Índex per April 2022 a Macworld

Before we start, I have a confession: It’s been about 10 years since I bought a MacBook. I’ve used plenty of them over the years through work and on loan from Apple, including the latest M1 MacBook Pro, but the last time I actually owned a MacBook was the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display in 2012. So when I saw a recent deal on the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro at Costco, it was too good to pass up. Even though I had read the reviews, I didn’t expect all that much to be different between the M1 MacBook Pro and the M1 Pro MacBook Pro—a little faster, a little bigger, a little newer. But I was pleasantly surprised. The 14-inch MacBook Pro is a whole new machine that’s far…

Ah, the humble wireless router: a staple of the internet age, something we’ve all got tucked away in our house somewhere (or worse, out in full view). They’re a pain, a thing that sometimes just needs to be rebooted for no apparent reason, whose errors can be mystifying, and whose troubleshooting and management can make even the most tech-savvy among us grit their teeth in frustration. It didn’t have to be this way. Once upon a time, Apple was in the business of making wireless routers. The AirPort line debuted in 1999, at the same event where Apple introduced the iBook, the first consumer computer to offer built-in wireless networking. Over the course of nearly more than a decade, Apple made a succession of the devices, until it finally discontinued…

When iOS 15.4 lands on your iPhone, there will be a load of new features to sift through: Face ID with a Mask, Tap to Pay, new emoji, and Universal Control on the iPad. But there will be one smaller change that’s just as meaningful: a new Siri voice. Released as part of the fourth iOS 15.4 beta, the new voice is simply labeled America (Voice 5). But when you listen to it, you’ll notice that it’s somewhat androgynous and difficult to pin down as explicitly male or female. As part of its continued push for diversity, Apple told Axios that it hired “a member of the LGBTQ+ community” to record the new Siri voice. Here’s how the new voice sounds. It’s not clear whether the new American voice will come to…

As Apple’s Find My network matures, third-party licensees have found more product niches to fill. The Chipolo Card Spot is a new version of the company’s existing thin, wallet-size tracking item, with this one designed to work on Apple’s network. The Chipolo One Spot, a direct competitor to the AirTag, is already thinner and less obtrusive than Apple’s offering. The Card Spot goes a step further, offering a rigid case that’s just thick enough to hold a variety of compact electronics, an embedded speaker, and the battery to power them for up to two years. An owner can’t swap out its battery, but Chipolo has a plan for that. Its height and width are the same as those of a credit card: 3.35 inches wide and 2.11 inches tall (85.1…

While there are a lot of browser options available on your Mac, Safari is one of the best choices out there. Not only is it the default browser on every Mac, it offers a slew of features, like privacy and accessibility options. It’s a solid browser all around. If you’re new to Safari, here are six tips to help you get the most out of the browser. Even if you’ve been using Safari on your Mac for while, take a quick look at these tips—maybe there’s a setting or feature you had not heard about. DISPLAY FULL URLS By default, Safari only shows the name of the website that you’re currently visiting in the address bar. If you’d rather see the entire URL, there’s a really easy way to turn…

With the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro, Apple did an about-face regarding the laptop’s ports, adding useful connectors instead of solely relying on Thunderbolt/USB-C. But for a lot of users, it doesn’t matter what Apple does. There will never be enough ports, or there will never be a Mac with the specific ports you need. That’s when you turn to a Thunderbolt dock—and CalDigit may have the ultimate dock for the most demanding user. The Thunderbolt Station 4 has a whopping 18 ports! That’s a lot of ports! And CalDigit didn’t just slap together a dock with a bunch of ports. The company put a lot of thought into which ones to include and where. Here’s a list of what’s on the front: > 20W USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps), which provides…

While Nvidia’s $40 billion deal to purchase Arm is dead, it’s not the only acquisition news of the week. Apple has reportedly purchased a small UK-based company that could bring unique AI-generated remixes to your ears. Bloomberg reports that Apple has purchased AI Music, an artificial intelligence firm “evolving music from a static, one-directional interaction to one of dynamic co-creation.” In layperson’s terms, that means AI could one day deliver a remix in real time based on your mood and activity. According to its LinkedIn profile, AI Music’s goal is “to give consumers the power to choose the music they want, seamlessly edited to fit their needs or create dynamic solutions that adapt to fit their audiences.” In a 2017 interview with Music Ally, AI Music CEO Siavash Mahdavi explained that AI…

HOW TO USE MACOS’S CHARACTER VIEWER TO TYPE EMOJI AND OTHER SYMBOLS Unicode incorporates nearly 150,000 symbols, and our keyboards let us directly enter no more than several dozen—even with the addition of Shift and Option keys. Many of the remaining characters can be found in Character Viewer, a part of macOS that’s hidden by default. This viewer lets you find symbols, drag them or double-click them to insert symbols into text, and mark them as favorites for later access. You can bring up the Character Viewer (also called Emoji & Symbols) through several methods: > On a keyboard with a globe icon, you can press that key to bring up the viewer. (See the Keyboard preference pane’s Keyboard tab if that doesn’t work—an option has to be checked for the…

The M1 processors used in the latest Macs are based on technology first developed for the company’s iPhone and iPad. (In fact, the current iPad Pro uses the same M1 processor.) Because of this, the M1 brings to the Mac the ability to run iPhone and iPad apps. Why would you want to run an iPhone or iPad app on a Mac in the first place? Well, it’s possible that there is no Mac equivalent of the app you want to use. Or maybe you like using a particular app, regardless of the hardware it is running on. Whatever the reason, it’s a great way to use the tools you want. To run an iPhone or iPad app, your Mac must have an M1 processor or later. If you have…

You may think you’ve seen every USB-C dock combination, but you’ll have to revise that opinion with Satechi’s USB-C Hybrid Multiport Adapter. This dock has four ports plus a slot to add SATA M.2 SSD storage. It’s a unique combination that could be appealing to the right laptop user—desktop Mac owners have more flexible and affordable options. The Hybrid Multiport Adapter plugs into a USB-C port and passes power (but not data) over its own USB-C port. The port can output up to 100 watts, but requires up to 15W for its own operation. That’s sufficient for every Mac laptop, though the latest M1 Pro/Max MacBook Pros might not charge at their fastest rates. The dock also includes two USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports, which each offer up to…

We’ve all been there. You mean to type a simple phrase like “What do you want for lunch today?” and it comes across as, “What do you it want for launch tidy?” Autocorrect mistakes are so commonplace, and have been for so long, that we barely even acknowledge them anymore unless they’re unintentionally hilarious. Why is this? We’re coming up on 15 years of the iPhone—the device that pioneered and popularized touch-only keyboard input—and autocorrect has been with us in some form or another since the ’90s when Word would automatically correct accidental caps-lock typing or common misspellings. After decades and billions of devices sold, not to mention that meteoric rise of machine learning and AI, autocorrect feels just as dumb as ever. In some ways it feels like it…

What are third-party app developers worth to Apple? What is access to Apple’s platform worth to developers? While the past year has brought squabbles and lawsuits and regulations related to such things as dating apps in the Netherlands, the core issue is this: The iPhone and its App Store have generated an enormous amount of money, and as is so often the case, all the involved parties would like to have more of it. What’s clear, at least right now, is that Apple has decided to fight any court- or regulator-mandated reduction in the amount of money it takes from the App Store ecosystem. (Apple itself has reduced its cut voluntarily a few times, including for subscriptions that last longer than a year and for developers who make less than…

Any individual Apple product is typically quite good on its own merits. A MacBook, iPhone, or pair of AirPods will stack up well against any comparable laptop, smartphone, or wireless earbuds on the market. But the Apple ecosystem isn’t about a single product—it’s about a whole array of technology that, when used together, is more than the sum of its parts. A MacBook is more useful when all your Messages, Photos, Reminders, and Notes sync with your iPhone automatically. Grabbing a phone call on your Apple Watch when your hands are too busy to dig your phone out of your pocket, or using Siri hands-free with your AirPods—it all feels great. Whether you’re new to Apple products or just looking to expand beyond the one product you have right now,…

For over 15 years, my main incoming work number and the one I use to place nearly all my calls has been virtually wired into Skype. I pay a modest fee for unlimited incoming calls to a fixed number and unlimited outgoing calls to the U.S. and Canada. However, my adherence to VoIP (voice over IP) apps makes it a bit of a struggle when I need to record a call. Why record a VoIP call? You might need to when you’re interviewing someone, for record-keeping purposes in a job, to create a transcript later, or if you’re making a podcast. Your profession might oblige you to keep records of all calls, even. (Always consult the legal requirements for notification of another party before recording. Rules vary by state in the…

iNet Network Scanner fills multiple Local Area Network (LAN) niches that Apple left empty of easy-to-use tools. How can you quickly see all the devices on your network, the services they make available (like screen sharing, SSH, or file sharing), and even wake them up if they’re sleeping? What’s being shared via Apple’s Bonjour networking? For those with Apple AirPort gear still running, how can you monitor performance and connections without using the creaky and limited AirPort Utility? You can do all this and somewhat more with the app, which scans your networks and lets you view and act upon the results. iNet Network Scanner splits its offerings into four pieces: > Network scanning, which is Internet Protocol (IP) based; > Bonjour browsing, reading the specialized broadcasts that Apple’s equipment and…

There are plenty of reasons you might want to use Apple Music as your subscription service of choice over Spotify. Perhaps recent controversies have you rethinking where you want to send your money, or maybe you’re an Apple One subscriber and don’t want to pay for two music services. Perhaps the integration with Apple’s operating systems and services suits your life better. Or maybe you want your favorite artists to get paid more per stream, as Apple claims it does. Whatever your reason, switching from Spotify to Apple Music is simple—just subscribe, log in, and stream away. Moving your content from Spotify to Apple Music is much more difficult! There’s no straightforward way to copy your playlists, saved music, likes and dislikes, or other data from Spotify. Fortunately, there are services…

Most Mac users wouldn’t dream of replacing macOS with anything but the latest update, but Google wants you to at least consider another option: Chrome OS. Google describes its new Chrome OS Flex as a “free and sustainable way” to install Google’s online OS on any Mac or PC. The target audience is cash-strapped schools and businesses looking for “modern computing with cloud-based management,” but it’s pretty tempting for regular users too. Chrome OS Flex offers the same breezy interface you would get on a Chromebook, minus the Android apps, with Google’s expansive library of web apps and extensions running the show. It sounds crazy but it’s not. Chrome OS Flex isn’t made for the performance of today’s Apple silicon Macs. Rather, it’s for the thousands of Macs and PCs…

Long ago, we compressed, sliced, and diced large document files and applications, stuck them on series of 1.44MB floppies, and passed them around. When bulletin board systems and the nascent internet let us upload files, the low speeds and scarce storage meant every bit—not just byte—counted. We live in modern times, but file archives for organization, proper transmission without loss, compression, and encryption still abound for those who use desktop computers and server systems. Email offers endless ways to ruin file attachments in transmission, and compressed file archives typically bypass those problems. Keka is a perfect partner for any Mac owner’s needs for file archiving and extraction. First released in 2009, the app continues to mature, and the developer adds formats and additional features on a constant drumbeat. Keka also manages…

As it often does around this time of year, Qualcomm recently announced its latest and greatest 5G cellular modem. The Snapdragon X70, as it is called, is the successor to the Snapdragon X65 and promises higher real-world bandwidth, lower power use, and lower latency. The highlight is a built-in AI processor that will dynamic, real-time optimizations to improve connection quality. But don’t get too excited about it just yet. The Snapdragon X65, announced early last year, is only just now starting to appear in the first Android phones and isn’t expected to feature in an iPhone until the iPhone 14 this fall. The iPhone 13 uses the Snapdragon X60 and the iPhone 12 uses the Snapdragon X55. We don’t expect any phones with the Snapdragon X70 until early in 2023,…

If you’ve been clutching your iPhone 6 Plus and refusing to upgrade these past seven years, we have bad news for you: Apple has officially moved it to “vintage” status, which means it’s likely you won’t be able to get it repaired anymore. At 5.5 inches, the iPhone 6 Plus was Apple’s first large-screen phone and the first to support Apple Pay. It was released in September 2014 and remained on shelves until September 2016, when it was replaced by the iPhone 7 Plus in the lineup. Apple products are considered vintage when they haven’t been available for sale for more than five and less than seven years ago. After seven years the device becomes obsolete. When a product moves to vintage status, repair shops may have a difficult time ordering parts,…

The versatile USB-C port allows all sorts of data and power to pass across it. You can attach docks that let you expand your available ports, with spots for USB Type-A, HDMI or DisplayPort video, ethernet, and pass-through power via a USB-C power cable. But a dock that doesn’t have an external power source—plugged in via an adapter to an AC outlet or through USB-C power pass-through—has strict limits on the power it can draw from a Mac and allot to connected drives and other peripherals (USB-powered fans and tea warmers, perhaps). You can find an excellent explanation of this on the product page for Other World Computing’s USB-C Travel Dock ($54.99). This compact dock has two USB Type-A (3.1 Gen 1) ports, pass-through USB-C power (up to 100 watts), HDMI…

Apple still charges a significant premium for its Apple TV players compared to streaming video devices from other companies. Mac 911 regularly receives reader queries about how to use some combination of older gear, AirPlay, and older Apple TVs to gain access to more modern streaming services, like Disney+, without paying that particular Apple margin tax. My advice? If a new Apple TV breaks your budget, a Roku streaming adapter can provide nearly everything you need. It costs a fraction of the price of an Apple TV—and includes the Apple TV app. The Apple TV provides access to Apple’s media and channels store, any movies or TV you’ve already purchased or rented, and Apple TV+ programming (if you have or intend to get a subscription). The Roku Express 4K provides HD…

The Q Acoustics Concept 30 bookshelf speakers borrow technology and design concepts from the company’s far more expensive Concept 300 and Concept 500 lines and blend it with acoustic innovations of their own to deliver outstanding performance at a much more modest price. This review covers the $1,299 Concept 30 speakers and their $499 Q FS75 speaker stands, but users can combine them with the $2,999 Concept 50 floor-standing speakers, the $999 Concept 90 center channel speaker and a Q B12 subwoofer to create a home-theater package for $6,295. The Concept 30 passive loudspeakers offer incredible audio detail and stunning visual design and mark Q Acoustics’ first entry into the highly competitive mid-price range. The company has already delivered exceptional value with its Concept 20 series and high-end Concept 300 bookshelf speakers,…