Macworld May 2016

Apple put Siri, its voice-activated personal assistant, in the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV, but not the Mac. I assumed the company realized that people talking to their computers would be rage-inducing to those around them, but OS X has had dictation features for a while, and Apple has actually been testing Siri on the Mac for the last four years. The feature is almost ready to go, 9to5Mac reported recently (go.macworld.com/9to5siriosx), and will be announced at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference as part of OS X 10.12 in June. The next version of the Mac operating system is likely to get a public release this fall. So how will Siri on the Mac work? Kind of like Spotlight search, in that a Siri icon will sit in…

With the help of security researchers, Apple recently quickly blocked a cyberattack aimed at infecting Mac users with file-encrypting malware known as ransomware. The incident is believed to be the first Apple-focused attack using ransomware (go.macworld.com/5ransomware), which typically targets computers running Windows. Victims of ransomware are asked to pay a fee, usually in bitcoin, to get access to the decryption key to recover their files. Security company Palo Alto Networks wrote that it found the “KeRanger” ransomware wrapped into Transmission, which is a free Mac BitTorrent client. Transmission warned on its website (transmissionbt.com) that people who downloaded the 2.90 version of the client “should immediately upgrade to 2.92.” SNEAKING PAST THE GATEKEEPER It was unclear how the attackers managed to upload a tampered version of Transmission to the application’s website.…

New games come out pretty frequently for the Apple TV, and while there are thankfully more games that work well with the Siri Remote, there are also many that just cry out for a dedicated gamepad. Many of these are console favorites—or console-inspired games—that just aren’t meant for a small touchpad, and a gamepad goes a long way toward making your Apple TV feel like a proper gaming machine. Included here are 12 of our favorite Apple TV games that are best experienced with a gamepad, but we’re not claiming that each individual game warrants an investment in extra hardware. Rather, collectively, they show how much widespread benefit you’ll get from a controller, and why it’s a crucial pickup if you have plenty of Apple TV couch gaming in your…

AIRFOIL 5 PRICE WHEN RATED $29 new, $15 upgrade (free to purchasers of previous version after Nov. 1, 2015) COMPANY Rogue Amoeba Software AIRFOIL 5 IS A DIGITAL VENTRILOQUIST that lets you throw your computer’s “voice.” The latest version builds on the foundation of letting you take a single app’s audio output and route it to one or more places to play it back. It’s something like iTunes multi-“speaker” support but with much more control, and it works with any application, all while not relying entirely on AirPlay. Airfoil (rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/mac) can target any AirPlay destina-tion, as it’s long been able to. In my house, that includes an older and current-generation Apple TV, a Yamaha stereo receiver during a brief period of rudimentary but functional AirPlay support, two computers via…

PRO PLAYER 2.1 PRICE WHEN RATED $30 BELIEVE IT OR NOT, QuickTime turns 25 years old this year. The multimedia software that debuted with System Software 6 (?!) soon became the de facto method for playing video on the Mac, eventually introducing an optional Pro upgrade that allowed users to perform basic edits, merge files, and export to supported video codecs. With the release of Mac OS X Snow Leopard and QuickTime X in 2009, Apple went back to basics, stripping QuickTime Player X of most pro-centric functionality. Over time, some features like Trim would return, but in the eyes of power users, the damage was done. There’s been no shortage of powerful media players ever since, many capable of playing just about any file you can throw at…

SATECHI TYPE-C PASS THROUGH USB HUB WITH USB-C CHARGING PORT PRICE WHEN RATED $45 COMPANY Satechi MACBOOK DOCKS have started to arrive a year after Apple introduced its single-port USB-C–based ultra-portable MacBook (go. macworld.com/usbcmacbook), and the Satechi Type-C Pass Through USB Hub (go.macworld.com/satechihub) with USB-C Charging Port is one that will fit a lot of users’ needs at an affordable price. Of special interest is its inclusion of USB-C pass-through power, something that’s popping up all over suddenly, letting you continue to keep a MacBook charged while using external ports. The dock is tiny and handsome in brushed aluminum available in colors matching Apple’s three MacBook options, gold, silver, and space gray. For Mac users, the Satechi logo and branding on the top may be too much, but you’re…