,199) iPhone 14 Plus (128 GB), Red, Blue, Midnight, Purple, Starlight : 569 (230 off, RRP 799) DEAL OF THE DAY iPhone 14 Pro (256GB): 999 (210 off; RRP was 1,209) iPhone 13 (512GB): 574 (325 off; RRP 899) PRIME DAY DEAL Amazon U.S. has a collaboration to offer the same deal you get on the Boost Infinite site : $60/month gets you a free iPhone 15 Pro with no trade-in required, paid for in bill credits over 3 years with an option to upgrade (and start the cycle over) every year. In order to take advantage of some Prime Day deals, you need to be an Amazon Prime member. Amazon Prime costs $14.99 / 8.99 / AUD$6.99 on a monthly basis (but can be canceled after 30 days) and gives you two-day free delivery and access to Prime Video. For all the best Prime Day deals on Apple products see our round-up of the Best Prime Day Apple Deals . Prime Day: Best iPhone accessory deals While Amazon doesnt sell the latest iPhone 15 in the U.S. outside of the partnership with Boost Infinite, Prime Day can be a great time to get iPhone accessories. Here are the best sales were tracking. Beats Studio Pro : $170 ($180 off) PRIME DAY DEAL Anker MagGo 3-in-1 Wireless charging station : $72 ($28 off) PRIME DAY DEAL Baseus 10,000mAh 30W Magnetic power bank : $35 ($11 off) AirTag (single) : $24 ($6 off) AirTags (4-pack) : $75 ($25 off) Anker Nano II 45W USB-C charger: $19 ($21 off) PRIME DAY DEAL MagSafe Charger : $33 ($6 off, MSRP $39) Anker 10ft USB-C charge cable: $9 ($3 off) PRIME DAY DEAL Prime Day: Best iPhone 15 deals In the U.S., Amazon has sold the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro with Boost Infinite for three years. Its not a bad dealyoull get up to $1,000 off whichever model you choose without needing an old device to trade in and will be able to upgrade to a newer model after 12 months of service. Plans cost $60 per line for unlimited talk, text, and data on AT&T and T-Mobiles networks. Here are the best deals we could find on Amazon in the U.K. on iPhone 15 models: iPhone 15 (128GB): 681 (118 off; RRP 799) iPhone 15 Plus (128GB): 799 (100 off; RRP 899) iPhone 15 Pro (128GB): 899 (100 off; RRP 999) iPhone 15 Pro Max (256GB): 1,059 (140 off; RRP 1,199) For more deals take a look at our iPhone 15 deals in the U.S. and iPhone 15 deals in the U.K . Prime Day: Best iPhone 14 deals In the U.S., the iPhone 14 models you find on Amazon are either used or refurbished. In the U.K., these are the best deals we could find: iPhone 14 (128GB): 599 (100 off; RRP 699) iPhone 14 Plus (128 GB), Red, Blue, Midnight, Purple, Starlight : 569 (230 off, RRP 799) DEAL OF THE DAY iPhone 14 Pro (256GB): 999 (210 off; RRP was 1,209) iPhone 14 Pro Max (256GB): 1,188.77 (10.23 off; RRP was 1,199) Every month we round up the best iPhone 14 deals . Prime Day: Best iPhone 13 deals In the U.S., you may find some used iPhone 13 models on Amazon. In the U.K., these are the best deals we could find: iPhone 13 (128GB): 499 (100 off; RRP 599) iPhone 13 (512GB): 574 (325 off; RRP 899) PRIME DAY DEAL Find deals on more iPhone 13 handsets in our monthly round-up here: iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro deals . Prime Day: Best iPhone SE deals For those on a budget, or who just really want Touch ID instead of Face ID, theres the iPhone SE from 2022 . Its as fast as the iPhone 14, but with an older design that has huge bezels, and a more limited camera. You wont find it on Amazon U.S. but U.K. readers should check the deals in our monthly round-up of the best iPhone SE deals and below. iPhone SE (64GB): 379 (50 off; RRP 429) Prime Day: How can I get the best iPhone deals? Many items in the Amazon Prime Day Sale are only open to Prime members, so youll need to sign in with an active membership to purchase one of the deals. Prime memberships cost $139 / 95 / AUD$59 annually, or$14.99/8.99/AUD$6.99every month. New users can sign up for a 30-day free trial that can be canceled at any time during the trial window. Youll also get free one or two-day delivery and access to Amazon Prime Video and all that content. One tip when you click on a good dealeven if its from a Macworld pageis to check that the product isnt redirected to a refurbished model, and the current manufacturers price is listed, as that can make the price drop look a lot better than it is. Prime Day 2024: Our favorite deals Weve been tracking iPhone deals for years and know a good one when we see it. Throughout the Prime Day sale, we constantly check Amazons listings to find the best deals. Weve tested all of the models we recommend here and only select the very best deals for publicationso if you see an iPhone listed here, youll know its at or near its all-time low price. And its not just iPhones. For more Amazon Prime Day coverage, check out our other Apple deal roundups: Best Amazon Prime Day Apple deals Best Amazon Prime Day AirPods deals Best Amazon Prime Day Apple Watch deals Best Amazon Prime Day iPad deals Best Amazon Prime Day MacBook Air and MacBook Pro deals Best Amazon Prime Day Mac deals Best Prime Day storage deals for Mac Best Prime Day Mac monitor and display deals Best Prime Day Apple accessories deals Best U.K. Apple Amazon Prime Day deals iPhone

How to clean install macOS on your Mac

Macworld In this article, were going to show you how to perform a clean install of macOS. There are a number of reasons why you might want to do a clean install: You might want to reinstall the operating system in order to correct problems with your Mac doing a clean install may be a good option if your Mac is running slow or otherwise misbehaving. Doing a clean install allows you to clear away old files that you might have been accumulating for years before installing the operating system onto a freshly formatted disk. A clean install is also something you should do before selling your Mac or passing it on. It allows you to remove all your data from your Mac and return it to factory settings for the next person. A clean install is also something many computer users resort to when they are trying to get rid of a virus (although there is a lot of debate about whether there are viruses on the Mac ). Whatever your reason, a clean install of macOS might solve a lot of problems. However, changes in recent years may mean that a clean install is not necessary, so we will start by explaining why you might not need to do a clean install on your Mac. You should also keep in mind that there are multiple ways to do a clean installation of macOS. Traditionally, the way was to make a bootable copy of the macOS installer on a USB stick and then reformat your drive before installing the bootable copy onto your Mac. There is also an even simpler method that allows you to use macOS Recovery to reinstall the Mac operating system over the web (we have a separate tutorial about doing a clean install of macOS using Recovery ). Plus, if you are running macOS Monterey or later on a M-series Mac, or an Intel Mac with a T2 chip, then a setting in System Settings/System Preferences makes wiping your Mac easier than ever. Well run through all of these methods below. Should I do a clean install on my Mac? In the past, it was helpful to reinstall the system if you wanted to correct some Mac problems, but today this solution doesnt make as much sense. Since macOS Big Sur (introduced in 2020), macOS has its home on its own volume, which is both read-only and cryptographically signed and sealed (referred to as a Sealed System Volume). This seal is stored either in the T2 chip of the newer Intel Macs or in the Secure Enclave of the Apple M-series chip (aka Apple Silicon). Each component of the system is signed in hierarchical order, and any change to a component would also invalidate the seal that represents the top level. For further security, these Macs also do not start directly from the system volume, but from a snapshot of the systemand snapshots cannot be changed, even by the system itself. So macOS itself cannot be changed by any software that you install as a user. Should a problem occur with macOS during a restart, perhaps because a storage space on the SSD is defective and thus a system component is no longer intact, this will be recognized by the startup process since the seal will now be invalid. Should this happen you will have to reinstall the system. However, if your Mac boots up without issue then it indicates that there are no problems with the system. As long as your Mac works (which can be determined on the basis of the seal), the Mac is considered to be in working order as it complies with Apples specifications. For that reason, even if you do encounter problems on Macs with T2 chip or Apple Silicon while running macOS, it makes no sense to reinstall the system yourself. For those who want to do a clean install so that no leftovers that belong to an old system are carried along, this no longer applies because none of this information is carried over. All components are checked after installation, then signed and finally the entire system is sealed again. Again, the seal guarantees that everything is fine and that nothing untoward has crept in. However, there is one component of the system software that is not installed on the read-only system volume. All other user-installed programs reside on the volume with the user data, including Safari. This means Apple can offer a separate update for the browser and WebKit, so that you do not have to reinstall the whole system each time. In the case of Safari and other apps there can be benefits in cleaning up your Library folder since it may still contain remnants of old applications you no longer use. If you feel that you have a lot of this sort of crud on your Mac then wiping your drive could be useful, just be prepared that it can be a risky business and you may end up deleting something important. Beware that a clean install can cause more problems than it fixes. You might prefer to use an application like CleanMyMac X from MacPaw ($39.95/34.95 a year, free trial), or one of these alternatives: Best Mac Cleaner software . If you are happy to take the risk and still want to wipe your Mac and reinstall macOS which you should definitely do if you are selling or passing on your Mac read on! Three ways to clean install macOS As we explained above, there is more than one way to wipe your Mac and reinstall macOS: Make a copy of the macOS installer on a USB stick, reformat your drive and then install the macOS onto your Mac from the installer. Use macOS Recovery to reinstall macOS via the web. Use the Erase All Content and Settings option setting in System Preferences (available if you are running macOS Monterey and later on a M1 or later Mac, or an Intel Mac with a T2 chip). Not only are there three different methods (which well run through below) the methods depend on the version of macOS that you are running. There is also the even trickier business of installing a clean copy of an older version of macOS on your Mac (e.g. Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Mojave, Yosemite or an even old version of OS X). Speaking of which, if an old version is what youre looking for, it may be worth taking a look at another article where we focus on that entirely: How to download and install old versions of OS X on a Mac . Before you begin: Back up your Mac Before you begin we recommend that you make abackup, just in case something goes wrong. Full instructions here: How to back up a Mac . Its entirely possible that there will be something on your Mac that you thought was in the cloud but was actually on your Mac (we speak from experience!) Note that with regard to backups, you probably wont want to recover a Time Machine backup if you dont want to copy over all the settings and preferences associated with your old system. You could alternatively sync all your Documents and Desktop with iCloud rather than run a full backup, but make sure that everything you need is in the cloud and be aware that you may lose your settings and applications. We have some alternative Mac Backup solutions here. Option 1: Erase All Content and Settings (macOS Monterey and later) Before the arrival of Monterey, it was necessary to create a bootable USB drive or use Recovery Mode to wipe your disk. However, since macOS Monterey Apple has made it easy to get a factory-fresh installation. An Erase All Content and Settings option arrived with macOS Monterey (in 2021) that allows you to reset your Mac to factory settings without having to work through the many steps to wipe and format your drives. The new option wasnt available on every Mac running Monterey though. An M1 or later Mac, or an Intel Mac with a T2 chip inside was required to use the Erase All Content and Settings option. These Intel Macs have the T2 security chip: MacBook Air from 2018 MacBook Pro from 2018 Mac mini from 2018 iMac 27-inch from 2020 iMac Pro Mac Pro from 2019 In macOS Ventura and later Foundry Foundry Foundry In Ventura System Preferences became System Settings, so the method slightly changed and things look completely different, so we will run through both methods. Heres how to find Erase all Content and Settings in macOS Ventura or later. Open System Settings. Click on General. Click on Transfer or Reset. Choose Erase all Content and Settings. In macOS Monterey Foundry Foundry Foundry If you are running macOS Monterey the Erase All Content and Settings option is much easier to find. Open System Preferences. Click on System Preferences in the menu bar at the top of your screen. Click on Erase All Content and Settings. Now that you have located the Erase All Content and Settings option, follow the steps below to wipe your Mac. Select Erase All Content and Settings Enter your password. Youll be reminded to do a backup with Time Machine before you begin deletion, but you can skip that step. A window will show you what will be deleted, including Apple ID, Touch ID, accessories, and Find My settings. Finally, you will need to log out of your Mac and all related services using your Apple ID. Before your Mac is erased you receive a final warning, so if you have second thoughts at least you can stop at this point! Having clicked the second Erase All Content & Settings your Mac will restart. Eventually, you will see a black screen while it restarts. Once your Mac restarts you can go through the steps to set it up as new, or you can leave it at this stage for the next owner to set up. Just turn the Mac off first. Option 2: Do a clean install via Recovery Foundry Foundry Foundry We explain how to reinstall macOS via Recovery here: How to reinstall macOS , but we will summarise the steps here. How you enter recovery mode depends on the Mac you own. If you want to enter recovery mode on an M1 or later Mac follow these steps: Press and hold the power button when you start up your Mac. Continue to press and hold the button until you see a startup options window appear with an Options icon. Select Options. Click Continue. To enter Recovery on an Intel Mac press Command+R. Once Recovery starts up youll see a macOS Utilities window with options to Restore From Time Machine Backup, Reinstall macOS [version], Safari (or Get Help Online in older versions) and Disk Utility. If you want to wipe the Mac before reinstalling choose Disk Utility. Using Disk Utility run through the steps to erase your Mac as detailed in our How to reinstall macOS guide. After you have erased your drive click on Disk Utility > Quit Disk Utility. Or just Command + Q. Now choose Reinstall macOS from the options. Wait while macOS is reinstalled. Expect this to take a while. Option 3: Do a clean install macOS using a bootable USB Now for the method that involves using a bootable USB with the macOS installation on it. This might be the best method if you already have the installation files downloaded and dont want to wait for hours for Recovery to download the files. At a glance Tools required: A 15GB or larger removable USB flash driveto holdthe installer file for our chosen version of macOS. (Were going to erase it, so make sure it doesnt contain any valuable data.) Admin privileges for the Mac. A back up, just in case something goes wrong. 1. Format the external drive Foundry Were going to re-download the installer file for our chosen version of macOSand store it on a USB stick or external drive. But before you do that you can prepare the USB drive by reformatting it. Heres how to format your USB drive correctly: Plug in the USB drive. Go to Applications > Utilities. Open Disk Utility. Select the drive and click Erase. (The name of the disk needs to be Untitled, if the Terminal commands below are to work, so rename it if necessary.) Select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) as the format type. Choose GUID Partition Map from the Scheme options (if you dont see this you are in the wrong view you need to select the external drive, not the container below it). Click Erase. Disk Utility will create the partition and set up the drive (it can take a while). Click Done. 2. Get the macOS install file Foundry If youre reinstalling the latest version of macOS, or installing a new version of macOS, the next step is relatively easy although the process for obtaining the installer will be different. How to download the installer via Software Update If you are currently running Ventura and want to do a clean install of macOS Sonoma , for example, then you can download the installation package via System Settings. Open System Settings. Choose General. Choose Software Update. Download the macOS Sonoma install files (dont install it!) How to download the installer from the Mac App Store Alternatively, find Sonoma on the Mac App Store and click on Get to download it from there (dont install it). If, on the other hand, if you are running Ventura and you want to reinstall Ventura grab the Ventura installer from the Mac App Store here . If its an older version of macOS you are after, you can also find links to those below. Also read: How to install older versions of macOS or OS X , but note that you will need to confirm that you Mac can run that version of macOS. See: What version of macOS can my Mac run. Monterey is on the Mac App Store here . Big Sur is on the Mac App Store here . Catalina is on the Mac App Store here . You can get macOS Mojave via this link . Download High Sierra here . Sierra is here as a direct download. El Capitan can be downloaded from this link. Yosemite is available here . (If those links dont work close the Mac App Store and cut and paste the links into Safari. For more advice on getting hold of even older editions of Mac OS, see How to get old versions of OS X .) Once you have located the version of macOS you want on the Mac App Store follow these instructions: Hit Download or Get (depending on the version of the Mac App Store you are using). Youmay get a warning message at this point, telling you that this version of macOS is already installed on this computer. Would you like to continue? Click Continue. Enter your Apple ID and password. The install files will start to download. The installer file will be multiple gigabytes. macOS Big Sur was 12.6GB, for example, so expect downloading to take a while. Dont install yet! Whichever way you get the install file the next step is worth highlighting for what you shouldnt do, rather than what you should do: When the macOS installer has finished downloading the installer will launch automatically, but we dont want to use it yet so dont click to start the installation! Press Command + Q to quit out of the installer. Find the installer file (it will be located in your Applications folder, or you could search for it using Spotlight (command + Space and start typing Sonoma, Ventura, Monterey, Catalina or Big Sur). 3. Create a bootable USB disk Foundry Next we need to turn the USB drive into a bootable USB disk so that we can use it to install a new copy of macOS on our Mac after we have reformatted it (that step will come later in this tutorial). Weve got full instructions on How to make a bootable macOS install drive in a different article , but well run through the basics here. Were going to create the bootable drive using Terminal , which you can open on your Mac by pressing Command + Space bar and typing Terminal. Connect the USB drive that you formatted earlier to your Mac. Make sure its called Untitled rename it if necessary (this will help you enter the correct text in Terminal in the next steps). Creating a bootable installer has been pretty easy since the arrival of Mavericks in 2013 thanks to the Terminal command createinstallmedia that arrived in that version. Heres how to use it (note that the name of the version of macOS will depend on which version you are installing): Open the Terminal application on your Mac (find it by searching using Command + Space and typing Terminal) Now copy and paste the following text into Terminal (This text is for Ventura we include the text needed for the other versions of macOS in this article ). When you cut and paste the following text into Terminal do check that it maintains the as we have heard of people pasting in the and it converting to ) sudo /Applications/Install macOS Ventura.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia volume /Volumes/MyVolume (where MyVolume is the name of the external drive you are using it could be Untitled). Press Return. Enter your password (you wont see the password appear). Press Return again. Terminal will warn that it is about to erase the drive. If you want to continue press Y and then Return. The process can take a while, youll see Erasing Disk: 0% 10% 20% 30%100% Next Terminal will spend a few minutes copying the installer file to your drive. Copying installer files to disk Copy complete and so on will appear in the Terminal window. Again, this can take a while it took our Mac ages to go from 0% to 10% When the bootable drive is prepared you will see the word Done. It can take a while. Now you have the installer on the external drive you can use that to install copies of macOS on multiple Macs which could be helpful if you are admin for a lot of systems. However, if you are reading this because you want to do wipe your Mac and do a clean install, read on 4. Wipe your Mac Foundry Now we are ready to install the copy of macOS from the installer drive on our Mac. If you want to do a fresh installation (and completely wipe your Mac) its time to reformat your Macs start-up drive. If you have a recently modern Mac with Monterey installed, you would be best off wiping your Mac using the Erase all Contents and Settings option. But for those running older Macs with older versions of macOS will need to use Disk Utility to delete their data. If you are running macOS Catalina or Big Sur you will have two volumes: Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD Data. If you want to do a clean install of macOS over an existing installation you will need to delete the Macintosh HD Data volume. We cover how to do this in more detail here: How to reset and wipe a Mac . Macintosh HD Data is where your data is stored separately to the macOS installation. Either click on the button or go to the menu and choose Edit > Delete APFS volume. You will see a message warning you that this will permanently erase your data. Click on Delete. Do not choose Delete Volume Group. Wait while the volume is deleted. Then you can move on to deleting your Macintosh HD volume as above. Heres how to do a fresh installation of macOS if you arent already running Catalina, Big Sur or later. Connect your boot drive. Start or restart your Mac while holding down the Option key (also known as Alt). This will take you to Startup Manager. Choose to install your chosen version of macOSfrom the external drive. Select Disk Utility. Select your Macs start-up disc, probably called Macintosh HD or Home. Click on Erase. Wait for your startup disk to be formatted. Go back to the main Utilities menu and choose Install macOS. Choose your startup drive as the location to install macOS. Once installation is complete, you can restore apps and settings from your backup, or download them again manually. 5. Install macOS IDG Now you can use your bootable installer to do a clean install of macOS on your wiped Mac. The process for installing the OS from the bootable installer is slightly different if you have an M1 or M2-series Mac (also known as Apple Silicon) or an Intel processor inside your Mac. Well run through both methods. In both cases, you will need to have your Mac connected to the Internet. It also needs to be compatible with the version of macOS you are trying to install (you cant install a macOS older than Big Sur on a M-series Mac). How to install macOS from a bootable installer If you have an M-series Mac heres how to install macOS from a bootable installer. As we mentioned above, you cant install a macOS older than Big Sur on an Apple Silicon Mac. Plug in your bootable installer Turn off your Mac. Press the power button to turn on the Mac but keep it pressed until you see the startup options window including your bootable volume. Choose the bootable installer volume. Click Continue. The macOS installer should open when it does follow the onscreen instructions to do the clean install. If you have an Intel-powered Mac heres how to install macOS from a bootable installer: Plug in your bootable installer Turn off your Mac. Press and hold Option/Alt while the Mac starts up keep pressing the key until you see a screen showing the bootable volume. Choose the bootable installer volume. Click Continue. Select Install macOS from the Utilities window that appears. Click Continue. Now follow the onscreen instructions to do your clean install. Cleaning and Data Recovery Software, Mac, MacOS, Personal Software

We cant believe how low these AirPods Prime Day prices are

Macworld It was just last week when Amazon discounted the entire AirPods line to their all-time-low prices and its already outdone itself. On the first day of Prime Day, Amazon has slashed the price of every AirPods model to prices so low we thought it was a mistakeand no matter which model you want youre going to save tons of money AirPods Pro (2nd-gen with USB-C) Price: $169 Savings: $80 Why we love them: Apples 2nd-gen AirPods Pro are among the best noise-canceling earbuds you can buy, with an iconic design, incredible battery life, excellent audio, and some truly incredible software features, including Transparency Mode, conversation Awareness, and Adaptive Audio. View AirPods Pro Deal AirPods (3rd-gen with Lightning case) Price: $120 Savings: $49 Why we love them: Even at more than three years old, the 3rd-gen AirPods are Apples latest model and still one of the best earbuds you can buy, with personalized spatial audio, adaptive EQ, excellent battery life, and IPX4 sweat and water resistance. Just note: This sale is on the wired case. View AirPods (3rd gen) Deal AirPods (2nd-gen) Price: $69 Savings: $50 Why we love them: Apples older 2nd-gen AirPods are missing many of the features found in the 3rd-gen model, but theyre still great earbuds at a great priceespecially when you can save $50 on them. They have the older design, high-quality audio, and Siri voice control, but are missing spatial audio and noise cancellation and other features found on the higher-end models, but theyre a fantastic set of earbuds for the price. View AirPods (2nd gen) Deal AirPods Max Price: $395 Savings: $155 Why we love them: AirPods Max may be over three years old but theyre still a fantastic set of over-ear headphones. They feature a gorgeous design with a knit-mesh canopythat comes in one of five colors, long battery life, personalized spatial audio, and active noise cancellation. There may be a new model coming out later this year, but at under $400, you wont regret this purchase. View AirPods Max Deal Of course, its not just AirPods that are on sale for Prime Day . For great deals on iPads, MacBooks, and Apple Watches, check out our roundup of the best prices on Apple gear for Prime Day 2024. Need help choosing the AirPods to suit you? Read our AirPods buying guide . Apple Inc, Headphones

Apple Pay under investigation in U.K. amid seismic shift in consumer behavior

Macworld Two U.K. regulatory bodies have announced a joint investigation into the benefits and risks of digital wallets, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal. In a press release Monday, the Payments Systems Regulator (PSR) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) launched what they describe as a call for information as they seek to understand changes to the consumer landscape. Noting that the proportion using digital wallets has risen steeplynow likely above half of U.K. adults, they saidthe authorities detailed areas of interest and concern, including the benefits such wallets bring to users, features that dont work as well as they might, and their effect on competition and the integrity of the free market. Digital wallets are steadily becoming a go-to payment type, and while this presents exciting opportunities, there might be risks too, wrote PSR managing director David Geale. Collaboration between regulators and working with industry is crucial to ensure were on the front foot to support innovation and competition. Although Apple is only one of the firms explicitly mentioned in the press release, which also includes Google Pay and PayPal, the timing of this announcement suggests regulators may be particularly interested in monitoring the influence on free competition exerted by Apple Pay. As Bloomberg notes, it comes only days after Apple successfully avoided being fined by the European Union by opening up its tap-to-pay tech to other payment service providers. The U.K. is no longer a member of the European Union but follows its lead in many regulatory matters. And any mandates overseas are likely to affect Apples operations in the U.S. as well. The regulators said they are interested in hearing from stakeholders across the payments and wider financial services landscape, including digital wallet and technology providers as well as their service users and other parties with an interest in digital wallets. Respondents have until September 13, after which the authorities pledge to consider all feedback and issue an update by the first quarter of 2025. Apple Inc

Amazon Prime Day 2024: Everything you need to know and the best early Apple deals

Macworld Amazons big Prime Day extravaganza is now upon us! It started just after midnight Tuesday and continues for 48 hours of deals and discounts un til midnight on July 17. So, whether this is your first Prime Day rodeo or youve taken advantage of fantastic discounts before, heres everything you need to know about the big sale. What is Prime Day? Prime Day is the annual shopping event that gets us about as excited for Apple deals as Black Friday. The first year Prime Day was held was in 2015 when Amazon wanted to celebrate its 20th anniversary with a bang. The sale was so successful that it stuck around and were happy it did because the discounts are impressive and many brands use Prime Day as the chance to lower the price more than they usually would. Instead of the single-day event from back in the day, we get a full 48 hours to shop for deals and decide what we need and what we simply want. When is Prime Day 2024? In 2024 Prime Day began at midnight on Tuesday, July 16 and will last until 11:59pm on Wednesday, July 17. Thats midnight to midnight wherever you are in the world. Will we get another Prime Day in October? Amazon has been pretty consistent about its big sale events, so when it introduced the October event a couple of years ago, we figured it was here to stay. Well, we cant predict the future with certainty, but Amazon seems like the type to stick to tradition. While we dont have any official info on an October event yet, were going to guess that yes, we will get a fall Prime Day event in 2024. Do you need to subscribe to Prime to shop on Prime Day? Yes and no. Let us explain. As the name suggests, Prime Day was designed as a special sale event to reward Prime members with special prices. So, youd need to have a subscription to the service ( $14.99 / 8.99 / AUD$6.99 per month or $139 / 95 / AUD$59 per year). You can also sign up for the 30-day free trial to cover the Prime Day deals. However, there are loads and loads of deals available during the event when a subscription to Prime is not necessary. They will just be straight-up discounts that anyone can enjoy. Whether or not your favorite products from Apple and other big brands will fall into this category remains to be seen. What products do we expect to go on sale? We are seeing some great discounts on pretty much all products from Apple. Devices such as the MacBook Pro and Air and Apple Watch Series 9 that have been on shelves for a while usually see their best discounts on Prime Day, big discounts on newer products are rare, but not unheard of. Were also seeing tons of good deals on Apple accessories, including Apple Pencils, keyboards, and mice, as well as stands, chargers, and cables from third-party accessory makers such as Anker and Logitech. Do other retailers run sales during Prime Day? During Prime Day, other retailers will certainly try to bring in some shoppers, including Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. While were sure many deals will be exclusive to Amazon, many brands will run similar sales in other shops, too. You could end up getting a product you want for the same price as it is at Amazon without needing to subscribe to Prime. Where to find the best Prime Day deals on Apple products Right here! Well be covering scouring Amazon for the best Apple deals during Prime Day . So just stay tuned to Macworld and well tell you which deals are worth your time. Below you will find links to our product specific deals round ups. Best Amazon Prime Day Apple deals Best Amazon Prime Day AirPods deals Best Amazon Prime Day Apple Watch deals Best Amazon Prime Day iPhone deals Best Amazon Prime Day iPad deals Best Amazon Prime Day MacBook Air and MacBook Pro deals Best Amazon Prime Day Mac deals Best Prime Day storage deals for Mac Best Prime Day Mac monitor and display deals Best Prime Day Apple accessories deals Best U.K. Apple Amazon Prime Day deals What are the best deals right now? There are so many great deals available at Amazon, this is our pick of the very best but be sure to check out the links above for even more deals, and keep coming back as well be updating this list regularly throughout Prime Day. Apple devices U.S. AirPods Pro (2nd gen, USB-C): $ 168.99 ($80 off; MSRP $249) PRIME DAY DEAL AirPods Max: $349 ($201 off; MSRP $550) PRIME DAY DEAL 11-inch M4 iPad Pro (128GB) : $899 ($100 off, MSRP $999) Apply $20 coupon 13-inch M4 iPad Pro (128GB) : $1,198 ($101 off, MSRP $1,299) Apple Watch Series 9 (41mm) : $279.99 ($119 off, MSRP $399) PRIME DAY DEAL Apple Watch Series 9 (45mm) : $309 ($119 off, MSRP $429) PRIME DAY DEAL M3 13-inch MacBook Air, 256GB : $849 ($250 off, MSRP $1,099) You need to apply the $50 coupon M3 15-inch MacBook Air, 256GB : $1,049 ($250 off, MSRP $1,299) You need to apply the $50 coupon M3 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB : $1,699 ($300 off, MSRP $1,999) M3 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB : $1,899 ($600 off, MSRP $2,499) You need to apply the $100 coupon M3 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro, 36GB RAM, 1TB : $2,799 ($700 off, MSRP $2,499) You need to apply the $200 coupon U.K. AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with MagSafe, USB-C : 179 (50 off, RRP 229) DEAL OF THE DAY AirPods Max Green, Pink, Silver, Blue, or Space Grey : 449 (50 off, RRP 499) DEAL OF THE DAY iPhone 15 Pro Max (256GB): 1,059 (140 off; RRP 1,199) iPhone 14 Plus (128 GB), Red, Blue, Midnight, Purple, Starlight : 569 (230 off, RRP 799) DEAL OF THE DAY iPhone 14 Pro (256GB): 999 (210 off; RRP was 1,209 10.9-inch iPad Air (M1, 2022, Wi-Fi + Cellular, 64GB) : 629.10 (219.90 off, RRP was 849) BEST DEAL 11-inch iPad Pro (M2, 512GB, 2022 model) : 983.03 (266 off, old RRP was 1,249) Apple Watch Series 9 [GPS 41mm] Aluminium 314 (85 off, RRP 399) DEAL OF THE DAY Apple Watch Series 9 [GPS 45mm] Aluminium 344 (85 off, RRP 429) DEAL OF THE DAY 13-inch MacBook Air, M2, 256GB SSD , midnight , silver , space grey or starlight : 849 (150 off, RRP 999) DEAL OF THE DAY M3 14-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB : 1,494.99 (204 off, MSRP 1,699) M3 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB : 2,230 (269 off, MSRP 2,499) M3 Max 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB : 2,979.97 (319 off, MSRP 3,299) M3 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB : 2,719 (280 off, MSRP 2,999) Accessories, Apple Inc, Apple Watch, iPad, iPhone, Mac

Installing the iOS 18 public beta? These are the best features to try first

Macworld Every summer, Apple runs a beta program to help find bugs and get feedback on features for its upcoming operating system releases. Theres a lot of great stuff to look forward to in iOS 18 , and you dont have to wait until September to try out some of the new features, as long as youre willing to accept a few bugs along the way. Now that the public beta has been released, anyone with an Apple Account can try out iOS 18; just be aware that not all features are present or finished and that you might experience some performance degradation, shorter battery life, or bugs. Its always recommended you run the beta on a secondary device or have a backup available. Read our guide for more on how to register for and install the iOS 18 beta . Once youve got the beta installed on your iPhone, here are some of the best features you should try out first. Customize the Control Center Control Center is getting a really big update in iOS 18, and it could become one of the most frequently used parts of your iPhone. Swipe down from the upper-right edge as you normally would to open Control Center, but notice that it now has multiple pages stacked verticallyswipe up and down to switch between them. Foundry Foundry Foundry Tap the + button in the upper left to edit Control Centeryou can drag the corner of controls to resize them, move them around, or add or remove them. There are lots of additional controls, and there will be more on the way as third-party apps will be able to add Control Center controls! Personalize your Home screen Tap and hold on any empty space on your Home screen for a couple of seconds and all the icons will jiggle and dance, and theyll have an (-) icon in the upper left. In this mode you can move icons to any position on the grid you want, leaving empty space wherever you want it. While moving an icon around, use a second finger to tap other icons and youll grab them all together, making it easy to move multiple apps to a different page. You can even resize widgets just by dragging the corner . Foundry Foundry Foundry From this mode, tap Edit in the upper-left and then Customize . A small interface will slide up from the bottom of the screen, allowing you to change icon size between Small and Large, select dark or light mode for icons, or Tinted mode that lets you change their shade to anything you want. This level of personalization is nothing new to Android users but is unheard of on the iPhone. Send an RCS message Once you upgrade to iOS 18, youll have RCS support in Messagesmeaning that your green bubble conversations with Android users will have a lot of modern features like typing indicators, read receipts, full-size images and videos, tapbacks, and more. But RCS requires support from your carrier and isnt everywhere just yet. But the major carriersVerizon, AT&T, and T-Mobileare all on board. We have a guide to RCS in iOS 18 that will help you make sure its enabled, check if your carrier supports it, and how to know when its in use. Try out the new flashlight If you have an iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max, or an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, you have a really cool new flashlight in iOS 18. Yes, I know its just the flashlight, but trust me its one of the slickest things in iOS 18. Foundry Foundry Foundry Just fire up the flashlight from the lock screen or Control Center and youll see a slick new interface come down from the Dynamic Island. You can swipe up and down to change the strength of the flashlight and even swipe left and right to change the width of the beam! The beam width change uses the special hardware made for the Adaptive True Tone flash, which is only available on this year and last years iPhones Pro models. Get to know the new Photos app The Photos app is getting a major design overhaul in iOS 18 and it seems to be easily the most controversial part of the new OS so far. Unlike other changes that are either hidden or optional, the new Photos interface is a big shift that is forced on everyone, and some users dont like the change. Apple Apple Apple Apple has already made some tweaks based on early beta feedback, so be sure to spend some time using the new Photos app and then use the Feedback app to let Apple know what you think. Scroll around your photo library at the top. Try the categories underneath to get to specific types of images. Dont forget to tap the Customize button all the way at the bottom of the main Photos interface to select and reorder the different groups and collections you want to see. Some things may change before the final release in September, but youll want to get used to the new interface now. Make the Action Button better If you have an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, your mute switch was replaced by an Action Button that you can customize in the Settings menu. A lot of users havent found a better use for it than to keep it as a mute toggle, but its getting some new tricks in iOS 18. You can set it to Recognize Music to quickly Shazam a song, but the big improvement is the ability to set it to Controls and then select one of many Control Center controls: Ping your Apple Watch, open Calculator, toggle Airplane Mode, open Quick Notes, scan a QR code, and much more. Foundry Foundry Foundry iOS

Make room on your Mac for more stuff with these killer Prime Day deals on storage

Macworld Looking for a great deal on a new hard drive or SSD to use with your Mac? We are seeing some great deals on storage in the Amazon Prime Day sale (running from July 16 to 17), so theres no better time to pick up a deal on some new external storage for your Mac. During Amazon Prime Day Prime subscribers can take advantage of savings. To take advantage of the deals you will need Amazon Prime (which costs $14.99 / 8.99 / AUD$6.99 a month but can be canceled after 30 days). If you dont already have a Prime membership, you can sign up for the free 30-day trial and still take advantage of the deals. See our round-up of the Best Prime Day Apple Deals for our pick of the best Prime Day deals. First published on Friday, July 12. Updated Tuesday, July 16. Best Amazon Prime deals for SSDs and hard drives Were seeing some great savings this year. Below you will find the best deals weve seen so far. Click on Review if you would like to read our review of the SSD or hard drive on offer or to find it in our best Mac SSDs and best Mac hard drive round-ups. U.S. For the best memory and storage deals on Amazon right now go to Amazons Memory & Storage section where you will find deals on external hard drives , SSDs and Network Attached Storage . Kingston XS1000 2TB SSD , $120 ($20 off, MSRP $140) REVIEW SanDisk Professional 1TB PRO-G40 SSD , $174 ($125 off, MSRP $300) REVIEW SanDisk Professional PRO-BLADE Transport & 1TB SSD , $160 ($80 off, MSRP $240) REVIEW SanDisk 1TB Portable SSD , $85 ($15 off, MSRP $100) REVIEW LaCie Rugged SSD Pro, 4TB , $630 ($109 off, MSRP $739) REVIEW LaCie Rugged Mini external SSD, 1TB , $80 ($5 off, MSRP $85) REVIEW Western Digital 1TB My Passport SSD , $99 ($30 off, MSRP $129.99) REVIEW Samsung T7 Shield, 1TB SSD , $104 ($65 off, MSRP $170) REVIEW Also, take a look at these hard drive deals specific to Prime Day on Amazons website . You might also like these Prime Day flash storage deals also on Amazons site. U.K. For the best memory and storage deals on Amazon right now take a look at Amazons Memory & Storage section where you will find deals on external storage , SSDs , and Network Attached Storage . Kingston XS1000 2TB SSD , 104.99 (20 off, RRP 126.99) REVIEW SanDisk Professional 1TB PRO-G40 SSD , 249.07 (10 off, RRP 259.99) REVIEW SanDisk Professional PRO-BLADE Transport & 1TB SSD , 208 (42 off, RRP 249.99) REVIEW SanDisk 1TB Extreme Portable SSD , 94.99 (127 off, RRP 221.99) LaCie Portable SSD, 1TB, External SSD , 107.99 (70 off, RRP 177.60) REVIEW LaCie Rugged SSD Pro, 2TB , 300.49 (38 off, RRP 338.14) REVIEW LaCie Rugged Mini external SSD, 2TB , 232.99 (25 off, RRP 258) REVIEW Western Digital 4TB My Passport SSD , 283 (462 off, RRP 745.99) REVIEW Samsung T7 Shield, 2TB SSD , 138.12 (24.37off, RRP 162.49) REVIEW PRIME DAY DEAL Seagate Ultra Touch HDD, 4 TB, External HDD , 112.99 (42 off, RRP 154.99) REVIEW Plus, you can find hard drive deals specific to Prime Day on Amazon . You might also like these Prime Day flash storage deals on Amazon. Amazon Prime Day: Best Mac accessory deals Prime Day is also a great opportunity to save some cash on some accessories for your MacBook. Perhaps you need a spare, or just beefier charger for your MacBook. Or perhaps you want a dock, a printer, or a bag. If we spot a good deal well list it here. We also have separate round-ups for the best Mac display and monitor deals of Amazon Prime Day and Best Prime Day Apple accessories deals . U.S. Magic Keyboard with Touch ID & Numeric keypad: $108.47 ($20.53 off, MSRP $129) Magic TrackPad : $109 ($19 off, MSRP $129 Magic Mouse (white) $55 ($24 off, MSRP $79) DEAL OF THE DAY U.K. Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad : 95 (34 off, RRP 129) DEAL OF THE DAY Magic Keyboard : 75 (24 off, RRP 99) DEAL OF THE DAY Magic Mouse (black) : 69 (30 off, RRP 99) DEAL OF THE DAY Magic Mouse (white) : 55 (24 off, RRP 79) DEAL OF THE DAY Magic TrackPad 109 (20 off, RRP 129). Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID 133 (16 off, RRP 149). Prime Day: How can I get the best deals? Once Prime Day begins, most deals will be exclusive for Prime members, so youll need to sign in with an active membership to purchase one of the deals. Prime memberships cost $139 / 95 annually, or $14.99 / 8.99 / AU$6.99 every month. New users can sign up for a 30-day free trial that can be canceled at any time during the trial window. As well as access to sales prices, Prime members also get free two-day shipping and access to Prime Video and all the content available on that service. For more Prime Day coverage, check out our other Apple deal roundups: Best Amazon Prime Day Apple deals Best Amazon Prime Day AirPods deals Best Amazon Prime Day Apple Watch deals Best Amazon Prime Day iPhone deals Best Amazon Prime Day iPad deals Best Amazon Prime Day MacBook Air and MacBook Pro deals Best Amazon Prime Day Mac deals Best U.K. Apple Amazon Prime Day deals Accessories, Mac, Storage

Upgrade your Mac with these fantastic Prime Day monitor deals

Macworld Looking for a great deal on a new display or monitor to use with your Mac or MacBook? This Amazon Prime Day, youll have a great opportunity to pick up a new monitor to use with your Mac mini or MacBook as Amazon is discounting some of our favorite monitors. Amazon Prime Daylets Prime subscribers take advantage of great savings. See our roundup of the Best Prime Day Apple Deals for our pick of the best Prime Day deals. To take advantage of the deals you will need Amazon Prime (which costs $14.99 / 8.99 / AUD$6.99 a month but can be canceled after 30 days). If you dont already have a Prime membership, you can sign up for the free 30-day trial . First published on Friday, July 12. Updated Tuesday, July 16. Best Amazon Prime deals for monitors and displays Below you will find some of the best deals weve seen for Amazon Prime Day so far this year. Click on Review if you would like to read our review of the monitor on offer. In addition, you may like to read our round-up of the best Mac monitors. U.S. For the best monitor deals on Amazon right now go to Amazons Monitors store. Or click here for the display deals specific to Prime Day. Apple Studio Display , $1,299 ($299 off, MSRP $1,599) REVIEW ALOGIC Clarity Pro Touch 27-inch 4K Touchscreen Monitor : $829 ($370 off, MSRP $1,199) REVIEW ALOGIC Clarity 27-inch UHD 4K Monitor : $559 ($69 off, MSRP $629) REVIEW Dell U2723QE UltraSharp 27-inch 4K : $484.97 ($115 off, MSRP $599) REVIEW Dell UltraSharp U3223QE 31.5-inch 4K : $619 ($260 off, MSRP $879) REVIEW Dell UltraSharp U2421E 23.8-inch : $339 ($50 off, MSRP $389) REVIEW Dell S2722QC 27-inch 4K USB-C Monitor : $236.99 ($133 off, MSRP $369.99) PRIME DAY DEAL Acer KB272 27-inch Monitor : $100 ($54 off, MSRP $154.99 Samsung T35F 27-inch Monitor : $119.99 ($30 off, MSRP $149.99) PRIME DAY DEAL Dell S3221QS 32-inch Curved 4K Display : $255.99 ($104 off, MSRP $359.99) PRIME DAY DEAL U.K. For the best monitor deals on Amazon right now go to Amazons Monitors store . Or click here for the display deals specific to Prime Day. Apple Studio Display : 1,324.99 (175 off, RRP 1,499) REVIEW BenQ PD2725U, 27-inch : 698.48 (201 off, RRP 899.99) REVIEW ALOGIC Clarity 27-inch UHD 4K Monitor : 598.95 (100 off, RRP 699.99) REVIEW Samsung S65TCUWQHDViewFinity 34-inch : 599 (53 off, RRP 652) REVIEW ASUS ProArt Display PA279CV, 27-inch : 339 (160 off, RRP 499) REVIEW Dell UltraSharp U3223QE 31.5-inch 4K : 674.17 (144 off, RRP 818.40) REVIEW HP E27q G4 27-inch : 225.60 (50 off, RRP 275.99) REVIEW LG 32MR50C-B, 32-inch Curved Widescreen Monitor : 152 (42 off, RRP 194) Samsung LU32J590UQPXXU UJ590 32-inch 4K : 229 (110 off, RRP 339.99) Dell U2723QE UltraSharp 27-inch 4K : 447.95 (15 off, RRP 463) REVIEW Samsung Odyssey G4 LS25BG400EUXXU 25-inch : 151.05 (99 off), RRP 249.99) PRIME DAY DEAL Amazon Prime Day: Best Mac accessory deals Prime Day is also a great opportunity to save some cash on some accessories for your MacBook. Perhaps you need a spare charger for your MacBook. Or perhaps you want a dock, a printer, or a bag. If we spot a good deal well list it here. We also have separate round-ups for the best Amazon Prime Day Mac storage deals . U.S. Magic Keyboard with Touch ID & Numeric keypad: $108.47 ($20.53 off, MSRP $129) Magic TrackPad : $109 ($19 off, MSRP $129 Magic Mouse (white) $55 ($24 off, MSRP $79) DEAL OF THE DAY U.K. Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad : 95 (34 off, RRP 129) DEAL OF THE DAY Magic Keyboard : 75 (24 off, RRP 99) DEAL OF THE DAY Magic Mouse (black) : 69 (30 off, RRP 99) DEAL OF THE DAY Magic Mouse (white) : 55 (24 off, RRP 79) DEAL OF THE DAY Magic TrackPad 109 (20 off, RRP 129). Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID 133 (16 off, RRP 149). Prime Day: How can I get the best deals? Once Prime Day begins, most deals will be exclusive for Prime members, so youll need to sign in with an active membership to purchase one of the deals. Prime memberships cost $139 / 95 annually, or $14.99 / 8.99 / AU$6.99 every month. New users can sign up for a 30-day free trial that can be canceled at any time during the trial window. As well as access to sales prices, Prime members also get free two-day shipping and access to Prime Video and all the content available on that service. For more Amazon Prime Day coverage, check out our other Apple deal roundups: Best Amazon Prime Day Apple deals Best Amazon Prime Day AirPods deals Best Amazon Prime Day Apple Watch deals Best Amazon Prime Day iPhone deals Best Amazon Prime Day iPad deals Best Amazon Prime Day MacBook Air and MacBook Pro deals Best Amazon Prime Day Mac deals Best Prime Day Apple accessories deals Best U.K. Apple Amazon Prime Day deals Accessories, Mac, Monitors

Prime Day 2024 is the perfect time to bag a fantastic Apple Watch deal

Macworld Amazons Prime Day sales event (which lasts two days, not just one!) is a fantastic opportunity to find a good deal on the Apple Watch, so if you were wondering if the Apple Watch will be on sale for Prime Day, wonder no more! We are seeing some great discounts on the Apple Watch for the Prime Day sale, which runs from Tuesday, July 16 to midnight on July 17. Here at Macworld, we know more than most about Apples range of products, and we can spot a bargain too, having compiled regular Apple deals roundups for years. Were not likely to be fooled by the usual tricks, such as prices being raised just before a sales event so the discounts look bigger. Well make sure to steer you to the genuinely worthwhile deals. Well be tracking all the best Prime Day 2024 Apple Watch deals in this article. The latest models, and the ones likely to be of most interest for deal-hunters, are the Apple Watch Series 9 , Apple Watch Ultra 2 , and second-gen Apple Watch SE. But you can often find good deals on older models too. For more coverage of Amazons deals, check out our round-up of the best Apple Deals for Amazon Prime day as well as our Prime Day listings page . First published on Friday, July 12. Updated Tuesday, July 16. Best Apple Watch deals of Prime Day Some deals are better than others. Here are the bigger savings to be had on a new Apple Watch this Prime Day. Look below for more deals on the different Apple Watch models. U.S. Apple Watch Series 9 (41mm) : $299 ($100 off, MSRP $399) Apple Watch Series 9 (45mm) : $329 ($100 off, MSRP $429) Apple Watch SE 2 (40mm) : $189 ($60 off, MSRP $249) Apple Watch SE 2 (44mm) : $219 ($60 off, MSRP $279) Apple Watch Ultra 2 : $780 ($19 off, MSRP $799) U.K. Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS + Cellular, 41mm, Aluminium) 424 (75 off, RRP 499) DEAL OF THE DAY Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS + Cellular, 45mm, Stainless Steel) 724 (75 off, RRP 799) DEAL OF THE DAY Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS + Cellular, 45mm, Aluminium) 454 (75 off, RRP 529) DEAL OF THE DAY Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS, 41mm, Aluminium) 314 (85 off, RRP 399) DEAL OF THE DAY Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS, 45mm, Aluminium) 344 (85 off, RRP 429) DEAL OF THE DAY Apple Watch Ultra : 649.65 (200 off, RRP was 849) You can also find the Best Apple Watch deals all year round in our round-up that is updated monthly. Prime Day 2024: Best Apple Watch Series 9 deals U.S. Apple Watch Series 9 (41mm) : $299 ($100 off, MSRP $399) Apple Watch Series 9 (45mm) : $329 ($100 off, MSRP $429) U.K. Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS + Cellular, 41mm, Aluminium) 424 (75 off, RRP 499) DEAL OF THE DAY Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS + Cellular, 45mm, Stainless Steel) 724 (75 off, RRP 799) DEAL OF THE DAY Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS + Cellular, 45mm, Aluminium) 454 (75 off, RRP 529) DEAL OF THE DAY Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS, 41mm, Aluminium) 314 (85 off, RRP 399) DEAL OF THE DAY Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS, 45mm, Aluminium) 344 (85 off, RRP 429) DEAL OF THE DAY Check the automated table below for the lowest price on the Series 9 across all retailers in your area just in case someone else is matching or beating Amazons sale discounts. New Refurbished Retailer Price $389.99 View Deal $399 View Deal $399 View Deal $399.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Apple Watch (Series 9) September 2023 Wifi Only 41 Aluminium Silver Sport band Blue $286 View Deal Smart Watch MR953LL/A HR Pink $375 View Deal Price comparison from Backmarket Prime Day 2024: Best Apple Watch Ultra deals U.S. Apple Watch Ultra 2 : $780 ($19 off, MSRP $799) U.K. Apple Watch Ultra 2 : 769 (30 off; RRP 799) Remember to check our price-comparison table for the lowest prices on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 across all retailers in your area: New Refurbished Retailer Price $779.99 View Deal $799 View Deal $799 View Deal $799 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Apple Watch (Ultra) September 2023 Cellular 49 Aluminium Blue Alpine loop Blue $599 View Deal Apple Watch (Ultra) September 2023 Cellular 49 Titanium Natural Titanium Ocean band Blue $809.99 View Deal Price comparison from Backmarket Prime Day 2024: Best Apple Watch SE deals The Apple Watch SE is the more affordable option, essentially a cross between an Apple Watch Series 4 and Series 6. Its display isnt quite as large and doesnt have the always-on feature, nor does it have the blood oxygen or ECG features. But it still does most of what people want an Apple Watch for, while saving you around $100. U.S. Apple Watch SE 2 (40mm) : $189 ($60 off, MSRP $249) Apple Watch SE 2 (44mm) : $219 ($60 off, MSRP $279) U.K. Apple Watch SE (2nd gen, 40mm, GPS) : 192 (27 off, RRP 219) Apple Watch SE (2nd gen, 44mm, GPS) : 222 (27 off, RRP 249) Prime Day 2024: Best discontinued Apple Watch deals U.K. Apple Watch Ultra : 649.65 (RRP was 849) Apple Watch Series 8 (41mm, GPS) : 349 (RRP was 419) Apple Watch Series 8 (45mm, GPS) : 379 (RRP was 449) Check our automated table for the lowest prices on the Apple Watch SE (2nd gen) in your region: New Refurbished Retailer Price $189 View Deal $199 View Deal $249 View Deal $288.99 View Deal $299.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price Apple Watch (Series SE) September 2022 Wifi Only 40 Aluminium Silver Sport band White $153.15 View Deal Price comparison from Backmarket Prime Day 2024: How can I get the best Apple Watch deals? Amazon Prime Day typically runs in July, while Amazon also runs an Amazon Prime Early Access Sale in October in the following countries: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S. The motive behind the sale is to encourage customers to join the companys Prime subscription service. For this reason, the sale is officially open to Prime members only, and youll need to sign in with an active membership to purchase one of the deals. (Youll find, however, that some individual deals are available to non-members.) Prime memberships cost $139 / 95 / AUD$59 annually, or $14.99 / 8.99 / AUD$6.99 on a monthly basis. New users can sign up for a 30-day free trial which can be canceled at any time during the trial window. Prime members also get free two-day shipping and access to all the content available on the Prime Video streaming service. Prime Day 2024: More Apple bargains For more Prime Day coverage, check out our roundups of the best deals across every Apple and Apple-related product line: Best Amazon Prime Day Apple deals Best Amazon Prime Day AirPods deals Best Amazon Prime Day iPhone deals Best Amazon Prime Day iPad deals Best Amazon Prime Day MacBook Air and MacBook Pro deals Best Amazon Prime Day Mac deals Best Prime Day storage deals for Mac Best Prime Day Mac monitor and display deals Best Prime Day Apple accessories deals Best U.K. Apple Amazon Prime Day deals Apple Watch

iOS 18 superguide: Everything you need to know about the new iOS

Macworld As Apple gears up to launch new iPhones later in 2024 theres another iPhone update coming to all iPhones from the iPhone XR up: iOS 18. At the WWDC 2024 keynote on June 10, Apple unveiled the new features coming in iOS 18. Among them are a redesigned Photos app, new ways to customize your Home screen and wallpaper, new Messages reactions, privacy-related features and dozens of other smaller changes. This free software update will bring a raft of interface tweaks, bug fixes, and new features. Its like getting a new iPhone without paying a penny. In this article, we discuss everything you need to know about iOS 18. We will discuss the latest versions of the beta and how to get your hands on that below and in separate articles. We will also explain when the final version of iOS 18 will come out, how to get it when it does, the models of iPhone that will be able to run iOS 18, and the features that will be added in the new OS. Updated July 15: Apple has released an updated build of iOS 18 beta 3, which was fist released to developers last week. Later in the day, Apple released this same version as the first Public Beta. iOS 18 release date iOS 18 is likely to arrive in the week of Monday, September 16, 2024, although Apple is yet to confirm the release date. In 2023 iOS 17 arrived on Monday, September 18, 2023 so we expect a similar timing for 2024. Over the past several years, the release of the new version of iOS has been fairly consistent: iOS 17: Monday, September 18, 2023 iOS 16: Monday, September 12, 2022 iOS 15: Monday, September 20, 2021 iOS 14: Wednesday, September 16, 2020 iOS 13: Thursday, September 19, 2019 iOS 12: Monday, September 17, 2018 Once the final release comes out, installing iOS 18 will be a breeze. Open the Settings app on your iPhone and go to General > Software Update; iOS will check for any available updates and guide you through the process of installing them. You simply have to follow the instructions, which we explain in our iOS updating guide . And its easier still if youve turned on Automatic Updates, which you can do from the same screen. iOS 18 beta release date Apple began the beta program soon after it revealed the details of iOS 18 at WWDC. The developer beta is available for anyone who wants to run the beta, but it should be noted that this early beta is very likely to be buggy, so we dont recommend installing it on a primary device. Read: How to install the iOS beta on your iPhone . Apple released the first Public Beta on July 15, and it corresponds with the same build as an updated version of the third Developer Beta. The beta testing will continue even after Apple releases iOS 18 to the general public as Apple develops new features not available at launch. If youd like to join the beta for the next version of iOS read this: How to join Apples beta program and try out new software. If you want to remove the beta from your device read this: How to remove an iOS beta from your iPhone . How to install the iOS beta If you want to install a developer beta, you need, unsurprisingly, to be a registered Apple software developer, which has both free and paid ($99/79) versions. Since June 2023 Apple has opened the beta to all registered developersso everyone can get the earliest possible access to the iOS 16 beta. To sign up for an account and install the developer beta you need only follow these steps: Download the Apple Developer App from the App Store. Open the app and click on Account. Tap on Sign In and sign in using your usual Apple ID. Once you are logged in you should see the beta in General > Software Update > Beta Updates. You need to be running iOS 16.5 or later for this to work. We cover this process in more detail in our How to get the iOS beta article . Should you install the iOS 18 beta? Our advice is that rather than installing the developer beta you should install the public beta to avoid too many complications. Read How to join Apples beta program for more advice. iOS 18 compatibility: Which iPhones will be able to run iOS 18? The following iPhones get support for iOS 18, the same lineup as iOS 17. iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, Pro, Pro Max iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, Pro, Pro Max iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, Pro, Pro Max iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, Pro, Pro Max iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, Pro Max iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max iPhone XR iPhone SE (2nd gen or later) Its likely that some of the coolest new features will not be supported on the older phones, because they lack the hardware necessary (a powerful enough Neural Engine or GPU to run AI stuff, or enough RAM). This is typical of new iOS releases. In 2022, for example, the iPhone 8 and iPhone X missed out on a bunch of cool stuff due to their older processor. It is no surprise, therefore, that the hardware requirements are steep for the AI-related featuresiPhone 15 Pro or later. iOS 17 did not support iPhone 8 or the iPhone X which came out in 2017, but since those phones are able to run iOS 16, they will continue to get support through security updates for at least another year. With the release of iOS 18 though, Apple may stop supporting iOS 15, which will mean that iPhone 7, 7 Plus, iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, and iPhone SE (1st generation) will no longer get support. Generally, Apple has provided software updates for the past two versions of iOS. See: How long does Apple support iPhones . Read about: How iOS 17 and iOS 18 compare . iOS 18: New features There were many new features in iOS 17 including a new app called Journal, Live Voicemail, and a new way to use Stickers, among dozens of other smaller changes. Rumors suggested that iOS 18 would be one of the biggest iOS updates if not the biggest in the companys history. It was expected that Apple would showcase some major new AI features. The hardware requirements are expected to be steepiPhone 15 Pro or later. Not all the new features will be available at launch. Some features, such as the new categories in Mail, will come later this year in a subsequent software update. Read: These features will be missing when iOS 18 launches this fall . Customization There will be a more customizable Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Control Center in iOS 18. Several reports had claimed that Apple would allow greater personalization of the Home screen , including allowing users to place icons anywhere on the grid, allowing spaces between them. Currently, icons can be reordered or put into folders, but always fill the screen from left to right and top to bottom. In iOS 18 users will be able to arrange apps and widgets anywhere on the Home Screen, including right above the dock or framing a wallpaper. It will even be possible to change the lock screen icons or remove them. In addition, App icons and widgets can have a dark or tinted effect to blend in. Read: iOS 18: How to change the color of the app icons on your home screen and How to put app icons, widgets, and folders anywhere you want as well as iOS 18: How to make your app icons large and label-free . This put icons wherever you want feature is something weve wanted from Apple for many years, and has been a staple of many Android phones seemingly forever. The Control Centre is getting a redesign to give easier access to a users most-utilized controls. Users will also be able to add controls from supported third-party apps into Control Center. Is it enough? Read: Apple is finally letting you have it your waykinda . Apple Apple Apple Photos New features in Photos will help users find their photos and keep big libraries organized. Its the biggest redesign of Photos ever and is intended to help users find photos fast. It will be simplified but still familiar, according to Apple and will include a new Unified View, new Collections, and customization features. Users will be able to filter out clutter to narrow down to specific types of content. It will be possible to browse by topics, time, people, memories, trips, Recent Days and People and Pets. A new carousel view will present highlights that update each day featuring favorite people, pets, and places. Apple Apple Apple Messages Messages will gain new ways to express yourself. Expect improvements to text formatting and fun new text effects. Tapbacks are getting redesigned and will let you tap back with any emoji or sticker. Youll also be able to amplify and animate letters, word, phrases, and emoji, and add formatting like bold, underline, italics, and strikethrough. You will also be able to schedule a message to send later. Messages will also support RCS for more reliable group messaging with those who do not have an Apple device. Read about how your conversations with Android users will look in iOS 18 and RCS on iPhone with iOS 18: Every question answered . Apple is also making it possible to send Messages via Satellite so you can text when off the grid from Messages app. iMessages sent over satellite are encrypted. Apple Apple Apple Mail Mail will help you manage incoming email better with new on-device categorization. As email arrives it will be sorted into Primary (personal and time-sensitive), Transactions (confirmations and receipts), Updates (news and social notifications), and Promotions (marketing and coupons). A new Digest will pull together all relevant emails from a business, so for example, it could bring all flight information together. The Mail Categorization features will be available later this year. Safari A new Highlights feature is designed to make it easier to discover information on the web. A redesigned Reader experience will use machine learning to surface key information on a webpage so that users can review a summary to get the gist of an article. A table of contents will be included for longer articles Apple says users will also be able to quickly see the location of a restaurant, hotel, or landmark; or listen to an artists track right from an article about the song or album. Apple Apple Apple Wallet and Apple Pay There will be new ways to pay with Apple Pay. Users can send and receive Apple Cash by holding two iPhones together: Tap to Cash will let you share cash without exchanging email or number. Tickets in Apple Wallet including key event information like an event guide with info about the venue, and recommended Apple Music playlists Apple Apple Apple Other app updates: Journal New features to help you keep track of goals, Insights view, calendar, writing streak, and actually search. Maps New topographic maps with trails (US national parks only). Game Mode Will minimize background activity for the best frame rates. Notes app formulas and equations entered while typing will be solved Calendar incorporates tasks from Reminders and a new monthly view Health app Medical ID redesigned Emergency SOS Live Video Home app guest access Accessibility Eye Tracking iCloud Apple is adding a Keep Downloaded option that prevents the file from being moved to iCloud and keeps the file on the device. Read about the new Keep Downloaded option . Apple didnt discuss everything at WWDC. There were a number of features that didnt make the WWDC keynote . Also see: Unannounced iOS 18 tweak lets you see the time even when your iPhone is dead . Privacy features iOS 18 will improve privacy. You will be able to control who can see your apps, which contacts you share with that app, and which accessories apps can connect to. You can also control whether others can view your apps on your iPhone by locking an app so it wont open without Face ID or a passcode. A new locked hidden apps folder is also coming with iOS 18. Developers will have a way to seamlessly connect third-party accessories with iPhones without letting an app see all the other devices on a users network. Apple Apple Apple Apple Intelligence Apples new artificial intelligence system is coming to iPhone, Mac, and iPad with iOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and iPadOS 18. Apple Intelligence will only be supported by iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max though. ( Heres why youll need to upgrade your iPhone to get Apple Intelligence , also read: Heres why newer iPhones and Vision Pro cant run Apple Intelligence ). The hardware requirements are steepiPhone 15 Pro or later. iPads will need at least an M1 chip or later as will Macs. Apple Intelligence features will mostly be processed on the device, which is different from other platforms where AI processing is done in the cloud. But Apple Intelligence will be able to determine if cloud processing is needed and will use it when appropriate. Apple Intelligence features include the following: Writing Apple Intelligence will help users enhance their writing and communications. Writing Tools are built in systemwide that will offer to rewrite, proofread, and summarize text in writing focused apps such as Mail, Notes, Pages, and third-party apps. Images New image capabilities will also come to M-series Macs. In Image Playground users will be able to create images in three styles: Animation, Illustration, or Sketch. Photos A new Memories in Photos feature will create a video from photos and videos based on a description provided by the user. Apple Intelligence will pick out the photos and videos, develop a storyline based on the photos, and arrange them into a movie. In addition, a new Clean Up tool will identify and remove unwanted objects from the background of a photo. Read: Apple Intelligence FAQ: What it is, what it does, and when youll get it Siri Siri is also getting some AI updates and ChatGPT is to be integrated into Siri. Because some queries will be handled off-device Apple is introducing Private Cloud Compute so that when data is sent to server-based models for processing it is not stored or made accessible to Apple. One of the simplest changes to Siri is that it will be easier to type to Siri rather than having to speak to the on-device assistant. Apple may have finally twigged that people dont always want to talk to their phones. The new Siri is said to be more conversational and natural, with features that help users in their day-to-day lives. A new smart responses framework will help Siri take into account your own personal details in its replies: like people, companies, calendar events, locations, dates, and more. Later this year, Siri is said to get cross-device media control. So you can talk to Siri on one of your devices to control media playback on another. In an update scheduled for early 2025, Siri is said to gain the ability to control nearly any app, with hundreds of possible commands. This feature will start off with single commands for Apples own apps and grow to include third-party apps and commands with multiple steps. In addition, Siri will be able to react to and take actions based on what is on your screen. This is said to go into beta for developers in January , with a rollout to users in iOS 18.4 in the spring. New accessibility features Apple is planning several new accessibility features for iOS 18 , including Adaptive Voice Shortcuts, which will let users turn on or off specific accessibility features using a custom phrase, and Live Speech, which lets users type what they want to say and have it read out loud on phone calls or video meetings, will get the ability to add saved phrases to categories. Features coming after release Some iOS 18 features wont be a part of the initial release. Rather, they will be released later in 2024 or in 2025 as part of an iOS 18 point release (iOS 18.2 or iOS 18.4, for example). Here are some of the more significant features we expect to come later in an iOS 18 update : Mail app features Auto-categorizing of mail, mail digests, and summaries in your inbox are all features expected later in 2024. Home support for robot vacuums The Home app wont be able to start or stop your Roomba until later in 2024. Drag and Drop between iPhone and Mac Youll be able to see and control your iPhone on your Mac when iOS 18 and macOS 15 are released, but drag-and-drop support between your Mac and iPhone will come in an update. ChatGPT integration The ability to call upon ChatGPT when using Apples AI tools will likely come later in 2024. Advanced Siri features Siri features like its ability to see and react to what is on your display, semantic indexing (where Siri knows and uses information from across Messages, Mail, Contacts, and more), and advanced control over apps is all coming in 2025. In addition, all of the Apple Intelligence features will initially support only American English, and may be limited to only some regions. Additional languages and regions are likely to be available through 2025 and beyond. iOS, iPhone

iOS 18 beta 3 gets an update for developers ahead of Public Beta launch

Macworld Apple unveiled iOS 18 at WWDC on June 10, and its coming to all our iPhones later this year (typically in September). But you dont have to wait to try it now if you dont mind some bugs. Apple always runs an iOS beta-testing program throughout the summer in order to produce a more polished release at launch and to give developers a chance to test and update their apps. If you want to try out iOS 18 before its release, you can download the developer beta or public betathe developer beta is released first, with the public beta coming in July. Just know that you can expect significant problems. There will be crashes, some apps may not work, battery life may be poor, and so on. If you are a beta tester you will continue to receive beta updates even after the final version launches. Development of iOS will continue after the September release with a number of point releases (e.g. iOS 18.1, iOS 18.2, etc.) that add additional features that werent available at launch and fix bugs/address security flaws. If you dont want to continue to get the beta we cover that here: How to remove iOS beta . Updated July 15: Apple has released an updated build of iOS 18 beta 3 for developers. We expect the Public Beta to launch as early as tomorrow (July 16) likely with this same software version. iOS 18 beta release date and latest version The first version of the developer beta of iOS 18 arrived on the day of the WWDC 2024 keynote on June 10, 2024. It is normal for Apple to release the first beta following the keynote so that developers can immediately start testing to make sure their apps work. The public beta will start a few weeks later, in July. This usually corresponds to the 3rd or 4th developer release. The Developer Beta used to be tied to a paid-for developer account (which costs $99/79 a year). However, in 2023 Apple changed its policy so that if you have any developer account, even the free one, you can get the developer beta of iOS. To enroll in the Apple Developer Program and get access to the developer beta, head the the Apple Developer enrollment page . Once registered, youll see a developer beta option in Settings > General > Software Updates . However, we dont recommend you install the developer beta if you arent a developer. The Public Beta, while not bug-free, is less problematic. The most recent release is the third Developer beta; the Public beta has not yet begun. iOS 18 public beta release date and latest version The first public beta version of iOS 18 will likely be released in the first half of July. To enroll in the public beta, head to beta.apple.com to sign up for access. Once registered, youll see a public beta option in Settings > General > Software Updates after the beta begins. How to get the iOS 18 beta If you are keen to try out the new features, we recommend waiting for the public betathe first developer beta releases tend to be quite buggy and unreliable. Just beware that any beta, public or developer, is likely to be buggy and cause issues with your iPhone, so our advice is not to run it on a secondary iPhone or have some backup plan in place. If you do want to revert back to iOS 17 read: How to remove an iOS beta from your iPhone . Anyone with an Apple developer account can get access to the developer betait is no longer necessary to be a paid-up member of the Apple Developer Program. You can join Apples beta programs on Apples website . Read this for more information: How to become an Apple beta tester. Here are the various ways to get the iOS 18 beta on your iPhone: How to install the iOS 18 Developer Beta Each stage of iOSs development cycle is rolled out to developers first, and then to public beta testers afterwards. If youre a developer and need to test your apps against the most up-to-date version of iOS possible, this is the version to run. You no longer need a paid developer account to run the beta (just to publish apps to the App Store)any Apple Developer account will do. You can create a free Apple Developer account using your Apple ID. How to get a sign up for an Apple Developer account If you want a free Apple Developer account so you can access the developer beta you can get this via Xcode, the Apple Developer app on iOS, or the Apple Developer enrollment site . Heres how to do it via the Apple Developer app: Download the Apple Developer App from the App Store . Open the app. Tap on Account . Sign in using your usual Apple ID. If you want to sell applications to the App Store and sell them youll need to pay $99/79 per year for a paid account. Sign up for the Apple Developer Program ( here ) or through Apples Developer App. You can register as an individual or a company. You will be required to add various bits of information and agree to the program license agreement, then enter your payment details (its an annual subscription that you can end up to a day before it renews). It can take a few days to verify you and make the account live. You can compare the free and paid accounts here . All set with your Apple developer account? Okay! Heres how to install the iOS developer beta: Back up your iPhone (because this is a beta you are testing!) Open the Settings app. Tap General . Tap Software Update . In the Beta Updates section, select the iOS Developer Beta . Now wait a while while the beta installs. Foundry Foundry Foundry Developers can choose to get the Public Beta instead by selecting iOS Public Beta in the Software Update screen. Prior to iOS 16.4, it was necessary to download and activate a beta profile on your device. From iOS 16.4 onwards, Apple will simply check to see if your Apple ID is a registered developer and provide access in the Software Update menu. You may need to restart your iPhone for the option to appear. How to install the iOS 18 Public Beta The developer beta is, as the name suggests, intended for developers only, but Apple does offer a beta testing program for members of the public who would like to try out new features and find bugs. Beginning with iOS 16.4, you no longer need to download and activate a profile to get the beta. You simply need to enroll and select the beta from the software updates section in Settings. You can install the iOS public beta using the following instructions. Click Sign Up on the Apple Beta page and register with your Apple ID. Log in to the Beta Software Program. Click Enroll your iOS device . Open the Settings app, tap General , then Software Update . In the Beta Updates section, select the iOS Public Beta . If you want to uninstall the beta and stop receiving beta updates read this: How to remove an iOS beta from your iPhone . The beta will include a Feedback app that you can use to submit bug reports and broken features. Make use of it! Its the best way for Apple to get well-documented, reproducible bug reports directly to developers, along with things like telemetry and screenshots that make it easy for them to figure out whats wrong. Using the Feedback app every time you encounter a problem is the best way to make sure the final release of iOS 18 is a smooth upgrade for everyone. Whats a beta? Betas are pre-release testing versions. Nearly every iOS update goes through the beta phase before its officially launched, from small tweaks such as 15.5 to full-version game-changers like iOS 16. There are developer betas (for registered software developers only), and public betas. Both types go through multiple versionsprobably half a dozenbefore a major launch. Risks and precautions Note first of all that betas are test versions of upcoming software. They are by definition unfinished, and while they should include most or all of the features in the finished product, there will be cosmetic differences and, inevitably, some glitches and problems that will need to be fixed. The glitches and problems are why Apple bothers to beta-test iOS in the first place. In other words, dont expect a perfect user experience. In particular, dont expect existing apps (including ones that you may rely on) to work perfectly with the new version. In extreme cases, you may even find that your device is bricked by the beta, and cannot be used until the next beta comes along and hopefully fixes the problem. Its not uncommon for early beta software to exhibit excessive battery drain, too. The closer we get to the final launch, the more polished and feature-complete the betas become. The counter to that, of course, is there will be less time left to wait for the official launch, so you wont gain much by installing a beta. Assuming you decide to go ahead, we cant stress enough how important it is to back up your iPhone before you install an iOS beta, or better still, use a secondary device rather than your main iPhone. You wont lose everything if something goes wrong while the beta is installing, and youll be able to go back to the last version should you find that you dont like the new software after all, or that its too buggy. iOS, iPhone

Its not just iPhones: Apple users are holding on to their Macs longer than ever

Macworld A new report from CIRP (Consumer Intelligence Research Partners) attempts to quantify how long consumers hold on to their Macs before buying a new model. And its conclusion, which will not make happy reading for Apple, is that the numbers are going up. The study asked US consumers how old their previous Mac had been when they chose to replace it. In 2024, more than half (56 percent) said 3 years or more. Thats a 16-point increase from the equivalent survey in 2020, when just 40 percent gave that answer. As the 3 years or more category increased in size, all the other categories shrank. The number of upgraders who keep their Mac for 2-3 years has dropped from 19 to 13 percent; those who keep it for 1-2 years have dropped from 23 to 19 percent; and the lucky group who are able to replace their Mac annually has dropped from 19 to 13 percent. Image: CIRP Image: CIRP Image: CIRP The reason consumers are keeping their Macs longer, according to CIRP, is that users are moving more towards streaming and web-based apps, which means there is less need to bump up processing power and therefore less motivation to upgrade frequently. CIRP also highlights a report by Mark Gurman that cites fewer cutting-edge features as well as increased reliability and durability as reasons for the increasing lifecycle of Apple devices. In recent years, Gurman writes, Apples pace of hardware innovation has slowed The current MacBook Pro has the same basic form factor as it did in 2021, and I wouldnt expect a new look until 2025 or 2026. The MacBook Air was redesigned in 2022, and a future change is probably years away as well. The end result: Getting average consumers to regularly upgrade to a new model is harder than it used to be. A modern Mac computer with an Apple M-series chip is strong enough for most Mac users to hold on to it for 3 years or more. Even the first machine with Apples M1 chip, the MacBook Air from 2020 , still has enough bounce in its step for everyday use such as sending emails, browsing, simple photo and video editing. In some ways, then, the report reflects well on Apples Mac range; but that will be scant consolation if revenues dry up from a lack of upgrade activity. Lets hope Cupertino has something exciting in store for the M3 Mac Studio . Mac

Hey Siri, wake me up when its 2025

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. Future shock Those of us who write about technology for a living often have a tendency to fixate on the future. The next generation of iPhones , next years Macs, the features that will be unlocked when the next set of software updates arrive: if were not careful, focusing on the things that arent here yet can blind us to the real and attainable benefits of the technology available right now. But sometimes this mentality is completely justified. Such as when the companies we write about take a similarly future-obsessed approach and sacrifice the short-term success of their current products in service to a longer-term vision. Like, to take a completely random example, Apple in 2023 and 2024. We knew in advance that last year was going to be slow: There was an understanding that Apple needed to push ahead on the moonshot project that could one day take the iPhones place as its premier computing platform and that the developmental drain caused by this monomania would inevitably impact innovations in other areas. The result was a boring iPhone 15 launch, a boring Apple Watch Series 9 launch, and a general sense of killing time until the Vision Pro came along and gave us something interesting to talk about. As my colleague Jason Snell put it, we were all hoping that Apples quiet 2023 was the calm before the storm . But after Vision Pro launched at the start of the year, things dont feel like theyve changed. Vision Pro itself is, perhaps inevitably, a curio of a product that very few people are buying and represents essentially a glimpse of what may become possible in spatial computing some years from now. In other words, another case of future fixation. The second-gen model, which is expected to be cheaper and therefore accessible to a far larger audience, isnt likely to be here until 2026. The MacBooks and iPads weve had so far this year, meanwhile, have failed to set the world alight , and the upcoming iPhone 16 launch is mainly hanging on the rollout of Apple Intelligence, Apples long-delayed entry into the AI arena. Which in turn is probably going to take some years of iteration before its really worthwhile, and wont arrive in full until 2025. (Though the iPhone 17 might be a The main thing I want from Apple Intelligence is an improved version of Siri because Siri is almost unusably bad on the HomePod and pretty dreadful elsewhere. But the wait is going to be a long one, apparently, because Apple Intelligence and the new Siri arent expected to roll out to the public until iOS 18.4 in the spring . And because it needs a lot of processing power it wont affect the HomePod or the HomePods some of us were dumb enough to have already bought four of, anyway. (Okay, two of them are HomePod minis. Im not made of money.) If any HomePod gets the benefit of AI Siri, itll be that current darling of the rumor blogs, the HomePod with a screen. Ive written elsewhere that giving the HomePod a screen wont fix its problems , but a new Siri might. We dont yet know whether this mythical product will ever launch, whether it will get an A18 processor, or whether Apple will allow its AI system to run on a smart speaker. But with the rest of the Apple range wallowing in the doldrums, its something to look forward to. Foundry Foundry Foundry Trending: Top stories What on earth has happened to the Apple rumor mill ? A screen wont fix the HomePods problems : Apple needs to change the execution, not the approach . Apples next-gen HomePod could change everything we know about Siri . Podcast of the week You have thoughts about the world of Apple, and were going to talk about them on the show! Its going to be a good one, so tune into the Macworld Podcast! You can catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast on Spotify , Soundcloud , the Podcasts app , or our own site . Reviews corner M4 iPad Pro review : Apples first OLED tablet really is that good. Beats Pill review : A really good speaker thats a firmware update from being great. Best iPad VPN 2024 : We recommend seven of the best . The rumor mill iPhone 16 Pro is rumored to have much faster charging speeds . The Apple Watch Series 10 will have a larger screen, other notable upgrades . A new HomePod with a display could hijack the iPhone 16 launch this fall. And look, heres even more evidence ! Uncovered Apple chip identifiers reveal surprising slate of unreleased iPads . The iPhone 17 Pro Max may be Apples first phone with three 48MP cameras . Software updates, bugs, and problems Attention iPhone users: A new SMS attack could steal your Apple ID credentials . These Apple Intelligence and Siri features are coming after the iOS 18 launch . Reliable leaker says surprise iOS 17.5.2 iPhone update is on the way. And with that, were done for this weeks Apple Breakfast. If youd like to get regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters . You can also follow uson Facebook , Threads , or Twitter for discussion of breaking Apple news stories. See you next Monday, and stay Appley. HomePod, iPhone

All of Apples AirPods have hit their Max-imum discount for Amazon Prime Day

Macworld First published on Friday, July 12. Updated Monday, July 15 Wondering if AirPods will be on sale for Prime Day? Whether youre buying your first pair of AirPods or upgrading the trusty buds you have used every day for years, Amazons big yearly Prime Day sale is a great time to look for a discount. Many Apple products are rarely on sale, and when they do go on sale theyre barely at a discount at all. AirPods are an exception: As long as theyre not a just-released model, theyre almost always available at a discount from the official retail price. And when big sales events come around, like Prime Day or Black Friday, you can often save 25 percent or more. Amazon is one of the best places to look for AirPods deals, and we expect to see some excellent discounts during the Prime Day event on July 16 and 17. Well keep this article updated leading up to and through Prime Day so you can quickly find the best deal. For all the best Prime Day deals on Apple products see our round-up of the best Prime Day Apple deals . Amazon Prime Day 2024: Best AirPods deals U.S. AirPods (2nd gen): $80 ($49 off) AirPods Pro (2nd gen, USB-C): $ 190 ($60 off; MSRP 249) AirPods (3rd gen, wired case): $140 ($29 off) AirPods Max: $430 ($120 off) U.K. Right now, Amazon U.K. is offering quite small discounts on the AirPods range. But keep an eye on the price comparison tables below, in case any tempting deals pop up from other retailers. AirPods (2nd gen): 122 (7 off; RRP 129) AirPods (3rd gen, Lightning case): 157 (12 off; RRP 169) AirPods (3rd gen, MagSafe case): 169 (10 off; RRP 179) AirPods Pro (2nd gen, USB-C): 211 (18 off; RRP 229) AirPods Max: 479.87 (19.13 off; RRP 499) You can save money on AirPods at any time if you take a look at our AirPods deals which we update monthly. Amazon Prime Day 2024: How to get the best AirPods deals Amazons Prime Day takes place in the following countries: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S. Many deals are exclusive for Prime members, so youll need to sign in with an active membership. New users can sign up for a30-day free trial that can be canceled at any time during the trial window. Prime membership costs$139/95/AU$59annually, or $14.99/8.99/AU$6.99on a monthly basis. As well as getting free two-day shipping Prime customers also get access to Prime Video and all the content included in that service. Amazon isnt the only place to buy AirPods , so its wise to shop around. If you dont have Prime or would like to look elsewhere, check out our price comparisons below to see how retailers compare for each model. Wondering which AirPods to buy? Take a look at our Best AirPods buying guide. Also, if it doesnt have to be AirPods, take a look at how other over-ear headphones compare to the AirPods Max , and our favorite AirPods alternatives . Amazon Prime Day 2024: AirPods Pro deals AirPods Pro 2nd gen: MSRP from $249/229 New Refurbished Retailer Price $224.99 View Deal $249 View Deal $279.99 View Deal $299.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Apple AirPods Pro 2nd gen (2022) MagSafe (Lightning) Charging case $149 View Deal Price comparison from Backmarket Amazon Prime Day 2024: AirPods 3 deals AirPods 3rd gen: MSRP from $169/169 for the Lightning version New Refurbished Retailer Price $169.99 View Deal $179.99 View Deal $199.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Apple AirPods 3rd gen (2021) MagSafe Charging case $104.72 View Deal Price comparison from Backmarket AirPods 3rd gen: MSRP from $179/179 for the MagSafe version New Refurbished Retailer Price $169.99 View Deal $179.99 View Deal $199.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Apple AirPods 3rd gen (2021) MagSafe Charging case $104.72 View Deal Price comparison from Backmarket Amazon Prime Day 2024: AirPods 2 deals AirPods 2nd gen: MSRP from $129/129 New Refurbished Retailer Price $79.99 View Deal $79.99 View Deal $99 View Deal $119.99 View Deal $129 View Deal $129 View Deal $149 View Deal $149.99 View Deal $149.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price Apple AirPods 2nd gen (2019) Lightning Charging case $73.60 View Deal Price comparison from Backmarket Amazon Prime Day 2024: AirPods Max deals AirPods Max: MSRP from $549/499 New Refurbished Retailer Price $429.95 View Deal $429.95 View Deal $477 View Deal $549 View Deal $549 View Deal $549 View Deal $549.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price Apple AirPods Max (2020) Space Gray $400.85 View Deal Apple AirPods Max (2020) Silver $410 View Deal MGYN3AM/A Noise cancelling Headphone Bluetooth with microphone Green $419.80 View Deal Apple AirPods Max (2020) Sky blue $430 View Deal Apple AirPods Max (2020) Green $434.95 View Deal Apple AirPods Max (2020) Pink $489.96 View Deal Price comparison from Backmarket View more prices Amazon Prime Day 2024: More Apple bargains For more Prime Day coverage, check out our other Apple deal roundups: Best Amazon Prime Day Apple deals Best Amazon Prime Day Apple Watch deals Best Amazon Prime Day iPhone deals Best Amazon Prime Day iPad deals Best Amazon Prime Day MacBook Air and MacBook Pro deals Best Amazon Prime Day Mac deals Headphones

Whether you have an iPhone or need one, these early Prime Day deals have you covered

Macworld First published on Friday, July 12. Updated Monday, July 15. Amazons big Prime Day sale takes place on July 16 and 17 this year. There are lots of discounted products and dealssome of them good, some of them no better than you would find the rest of the year. If youre looking for a new iPhone you may be wondering if the iPhone will be on sale for Prime Day. The answer to this question depends on where you are based. If youre in the U.S., Amazon is not the place to go to buy a new iPhone, however, in other countries, including the U.K., you will find the latest iPhones at Amazon at lower prices than Apple sells them for. iPhone deals are available year-round, but it isnt usually until Prime Day that the deals are better at Amazon than from carriers and other retailers. In the U.K., you can find the latest iPhones unlocked at Amazon and at other resellers. Supplies can be limited, and there are usually only small discounts for the newest handsets, but you might see some good deals on the older iPhone models such as the iPhone 14, iPhone 13, and iPhone SE. You can see current deals on various iPhones below. If you arent sure which iPhone to buy take a look at our iPhone buying guide and our comparison of every iPhone handset . Best iPhone deals of Amazon Prime Day If you are in the U.K. and in other places outside the U.S. then you can expect to find the iPhone on sale for Prime Day. These are the best Prime Day iPhone deals weve seen so far: iPhone 15 Pro Max (256GB): 1,059 (140 off; RRP 1,199) iPhone 14 Plus (128GB): 599 (200 off; RRP 799) iPhone 14 Pro (256GB): 999 (210 off; RRP was 1,209) iPhone 13 (128GB): 499 (100 off; RRP 599) Amazon U.S. has a collaboration to offer the same deal you get on the Boost Infinite site : $60/month gets you a free iPhone 15 Pro with no trade-in required, paid for in bill credits over 3 years with an option to upgrade (and start the cycle over) every year. In order to take advantage of some Prime Day deals, you need to be an Amazon Prime member. Amazon Prime costs $14.99 / 8.99 / AUD$6.99 on a monthly basis (but can be canceled after 30 days) and gives you two-day free delivery and access to Prime Video. For all the best Prime Day deals on Apple products see our round-up of the Best Prime Day Apple Deals . Prime Day: Best iPhone accessory deals While Amazon doesnt sell the latest iPhone 15 in the U.S. outside of the partnership with Boost Infinite, Prime Day can be a great time to get iPhone accessories. Here are the best sales were tracking. Baseus 10,000mAh 30W Magnetic power bank : $35 ($11 off) AirTag (single) : $25 ($5 off) Apple 35W Dual-Port Power Adapter : $39 ($20 off) Anker Nano II 45W USB-C charger: $28 ($12 off) MagSafe Charger : $33 ($6 off, MSRP $39) Anker 10ft USB-C charge cable: $9 ($3 off) Prime Day: Best iPhone 15 deals In the U.S., Amazon has sold the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro with Boost Infinite for three years. Its not a bad dealyoull get up to $1,000 off whichever model you choose without needing an old device to trade in and will be able to upgrade to a newer model after 12 months of service. Plans cost $60 per line for unlimited talk, text, and data on AT&T and T-Mobiles networks. Here are the best deals we could find on Amazon in the U.K. on iPhone 15 models: iPhone 15 (128GB): 681 (118 off; RRP 799) iPhone 15 Plus (128GB): 799 (100 off; RRP 899) iPhone 15 Pro (128GB): 899 (100 off; RRP 999) iPhone 15 Pro Max (256GB): 1,059 (140 off; RRP 1,199) For more deals take a look at our iPhone 15 deals in the U.S. and iPhone 15 deals in the U.K . Prime Day: Best iPhone 14 deals In the U.S., the iPhone 14 models you find on Amazon are either used or refurbished. In the U.K., these are the best deals we could find: iPhone 14 (128GB): 599 (100 off; RRP 699) iPhone 14 Plus (128GB): 599 (200 off; RRP 799) iPhone 14 Pro (256GB): 999 (210 off; RRP was 1,209) iPhone 14 Pro Max (256GB): 1,188.77 (10.23 off; RRP was 1,199) Every month we round up the best iPhone 14 deals . Prime Day: Best iPhone 13 deals In the U.S., you may find some used iPhone 13 models on Amazon. In the U.K., these are the best deals we could find: iPhone 13 (128GB): 499 (100 off; RRP 599) Find deals on more iPhone 13 handsets in our monthly round-up here: iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro deals . Prime Day: Best iPhone SE deals For those on a budget, or who just really want Touch ID instead of Face ID, theres the iPhone SE from 2022 . Its as fast as the iPhone 14, but with an older design that has huge bezels, and a more limited camera. You wont find it on Amazon U.S. but U.K. readers should check the deals in our monthly round-up of the best iPhone SE deals and below. iPhone SE (64GB): 379 (50 off; RRP 429) Prime Day: How can I get the best iPhone deals? Many items in the Amazon Prime Day Sale are only open to Prime members, so youll need to sign in with an active membership to purchase one of the deals. Prime memberships cost $139 / 95 / AUD$59 annually, or$14.99/8.99/AUD$6.99every month. New users can sign up for a 30-day free trial that can be canceled at any time during the trial window. Youll also get free one or two-day delivery and access to Amazon Prime Video and all that content. One tip when you click on a good dealeven if its from a Macworld pageis to check that the product isnt redirected to a refurbished model, and the current manufacturers price is listed, as that can make the price drop look a lot better than it is. Prime Day 2024: Our favorite deals Weve been tracking iPhone deals for years and know a good one when we see it. Throughout the Prime Day sale, we constantly check Amazons listings to find the best deals. Weve tested all of the models we recommend here and only select the very best deals for publicationso if you see an iPhone listed here, youll know its at or near its all-time low price. And its not just iPhones. For more Amazon Prime Day coverage, check out our other Apple deal roundups: Best Amazon Prime Day Apple deals Best Amazon Prime Day AirPods deals Best Amazon Prime Day Apple Watch deals Best Amazon Prime Day iPad deals Best Amazon Prime Day MacBook Air and MacBook Pro deals Best Amazon Prime Day Mac deals iPhone

If you want a new iPad, these Amazon Prime Day sales will save you a bundle

Macworld First published on Friday, July 12. Updated Monday, July 15. Amazons Prime Day sale will soon be here and from July 16 to 17 youll be able to score some of the best deals on Apple devices this side of Black Friday. All of Apples tablets, from the newest iPad Air and Pro to the mini and 10th-gen iPad will see some of their best prices ever. Amazons sale runs from Tuesday, July 16 to Wednesday, July 17 and sales will change up until the final hours, so keep coming back to check on the latest deals. We are already seeing some good deals on cut-price iPads. Of course, Prime Day isnt just for iPads. If youre looking for a new Mac, Apple Watch, storage or display to go with your Mac, check out our separate round-up of the bestAmazon Prime Apple deals . Best iPad deals of Prime Day Some deals are better than others, here are the bigger savings to be had on a new iPad this Prime Day. Look below this section for more deals on the different iPad models from iPad mini to iPad Pro. U.S. iPad mini (64GB) : $400 ($99 off, MSRP $499) 13-inch M4 iPad Pro (128GB) : $1,198 ($101 off, MSRP $1,299) 13-inch M4 iPad Pro (512GB) : $1,399 ($100 off, MSRP $1,499) 13-inch M2 iPad A i r (128GB) : $738 ($61 off, MSRP $799) U.K. 10th gen iPad (256GB) : 459.99 (39.01 off, RRP 499) iPad Air M1 (2022 model) : 479 (190 off, old RRP was 669) 11-inch iPad Pro (M2, 512GB, 2022 model) : 983.03 (266 off, old RRP was 1,249) Prime Day 2024: Best 10th-gen iPad deals U.S. 10th-gen iPad (64 GB) : $324 ($25 off, $349 MSRP) 10th-gen iPad (256 GB) : $474 ($25 off, $499 MSRP) U.K. 10th-gen iPad (64GB) : 319.99 (29.01 off, RRP 349) 10th gen iPad (256GB) : 459.99 (39.01 off, RRP 499 For more standard iPad deals take a look at the round up of 10th gen iPad deals that we update monthly. Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry Prime Day 2024: Best iPad mini deals U.S. iPad mini (64GB) : $400 ($99 off, MSRP $499) iPad mini (256GB) : $549 ($100 off, MSRP $649) U.K. 6th-gen iPad mini : 459.99 (39.01 off, RRP 499) For more iPad mini deals take a look at our round-up of iPad mini deals that we update monthly. Prime Day 2024: Best iPad Air deals Some of the best iPad Air deals are on the older M1 model from 2022, but deals on the new models have also been seen. U.S. 11-inch M2 iPad Air (128GB) : $559 ($40 off, MSRP $599) 13-inch M2 iPad A i r (128GB) : $738 ($61 off, MSRP $799) U.K. 11-inch iPad Air (M2) : 599 (no discount, RRP 599) 13-inch iPad Air (M2) : 799 (no discount, RRP 799) iPad Air M1 (2022 model, 5th gen) : 479 (190 off, old RRP was 669) For more iPad Air deals take a look at our round-up of iPad Air deals that we update monthly. IDG IDG IDG Prime Day 2024: Best iPad Pro deals Some of the best iPad Pro deals are on the older M2 model from 2022, but deals on the new models have also been seen. U.S. 11-inch M4 iPad Pro (128GB) : $928 ($72 off, MSRP $999) 11-inch M4 iPad Pro (512GB) : $1,114 ($85 off, MSRP $1,199) 13-inch M4 iPad Pro (128GB) : $1,198 ($101 off, MSRP $1,299) 13-inch M4 iPad Pro (512GB) : $1,399 ($100 off, MSRP $1,499) U.K. 11-inch iPad Pro (M4, 128GB) : 999 (no discount, RRP 999) 13-inch iPad Pro (M4, 128GB) : 1,299 (no discount, RRP 1,299) 11-inch iPad Pro (M2, 512GB, 2022 model) : 983.03 (266 off, old RRP was 1,249) For more iPad Pro deals take a look at our round-up of iPad Pro deals that we update monthly. Prime Day 2024: Best iPad accessory sales Apple Pencil (1st generation): $79 ($20 off, MSRP $99) Apple Pencil (2nd generation): $79 ($50 off, MSRP $129) Apple Pencil (USB-C): $69 ($10 off, MSRP $79) Apple Pencil Pro: $119 ($10 off, MSRP $129) Prime Day 2024: How can I get the best iPad deals? Many Prime Day deals will be exclusive for Prime members, so youll need to sign in for a membership if you dont already have one. Prime memberships cost $139 / 95 /AU$79annually, or $14.99 / 8.99 / AU$6.99 every month. New users can sign up for a 30-day free trial that can be canceled at any time during the trial window. As well Prime Day sales prices, Prime members also get free two-day shipping and access to Prime Video and all the content available on that service. Prime Day 2024: Our favorite deals Weve been tracking iPad deals for years and know a good one when we see it. Throughout the Prime Day sale, we constantly check Amazons listings to find the best deals. Weve tested all of the models we recommend here and only select the very best deals for publicationso if you see an iPad listed here, youll know its at or near its all-time low price. And its not just iPads. For more Amazon Prime Day coverage, check out our other Apple deal roundups: Best Amazon Prime Day Apple deals Best Amazon Prime Day AirPods deals Best Amazon Prime Day Apple Watch deals Best Amazon Prime Day iPhone deals Best Amazon Prime Day MacBook Air and MacBook Pro deals Best Amazon Prime Day Mac deals iPad

This is the only MacBook Pro Prime Day deal you need to see

Macworld The 16-inch M3 MacBook Pro is the cream of the MacBook crop, with a price to match. But todays pre-Prime Day deal makes it a lot friendlier on your wallet: Amazon is selling all configurations of the 16-inch M3 MacBook Pro for $500 off, an incredible savings and the best price weve ever seen. Here are the models offered: M3 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro, 18GB RAM, 512GB : $1,999 ($500 off, MSRP $2,499) M3 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro, 36GB RAM, 1TB : $2,399 ($500 off, MSRP $2,899) M3 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro, 36GB RAM, 1TB : $2,999 ($500 off, MSRP $2,499) M3 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro, 48GB RAM, 1TB : $3,499 ($500 off, MSRP $3,999) Released in March, the 16-inch MacBook Pro has either an M3 Pro or M3 Max processor with 512GB or 1TB of storage and up to 48GB of RAM. Youll also get Apples incredible ProMotion display, a bunch of ports (three Thunderbolt ports, an SD card reader, and HDMI 2.1), tremendous battery life, and the excellent Magic Keyboard. You can get it in silver or the new Space Black colorway. Amazons Prime Day sale officially starts Tuesday, but we cant imagine these prices going any lower. So if you want one, grab it now before the price jumps back up. Get the 16-inch M3 MacBook Pro for $500 off Check it out at Amazon MacBook

Massive AT&T data breach exposes records of nearly all its customers calls and texts

Macworld AT&T has disclosed a massive data breach that affects nearly all of its customers. The stolen records, which AT&T says were downloaded illegally from our workspace on a third-party cloud platform, include every call and text record for every AT&T cellular customer from May 1, 2022 to October 31, 2022 as well as a small subset of customers from January 2, 2023. The company was clear that the content of calls and texts was not exposed. But the hackers have a record of every call or text made or received along with counts and call durations for some calls during those specific months. Note that this affects more than just AT&T customersanyone who called or texted an AT&T number (including landline service) during this time would show up as part of these records. Customer names and other personal information is not part of the data, but it is often not difficult to associate a name with a phone number. The company says it has secured the access point and will contact all affected customers. You can visit att.com/dataincident for more information, including a link for customers to check if their account was affected. iPhone

Get Apples 35W dual USB-C port charger for just the right price in this early Prime Day sale

Macworld Apple products are always high quality, but they can also be rather expensive, so were always glad when we see a sensible discount, especially for essential items, like power adapters. This brings us to this $20 off deal available at Amazon for the 35W dual USB-C port power adapter , making this tiny device only $40 right now. If youre like me, juggling multiple devices can be a hassle. Thankfully, this Apple power adapter allows you to charge two devices at once, including your MacBook and iPhone. This will definitely come in handy when youre out and about or trying to manage your outlets. One of the standout features of this particular power adapter is its compact size. While still powerful enough to charge all your devices, its small size makes it perfect to slip into your bag or pocket if need be. The folding prongs add to this adapters portability. Imagine the convenience of having one adapter that does it all. Its sleek, practical, and now more affordable than ever as it hits its best price level. So go ahead and place your order for the $40 Apple 35W dual USB-C power adapter while the deal is still active. Apple's 35W dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter is down to $40 Get it at Amazon Mobile Phone Chargers

This deeply discounted 100W Anker charging station can quickly handle seven devices at once

Macworld Theres nothing better for productivity than a clean and tidy desk, so getting the Anker 100W Charging Station simply makes sense, especially as Prime members can snatch it for $50.39 at Amazon . Considering its MSRP is $80, thats nearly $30 off for a fantastic 7-in-1 charging station. This versatile device isnt just about power; its about convenience and keeping a tiny desk. The Anker charging station features four USB ports and three AC outlets, which means it can charge up to seven devices simultaneously. Basically, you can plug in your iPhone, tablet, and MacBook without issue and, more importantly, without adding in a gazillion chargers on the desk. One of the standout features of this Anker station is its 100W full-speed charging capability. Imagine charging your MacBook Pro to 50 percent in just half an hour. So go ahead and place your order as soon as possible to snatch the Anker 100W Charging Station for $50.39 at Amazon . Remember that this deal requires an Amazon Prime subscription. If you havent signed up yet, you can get a 30-day free trial ($14.99/month after). Since Amazons big Prime Day event kicks off July 16th, youll get to enjoy those amazing deals, too. Instead of wasting time on Amazon, you can always check back with MacWorld since well be covering all the deals that are worth your attention. The Anker 100W Charging Station is $30 off Get it at Amazon Mobile Phone Chargers

Bag a great deal on Apple accessories this Prime Day

Macworld Apple doesnt just make Macs, iPhones, iPads, AirPods, HomePods and so on. The company also makes excellent accessories, including the Apple Pencil (a stylus for the iPad), Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, and much more. These are all great products, but what if you dont want to pay full price? Luckily there are various resellers including Amazon that discount them at various points throughout the year. So if you want to buy an Apple Pencil, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, or one of the Smart Keyboards for the iPad, you have come to the right place. If you want to buy a new Apple keyboard, mouse, trackpad or any other peripheral, there are plenty of deals to be had all year round but, with Prime Day taking place from Tuesday 16 July to Wednesday 17 July, now is the time to grab the best bargains. Prime Day deals The best Prime Day deals tend to be exclusive for Prime members, so youll need to sign in with an active membership to purchase one of the deals. Prime memberships cost $139 / 95 / AUD$59 annually, or $14.99 / 8.99 / AUD$6.99 on a monthly basis. New users can sign up for a 30-day free trial that can be canceled at any time during the trial window. As well as access to sales prices, Prime members also get free two-day shipping and access to Prime Video and all the content available on that service. Best Prime Day deals for Apple accessories in the U.S. Amazon, Magic Keyboard with Touch ID & Numeric keypad: $108.47 ($20.53 off, MSRP $129) Amazon, Magic TrackPad : $109 ($19 off, MSRP $129 Amazon, Magic Mouse in white $68.49 ($10.51 off, MSRP $79) Amazon, Apple Pencil (1st gen): $79 ($20 off, MSRP $99) Amazon, Apple Pencil (2nd gen): $79 ($50 off, MSRP $129) Amazon, Apple Pencil (USB-C, 2023) $69 ($10 off, MSRP $79) Amazon, AirTags 4-pack: $74.98 ($24 off, MSRP $99) Amazon, AirTag: $23.99 ($5 off, MSRP $29) Best Prime Day deals for Apple accessories in the U.K. Amazon, Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID 133 (16 off, RRP 149). Amazon, Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID & Numeric Keypad 164.48 (14.52 off, RRP 179). Amazon, Apple Magic Keyboard (no-touch ID) 79.99 (19 off, RRP 99). Amazon, Apple Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (no-touch ID) 116 (13 off, RRP 129). Amazon, Magic TrackPad 109 (20 off, RRP 129). Amazon, Magic Mouse in white 68.49 (10.51 off, RRP 79) Amazon, Pack of four Apple AirTags 94 (25 off, RRP 119). Amazon, Single AirTag 28 (7 off, RRP 35). Best Apple accessory deals right now You may find better prices from other resellers, take a look through the tables below to see the best price right now on products including the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, Magic TrackPad, Apple Pencil, and so on. Apple Magic Keyboard for Mac deals Want to get an Apple Magic Keyboard? The best deals on the various models are below. For other keyboard deals take a look at our Best Mac Keyboard roundup. Apple Magic Keyboard (with Touch ID) 2021 deals You no longer have to buy an M1 iMac if you want a Touch ID on the keyboard of your Apple desktop computer. You can buy an Apple Keyboard with Touch ID incorporated. You will need to have a M1 or later Mac to use the Touch ID feature though. The Magic Keyboard with Touch ID costs $149 ( buy from Apple US ) and 149 ( Buy from Apple UK ) New Refurbished Retailer Price $108.47 View Deal $129 View Deal $129.99 View Deal $149 View Deal $149 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price Magic Keyboard (2021) Wireless Silver QWERTY English (US) $97.12 View Deal Price comparison from Backmarket Apple Magic Keyboard (with Touch ID and numeric keypad) 2021 deals The price for the Touch ID keyboard with numeric keypad is $179 ( buy from Apple US ) and 179 ( buy from Apple UK ). Retailer Price $179 View Deal $179 View Deal $179.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Apple Magic Keyboard (without Touch ID, with numeric keypad) deals You can still buy the older Apple Magic Keyboard without Touch ID. The model with the numeric keypad costs $129 from Apple and 129 from Apple . Good deals from other resellers will appear below. New Refurbished Retailer Price $129 View Deal $129 View Deal $129 View Deal $129.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Magic Keyboard () Num Pad Wireless White QWERTY English (US) $90 View Deal Price comparison from Backmarket Apple Magic Keyboard (without numeric keypad) deals The non-Touch ID, non-numeric keypad version of the Magic Keyboard is still available. It costs $99 from Apple US and 99 from Apple UK. New Refurbished Retailer Price $99 View Deal $99 View Deal $99 View Deal $99 View Deal $99 View Deal $99 View Deal $99.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price Magic Keyboard (2021) Wireless Silver QWERTY English (US) $72.15 View Deal Price comparison from Backmarket Apple Magic TrackPad deals Replace your mouse with a Magic TrackPad from Apple and take advantage of the extra gestures available. Find the best deals below. Apple Magic TrackPad (2021) deals In August 2021, Apple launched a new Magic TrackPad (which now has a white touch-sensitive surface rather than aluminum). Apple now includes a USB-C to Lightning cable with both products (previously it was a USB-A plug). If you have a Mac laptop you will be familiar with the trackpad that interprets various gestures and swipes to move around the desktop, zoom in and out of images, and turn pages. You can buy a separate Magic Trackpad to use with a desktop Mac (or a MacBook if you prefer). The Magic TrackPad costs $129 ( buy from Apple US ) and 129 ( buy from Apple UK ). Retailer Price $109.99 View Deal $109.99 View Deal $129 View Deal $129 View Deal $129 View Deal $129.99 View Deal $149 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Apple Magic TrackPad (2021, black) deals Theres also a black version of the Magic Trackpad available. It usually costs $149 or 149. Retailer Price $139 View Deal $139.99 View Deal $139.99 View Deal $149 View Deal $149 View Deal $149.99 View Deal $169 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Apple Magic Mouse deals The Magic Mouse is now in its third generation. It is a multi-touch mouse that also responds to gestures, such as swipes on the top of its body. It is also possible to set up a Magic Mouse to respond to a right-click (although this isnt the default). Like the Magic Trackpad, the 2021 Magic Mouse now features a USB-C to Lightning cable (previously it had a USB-A plug). For more mouse deals take a look at our round-up of the best Mice for Mac . Apple Magic Mouse 2021 deals The 2021 Magic Mouse in white costs $79 ( buy from Apple US ) and 79 ( buy from Apple UK ). You can also get a black version of the Magic Mouse for $99 ( buy from Apple US ) and 99 ( buy from Apple UK ). New Refurbished Retailer Price $71.38 View Deal $79 View Deal $79 View Deal $79 View Deal $79.99 View Deal $79.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price Magic mouse Wireless Silver $48.24 View Deal Price comparison from Backmarket Apple Pencil deals Want a stylus to use with your iPad. Dont pay full price. Find the best deals on Apple Pencils below. Plus take a look at our round-up of the best iPad styluses. Apple Pencil Pro, 2024 Introduced in May 2024 the Apple Pencil Pro works with the M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air. It offers lots of features for the ultimate in creative control. It costs $129/129. Retailer Price $119 View Deal $129 View Deal $129 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Apple Pencil (USB-C/3rd generation, 2023 model) Apples unofficially calling this the 3rd generation in some places, in others it refers to it as Apple Pencil USB-C. Its the new model that launched in 2023. It costs $79/79. New Refurbished Retailer Price $69 View Deal $69 View Deal $69.99 View Deal $79 View Deal $79 View Deal $79 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price Apple Pencil (USB-C) 2018 $51.49 View Deal Price comparison from Backmarket Apple Pencil (2nd generation) The second-generation Apple Pencil was announced in October 2018. It works with most new iPads, (aside from the 10.9- and 10.2-inch models). It costs $129/129 from Apple. New Refurbished Retailer Price $17.99 View Deal $114 View Deal $129 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Apple Pencil (2nd gen) 2018 $70 View Deal $74 View Deal Price comparison from Backmarket Apple Pencil (1st generation) The first-generation Apple Pencil was announced back in September 2015, but its still on sale now as it still works with the 9th- and 10th-gen iPad models. It normally costs $99/99 from Apple. New Refurbished Retailer Price $17.99 View Deal $99 View Deal $99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Apple Pencil (1st gen) 2015 $95 View Deal Price comparison from Backmarket Best iPad keyboard Deals Turn your iPad into a laptop and get a good deal on one of Apples iPad keyboard case. Alternatively, take a look at our best iPad keyboard round-up. Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro Apple introduced a new iPad Keyboard with the iPad Pro M4. It costs $299/299. Retailer Price $289 View Deal $289.99 View Deal $299 View Deal $299 View Deal $299 View Deal $299 View Deal Apple (13-inch iPad Pro, M4 model) $349 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Apple Magic Keyboard Foilo The Magic Keyboard Folio from Apple works with the 10th generation iPad and costs $249/249. New Refurbished Retailer Price $219.99 View Deal $239 View Deal $239 View Deal $249 View Deal $249 View Deal $249 View Deal $249 View Deal $249.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price iPad Magic Keyboard Folio (2022) White QWERTY English (US) $94 View Deal Price comparison from Backmarket Apple Magic Keyboard (for iPad) This Magic Keyboard works with the 13-inch iPad Air M2, 11-inch iPad Air M2, 12.9-inch iPad Pro (gen 3-6), 11-inch iPad Pro (gen 1-4), iPad Air (gen 4-5). It usually costs $299/299. New Refurbished Retailer Price $245.95 View Deal $249.99 View Deal $259 View Deal $259 View Deal $299 View Deal $299 View Deal $299.99 View Deal Apple (13-inch iPad Air, M2 model) $349 View Deal $349 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price iPad Magic Keyboard (2021) Black QWERTY English (US) $122.89 View Deal iPad Magic Keyboard (2020) Black QWERTY English (US) $124 View Deal iPad Magic Keyboard 12.9 (2021) White QWERTY English (US) $124 View Deal iPad Magic Keyboard (2021) Black QWERTY English (US) $127.99 View Deal iPad Magic Keyboard (2020) White QWERTY English (US) $139 View Deal iPad Magic Keyboard (2021) Charocal gray QWERTY English (US) $150 View Deal iPad Magic Keyboard 12.9 (2021) Black QWERTY English (US) $160 View Deal Price comparison from Backmarket View more prices Best Apple AirTags Deals Dont lose anything ever again! Pop an AirTag in your car, bag or on your cats collar. Here are the best prices right now. For ideas see AirTag Uses: What to use AirTags for . Pack for 4 Apple AirTags Check the table below for the best deals right now. Normally $99/119. Retailer Price $88.99 View Deal $92.5 View Deal $99 View Deal $99.99 View Deal $99.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Apple AirTag Normally $29/35. Retailer Price $24.99 View Deal $27 View Deal $29 View Deal $29 View Deal $39 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket More Apple Deals Best Amazon Prime Day Apple deals Best Amazon Prime Day AirPods deals Best Amazon Prime Day Apple Watch deals Best Amazon Prime Day iPhone deals Best Amazon Prime Day iPad deals Best Amazon Prime Day MacBook Air and MacBook Pro deals Best Amazon Prime Day Mac deals Best Prime Day storage deals for Mac Best Prime Day Mac monitor and display deals Apple Inc, Keyboards, Mice

Need a new Mac? This Prime Day is the best time to buy one

Macworld First published on Friday, July 12. Are you wondering if Macs be on sale for Prime Day? The good news is, yes, Macs will be discounted during Amazon Prime Day from July 16 to 17. In our experience you can get discounts on Macs all year round, however, some of the best Mac discounts fall during Amazons sales. Amazon has multiple sales specifically for Prime subscribers throughout the year and one of these happens on Prime Day from July 16 to 17. The Amazon Prime Day sale is a great time way to save some money when buying a new Mac. The July sale comes at a time when you might be shopping for back-to-school , but whatever your reason for looking for a bargain, Prime Day can bring a good Mac deal. Below you will find links to the different types of Mac desktops available on Amazon, so it will be easy to find the best deals. If you arent sure which Mac to buy read our Mac buying guide where we compare every Mac and MacBook. During the 48 hours of Amazon July Prime Deals Day we will be tracking the sales, so be sure to check this page often as the deals change all the time. We also have a round-up of all the Apple Amazon Prime Day deals . Best Mac deals of Prime Day These are the biggest savings we have found on all Macs including the best MacBook savings. You can find even more deals on specific desktop Mac models in the sections below and more MacBooks in our separate round-up of the best Amazon Prime MacBook Air and MacBook Pro deals . U.S. M2 Mac mini, 256GB : $499 ($100 off, MSRP $599) M2 Mac mini, 512GB : $689 ($110 off, MSRP $799) M2 Pro Mac mini, 512GB : $1,149 ($150 off, MSRP $1,299) M3 iMac, 8-core GPU, 256GB: $1,208 ($91 off, MSRP $1,299) M3 iMac, 10-core GPU, 256GB : $1,409 ($90 off, MSRP $1,499) M3 iMac, 10-core GPU, 512GB : $1,530 ($169 off, MSRP $1,699) M2 13-inch MacBook Air, 256GB : $899 ($100 off, MSRP $999) M3 13-inch MacBook Air, 256GB : $999 ($100 off, MSRP $1,099) M3 15-inch MacBook Air, 512GB : $1,399 ($100 off, MSRP $1,499) M3 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB : $1,699 ($300 off, MSRP $1,999) M3 Max 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB : $2,970 ($229 off, MSRP $3,199) M3 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB : $2,250 ($249 off, MSRP $2,499) U.K. M2 Pro Mac mini, 512GB : 1,254.97 (144 off, MSRP 1,399) M3 iMac, 10-core GPU, 256GB : 1,439 (160 off, MSRP 1,599) M3 iMac, 10-core GPU, 512GB : 1,619 (180 off, MSRP 1,799) M3 15-inch MacBook Air, 256GB : 1,187 (112 off, MSRP 1,299) M3 15-inch MacBook Air, 512GB : 1,329.97 (169 off, MSRP 1,499) M3 14-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB : 1,494.99 (204 off, MSRP 1,699) M3 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB : 2,229.97 (269 off, MSRP 2,499) M3 Max 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB : 2,979.97 (319 off, MSRP 3,299) M3 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB : 2,719 (280 off, MSRP 2,999) M3 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB, 36GB RAM : 3,289.97 (309 off, MSRP 3,599) Prime Day 2024: Best Mac mini deals Foundry U.S. M2 Mac mini, 256GB : $499 ($100 off, MSRP $599) M2 Mac mini, 512GB : $699 ($100 off, MSRP $799) M2 Pro Mac mini, 512GB : $1,149 ($150 off, MSRP $1,299) U.K. M2 Mac mini, 256GB : 582.97 (66 off, MSRP 649) M2 Mac mini, 512GB : 774.99 (74 off, MSRP 849) M2 Pro Mac mini, 512GB : 1,254.97 (144 off, MSRP 1,399) For more Mac mini deals see Best Mac mini deals . Prime Day 2024: Best iMac deals Foundry U.S. M3 iMac, 8-core GPU, 256GB: $1,208 ($91 off, MSRP $1,299) M3 iMac, 10-core GPU, 256GB : $1,400 ($99 off, MSRP $1,499) M3 iMac, 10-core GPU, 512GB : $1,530 ($169 off, MSRP $1,699) U.K. M3 iMac, 8-core GPU, 256GB : 1,259 (140 off, MSRP 1,399) M3 iMac, 10-core GPU, 256GB : 1,439 (160 off, MSRP 1,599) M3 iMac, 10-core GPU, 512GB : 1,619 (180 off, MSRP 1,799) For more iMac deals see Best iMac Deals. Prime Day 2024: Best Mac Studio deals Foundry Apple doesnt sell the Mac Studio on Amazon. If you want to save money on a new Mac Studio take a look at our Mac Studio deals roundup , or check out the Apple Refurbished Store in the U.S. or the Apple Refurbished Store in the U.K . Prime Day 2024: Best Mac accessory deals Prime Day is also a great opportunity to save some cash on some accessories for your MacBook. Perhaps you need a spare or just a beefier charger for your MacBook. Or perhaps you want a dock, a printer, or a bag. If we spot a good deal well list it here. We also have separate round-ups for the best Amazon Prime Day Mac display deals and best Amazon Prime Day Mac storage deals . Prime Day 2024: How can I get the best Mac deals? Once this Prime Day begins, most deals will be exclusive for Prime members, so youll need to sign in with an active membership to purchase one of the deals. Prime memberships cost $139 / 95 / AUD$59 annually, or $14.99 / 8.99 / AUD$6.99 monthly. New users can sign up for a 30-day free trial that can be canceled at any time during the trial window. As well as access to sales prices, Prime members also get free two-day shipping and access to Prime Video and all the content available on that service. Prime Day 2024: More Apple bargains For more Prime Day coverage, check out our other Apple deal roundups: Best Amazon Prime Day Apple deals Best Amazon Prime Day AirPods deals Best Amazon Prime Day Apple Watch deals Best Amazon Prime Day iPhone deals Best Amazon Prime Day iPad deals Best Amazon Prime Day MacBook Air and MacBook Pro deals iMac, Mac, Mac Mini, Mac Pro

The best time to buy a new MacBook is during Amazons 48-hour Prime Day sale

Macworld First published on Friday, July 12. If you are wondering if MacBooks will be on sale for Prime Day you will be glad to learn that yes, you can get money off MacBooks at Amazon. This is, in fact, true for most of the year, but the best MacBook deals tend to happen during Amazons big sales events. With Prime Day kicking off on Tuesday, July 16, and continuing for 48 hours until it all ends at midnight on July 17 this could be a great time to save money on a new Mac laptop. Below you will find links to the best MacBook Air and MacBook Pro deals on Amazon. Be sure to check this page often as the deals change all the time. Note that as these models go out of stock Amazon may offer a refurbished model in place, or may redirect to a different model, so do check for this. If its an iMac or Mac mini you are after check out our separate round-up of the best Amazon Prime Day Mac deals . We also round up the Best Prime Day Apple Deals . Best MacBook Air and MacBook Pro deals of Prime Day These are the very best savings we have found. You can find even more deals on specific MacBook models in the sections below. U.S. M2 13-inch MacBook Air, 256GB : $899 ($100 off, MSRP $999) M3 13-inch MacBook Air, 256GB : $999 ($100 off, MSRP $1,099) M3 15-inch MacBook Air, 512GB : $1,399 ($100 off, MSRP $1,499) M3 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB : $1,699 ($300 off, MSRP $1,999) M3 Max 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB : $2,970 ($229 off, MSRP $3,199) M3 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB : $2,250 ($249 off, MSRP $2,499) U.K. M3 15-inch MacBook Air, 256GB : 1,187 (112 off, MSRP 1,299) M3 15-inch MacBook Air, 512GB : 1,329.97 (169 off, MSRP 1,499) M3 14-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB : 1,494.99 (204 off, MSRP 1,699) M3 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB : 2,229.97 (269 off, MSRP 2,499) M3 Max 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB : 2,979.97 (319 off, MSRP 3,299) M3 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB : 2,719 (280 off, MSRP 2,999) M3 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB, 36GB RAM : 3,289.97 (309 off, MSRP 3,599) If you arent sure which MacBook to buy read out MacBook Buying Guides: Best MacBook and our MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro comparison . Amazon Prime Day: Best MacBook Air deals Foundry Foundry Foundry U.S. M2 13-inch MacBook Air, 256GB : $899 ($100 off, MSRP $999) M3 13-inch MacBook Air, 256GB : $999 ($100 off, MSRP $1,099) M3 13-inch MacBook Air, 512GB : $1,219 ($80 off, MSRP $1,299) M3 15-inch MacBook Air, 256GB : $1,250 ($49 off, MSRP $1,299) M3 15-inch MacBook Air, 512GB : $1,399 ($100 off, MSRP $1,499) U.K. M2 13-inch MacBook Air, 256GB : 899.97 (100 off, MSRP 999) M3 13-inch MacBook Air, 256GB : 996 (103 off, MSRP 1,099) M3 13-inch MacBook Air, 512GB : 1,199 (100 off, MSRP 1,299) M3 15-inch MacBook Air, 256GB : 1,187 (112 off, MSRP 1,299) M3 15-inch MacBook Air, 512GB : 1,329.97 (169 off, MSRP 1,499) For more MacBook Air deals see Best MacBook Air deals . Amazon Prime Day: Best MacBook Pro deals Foundry Foundry Foundry U.S. M2 13-inch MacBook Air, 256GB : $799 ($200 off, MSRP $999) M3 13-inch MacBook Air, 256GB : $999 ($100 off, MSRP $1,099) M3 15-inch MacBook Air, 256GB : $1,189 ($110 off, MSRP $1,299) M3 15-inch MacBook Air, 512GB : $1,399 ($100 off, MSRP $1,499) M3 14-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB : $1,400 ($199 off, MSRP $1,599) M3 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB : $1,699 ($300 off, MSRP $1,999) M3 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB : $2,200 ($199 off, MSRP $2,399) M3 Max 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB : $2,970 ($229 off, MSRP $3,199) M3 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB : $2,249 ($249 off, MSRP $2,499) U.K. M3 14-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB : 1,494.99 (204 off, MSRP 1,699) M3 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB : 1,899.97 (199 off, MSRP 2,099) M3 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB : 2,229.97 (269 off, MSRP 2,499) M3 Max 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB : 2,979.97 (319 off, MSRP 3,299) M3 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB : 2,719 (280 off, MSRP 2,999) M3 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB, 36GB RAM : 3,289.97 (309 off, MSRP 3,599) For more MacBook Pro deals see Best MacBook Pro deals . Amazon Prime Day: Best MacBook accessory deals Prime Day is also a great opportunity to save some cash on some accessories for your MacBook. Perhaps you need a spare charger for your MacBook. Or perhaps you want a dock, a printer, or a bag. If we spot a good deal well list it here. We also have separate round-ups for the best Amazon Prime Day Mac display deals and best Amazon Prime Day Mac storage deals . Prime Day: How can I get the best MacBook deals? Once Prime Day begins, most deals will be exclusive for Prime members, so youll need to sign in with an active membership to purchase one of the deals. Prime memberships cost $139 / 95 annually, or $14.99 / 8.99 / AU$6.99 every month. New users can sign up for a 30-day free trial that can be canceled at any time during the trial window. As well as access to sales prices, Prime members also get free two-day shipping and access to Prime Video and all the content available on that service. Prime Day 2024: More Apple bargains For more Amazon Prime Day coverage, check out our other Apple deal roundups: Best Amazon Prime Day Apple deals Best Amazon Prime Day AirPods deals Best Amazon Prime Day Apple Watch deals Best Amazon Prime Day iPhone deals Best Amazon Prime Day iPad deals Best Amazon Prime Day Mac deals MacBook

Apple Photos: When should you delete files from Imports? Never!

Macworld The Photos app for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS has a special album called Imports. It has the useful purpose of showing what media you imported into Photos and when that import happened. This can sometimes help you track down whether you imported externally stored images and video, or which batch of media a particular item was part of. Should you delete items from the Imports album to free up space? No! The Imports album, like other system-created albums, albums you create, and smart albums, references photos and videos from a central database managed by Photos. Imports, like these other albums, are a view into your Photos library rather than a duplicate set of your images and videos. Selecting one or more media items in any of those albums in macOS and choosing Image > Delete X Photos/Videos will prompt the app to warn you that the deletion will move the item into the Recently Deleted album. You can also Control-click/right-click the items and select the Delete option from the contextual menu. In iOS and iPad, you get the same warning if you select one or more images and tap the Trash icon at the lower-right corner of the screen, or when you touch and hold a photo or video and choose Delete . Choose Delete from any location, whether Imports or an album, deletes the image or video everywhere. Choose Delete from any location, whether Imports or an album, deletes the image or video everywhere. Apple Choose Delete from any location, whether Imports or an album, deletes the image or video everywhere. Apple Apple When you delete items on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad, they are moved to the Recently Deleted album. If you have iCloud Photos enabled, the items are moved there on all of your linked devices. After about 30 days, the media is automatically and permanently deleted from the Recently Deleted album. For albums you assemble by handneither system-created ones nor smart albumsyou do have an extra option related to a form of deletion. The Remove X Photos/Videos menu item takes just the reference to the piece of media out of your album without deleting it from the Photos database. This Mac 911 article is in response to a question submitted by Macworld reader Daniel. Ask Mac 911 Weve compiled a list of the questions we get asked most frequently, along with answers and links to columns: read our super FAQ to see if your question is covered. If not, were always looking for new problems to solve! Email yours to mac911@macworld.com , including screen captures as appropriate and whether you want your full name used. Not every question will be answered, we dont reply to email, and we cannot provide direct troubleshooting advice. Personal Software