Table of contents for December 2020 in Macworld

With macOS 11 Big Sur, Apple takes the opportunity to refresh the Mac’s user interface. The changes aren’t dramatic—don’t worry, you’ll be able to use your Mac like usual. The changes give the Mac a more modern look, and also have led to speculation that Apple is getting ready for the next phase of user input, like maybe a Mac touchscreen. If you are wondering what Big Sur looks like before installing it, we have a peek right here. You can prepare yourself before you dive in. MORE SPACE Once you start up your Mac and log in, the Finder looks pretty much the same. The changes are subtle. For example, the menu-bar icons are spread out, with each icon having a little more space. It makes it easier to…

As part of its digital services, Apple offers different payment methods that you can use at its own store as well as other online retailers and third-party walk-in shops. It can be difficult to sort out what method applies where. Here’s the rundown to help you figure out where to go and what to change, as needed. APPLE’S PAYMENT TYPES Apple has a lot of different Apple-branded services, payment methods, and gift cards. It’s a shockingly long list, and what Apple offers varies by the country in which you receive bills or have a bank account. Apple Pay. Apple Pay lets you add credit and debit cards for touchless payment in retail locations and many kinds of online payment. You need a device with Touch ID or Face ID to…

Apple Maps got off to an ignominious start, but Apple has done a really great job in the last couple years of bringing it up to par. The new in-house maps data has now expanded throughout the entire U.S., and it has made a huge difference in the precision, accuracy, and reliability of Maps. Though not technically part of iOS 14, Apple is expanding its new map data throughout the U.K., Canada, and Ireland this year. The new maps data is only one piece of the puzzle. When you update to iOS 14 this fall, you can expect these useful new features. CYCLING DIRECTIONS Walking, driving, and transit directions are table stakes these days. What about getting around on your bike? Apple is bringing cycling directions to iOS 14, starting…

Nomad’s new Base Station Pro is a wireless charging pad that costs $230. For most of you, that’s going to be the end of the review. Devices to charge your phone are meant to be inexpensive. A good wireless charging pad shouldn’t cost over $50, and a multi-device charger not much more than $100 if it’s got really nice build quality. The Base Station Pro is no ordinary charging pad. It’s a premium aluminum-and-leather affair that incorporates the FreePower technology from Aria to charge up to three devices no matter where you place them. Does that matter to you? Is it enough to pay several times what you’d pay for other name-brand wireless chargers? Value is a very personal thing, but no matter how nice the Base Station Pro is, we…

Every year Apple releases a new iPhone, and every year we note that it is faster and has a better camera, along with one or two other small feature changes. In rare years, like with the introduction of the iPhone X, we get a dramatic shift in design and capabilities. The iPhone 12 Pro is sort of an odd entry in the series. Yes, it’s faster and has a better camera, though neither change is exactly seismic. And it’s got a really nice new design, but even that feels familiar and cautious. But it also has several significant new capabilities that may eventually prove to be transformative. Call it “untapped potential” or call it “future-proof,” but the iPhone 12 Pro’s most significant advancements are sort of waiting for the rest…

Apple in October added a new member to its smart speaker lineup. The HomePod mini is a smaller version of the HomePod speaker Apple released in 2018, and if it takes off, it will help Apple grab a bigger piece of the burgeoning smart speaker market. The HomePod mini has the recognizable mesh grill exterior and is available in space gray or white, but it has an entirely different shape than its forebear. It’s round, not a cylinder like the full-sized HomePod. It reminds us of the mesh-protected apples you might find at the supermarket. While we haven’t seen it in person, the screen at the top of the HomePod mini seems more prominent, even brighter. Here are the top six things you need to know about the HomePod mini. 1. SIZE, SPEAKERS,…

Since 1999, Canadian audio company Fluance has built a reputation for high-performance, high-value passive speakers, turntables, and what it calls “music systems”—self-powered Bluetooth speakers. Last year, I reviewed the Fluance Fi20, a small, portable Bluetooth speaker with 360-degree sound radiation and unique styling, but its rich sound was marred by overblown and bloated bass. When the Fluance Ai60 appeared at my door, I was pleased to see that the package includes a pair of bookshelf speakers with a more conventional 2-way design while retaining the self-contained nature of a so-called music system. It’s not portable like the Fi20, but it sounds orders of magnitude better. FEATURES Each Ai60 speaker measures 13.1 x 7.8 x 9.2 inches (HxWxD), and the pair weighs a total of 29.3 pounds. The right speaker houses…

With macOS 11 Big Sur, Apple redesigned Notification Center. It is now a single column of notifications and widgets to provide quick information with just a click. Let’s take a look at the new Notification Center, and how you can customize it to your liking. In Big Sur, Notification Center is accessed by clicking on the date in the menu bar, located in the upper right of the screen. There is no longer a Notification Center icon. NOTIFICATIONS Notifications appear at the top of Notification Center. If you click on a notification, it will take you to the corresponding app. For example, if you click on a Messages notification, the Messages app opens. Notifications are grouped together if you have multiple notifications from an app. For example, if you have…

Prior to iOS 14, one of the central problems with iOS (compared to Android) was that every single app you’ve ever downloaded has to exist somewhere on your home screen. You can have folders, you can have multiple home screens, but you can’t simply hide an app you don’t use very often. The iOS 14 release changes all that. In addition to being able to put Widgets on your home screen (see page 40), you can now remove apps without uninstalling them! A new top-level screen called the App Library contains all the apps installed on your iPhone. It’s a bit like the app drawer on most Android phones, but it looks and behaves differently. Mastering the App Library is key to keeping a more tidy and organized iPhone and quickly…

You’ve probably seen the stories: it’s an epic (eye-rolling pun intended) war between two technology giants. In this corner is Apple, accused of being a greedy colossus using its tight-fisted control over its platforms to stifle innovation and ruin consumer choice. In the other corner, Epic Games, accused of posing as the victim of a controversy it manufactured in the name of keeping more cash for itself. Who do you back? Choose your side! The thing is, I don’t really back all the actions of either party in this kerfuffle. Instead, I’m squarely on the side of the people who use technology. Let’s leave aside the tech giants. What are the outcomes that would most benefit regular users? EASIER TO BUY STUFF There’s no doubt about it. Apple’s restrictions on…

The myCharge Camping Lantern Power Bank is two handy gadgets in one. As its name indicates, it’s both a super-bright portable LED light source and a long-lasting USB power bank for charging your smartphone or other mobile devices. While it’s equipped with a 10,000mAh batter, the roughly 3.5-inch-square device makes a better flashlight than power bank. Its 20 dual-element LED elements can be set to four brightness settings to produce 500, 320, 250, or 170 lumens respectively when the LEDs are set to product white and yellow light. You can also change the color temperature of the light, from the aforementioned yellow/white to a cool white and warm yellow. A fold-out metal stand allows the myCharge to rest on any flat surface angled to cast its light where you need…

There are plenty of decent smartwatch options out there, including Apple’s own SE, but the Apple Watch Series 6 is the only real choice in smartwatches. You might not need all of the things it does right now, but if you’re going to spend a few hundred bucks on a smartwatch, it pays to future-proof your wrist. I’ve been testing quite a few watches and bands recently—the Fitbit Sense, Apple Watch SE, Fossil Carlyle Gen 5, Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, even the Amazon Halo band—and the Apple Watch Series 6 is the undisputed leader of the pack. Yes, you’re paying more for a Series 6 than any of those devices, but the extra money is so well spent you’re better off waiting for a sale to buy one rather than…

Numbers for macOS offers sophisticated options for printing spreadsheets, charts, and other items created in the numerically minded app. In producing this output, you might want to remove page numbers or customize a header or footer with additional detail. Peruse all of the options in Numbers’s menus and inspectors, and you find nothing. Where has Apple hidden it? In the Print dialog, of course! I don’t know if this is unique, but it’s certainly unusual. In Pages, hover over the top or bottom of the page, and you can modify what appears in headers and footers and control details about size and whether they appear in the Document Inspector’s Format tab. In Numbers, instead, choose File → Print, hover over the top or bottom of any previewed page, and an…

There was big news out of Cupertino in October—big news! Apple announced a new, smaller version of one of its products at a cheaper price point, potentially opening it up to a whole new class of customers. I speak, of course, of the HomePod mini (see page 111). Yes, yes, there were iPhones as well, but I found myself more drawn to the new, smaller, and 100-percent more globular smart speaker. Part of that may have been intrigue, yes, but a more substantial reason is that I’m trying to figure out exactly what Apple’s strategy for this product line is. Which, coincidentally, is exactly what Apple seems to be doing. THE PRICE IS THE THING If there’s a bold move for the HomePod mini, it’s all about that price point.…

Andover Audio’s PM-50 headphone is one of the few but growing number of headphone models built around ultra high-resolution planar magnetic drivers (50mm, in this case). This $500 over-the-ear, open-backed model does a fine job of distracting and diverting the listener—at least for a while—from the isolation and boredom that comes with enforced social distancing. New and favorite music and movies seem vividly alive, present, and more in your face with these entertainers balancing on your head. The PM-50 have a clarity, airiness, and spatial positioning skill set so precise and three-dimensional I can close my eyes and feel like I’m in the recording studio, club, or concert hall with the performers. PLANAR MAGNETIC EXPLAINED Planar magnetic headphones (and their close relation, electrostatic headphones) have been around for more than…

Photos might be the most important app on the Mac. After all, it is used to manage your precious, invaluable photos. It is the app we get the most questions about for our Mac 911 column (see page 136). So when a new version is in the works, you probably want to be aware of any new features, and there are a few coming to Photos in macOS 11 Big Sur. Let’s take a look at the new features in Photos 6. PHOTO EDITING TOOLS When tweaking a photo’s colors, Photos now offers a Vibrance adjustment. It’s found under Color in the Adjust tools. Apple has also adjusted the Retouch tool with “advanced machine learning” so it does a better job when you use it to remove blemishes. VIDEO EDITING…

It’s not that common to find full-featured security suites for the Mac. Quite often major antivirus makers provide a stripped-down version of their Windows product with notable bells and whistles missing. Not so with Intego’s Mac Premium Bundle X9, a security solution purpose-built for Apple users. This top-tier suite has a variety of solid tools that any Mac user would be happy to use. But is that enough to recommend this product? Last time we looked at Intego’s security offerings, we felt there were a few weaknesses that just didn’t address modern security needs well enough. Nearly two years later, some of those weaknesses are still there, some are gone, and others will be addressed in the coming months. Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 comes as a collection of security-focused…

Apple has released iOS 14, and it’s the first time in years that the company has made significant changes to the home screen. There are several new features, but perhaps the most significant change is the new Widgets system. We’ve had Widgets on the Today View (the screen to the left of your first Home screen) for years, but not a lot of people use that screen. And what’s the point of glanceable info if you have to swipe around to see it? With iOS 14, Apple is replacing the old widgets with all new ones that are more dynamic, can pull in more information, come in three sizes, and most importantly, can be placed anywhere on the home screen. Here’s how you work with widgets in iOS 14. HOW…

If there’s a segment of Apple’s business that seems to fly in the face of the company’s philosophy—not just in terms of making a product that is substandard or lackluster—but in terms of actually being at odds with the way it otherwise does business, you couldn’t put forth a more prominent example than the App Store. The discussion, always at a constant simmer in the Apple community, bubbled up once again last week even as Apple CEO Tim Cook was grilled by lawmakers over antitrust concerns. Developers, regularly dissatisfied with the company’s lack of transparency and equality over rules, took the opportunity to renew criticism of not only that, but the hefty 30 percent cut of proceeds. The App Store has been a profitable business for both developers and Apple…

Most people who take a look at the iPhone 12 will see a very familiar phone. Its shape hasn’t changed much since the iPhone X was introduced three years ago. The back is basically identical to the iPhone 11. And the sides are a clear callback to the iPhone 5. But to use the iPhone 12 is to experience a phone that’s the epitome of 13 years of iPhone evolution. There might be a general feeling that Apple’s smartphone innovation has stalled in the wake of a shift toward services and wearables, but the iPhone 12 is filled with smart, meaningful improvements and subtle iterations that make it feel as fresh and new as the iPhone 4 or iPhone 6 once were. You can point to things like the lack of a…

If you’re a long-time Mac user or a new one, it’s possible you’re only aware of the Delete key, which is technically a “backward delete”: it deletes characters to the left of the current cursor in English and other languages that read left-to-right. It has its own symbol:. On various vintages of keyboards, you might find the word Delete, a leftward-pointing arrow ←, or both the arrow and the label. (For Mac users, it’s nearly always Delete; Backspace is more of a…Windows word.) On extended keyboards, you may also find a “forward delete” option. It may also be labeled Delete or Del, and it has the forward delete symbol on it. Press this and characters to the right of the insertion point are deleted. On more compact keyboards, such as…

Without so much as a press release, Apple has unveiled a new 24-hour-a-day music video channel. Simply called Apple Music TV, the service currently streams nothing but one music video after another, all day, every day. You’ll find Apple Music TV in the TV app under the Watch Now section, and in Apple Music in the Browse tab. You don’t get to pick which videos to watch or make a playlist of them (that feature already exists in Apple Music). Rather, this is a curated stream of videos chosen by Apple, sort of like a music video radio station. Though we currently haven’t seen anything other than one music video right after another, Apple seems to have grander plans for the new stream. The promo text in Apple Music says the…

HOW TO USE YOUR MAC TO GET MORE INFO ABOUT YOUR iCLOUD DRIVE STORAGE While the Files app for iOS and iPadOS gives you access to browse iCloud Drive, some parts of local storage, and third-party cloud storage, it omits a critical piece of information that’s been a useful part of file navigation since the start of computing: the storage occupied by a folder (or directory) and everything contained nested within it. This makes it effectively impossible to figure out what’s occupying your iCloud storage if you need to remove it to make room for other files. Launch the Files app and you can see for yourself. Tap iCloud Drive and any file at the top level is listed with a name, date, and size. Folders, however, just tell you…