Macworld Less than a month ahead of WWDC, Apple has released macOS Sonoma 14.5 update to all compatible Macs, likely the last update before we get our first look at macOS 15. There are a few new features in the update but its mainly filled with performance and security fixes. macOS 14.5: Release notes Apples release notes for macOS Sonoma 14.5 state that the update includes the following improvements and bug fixes: Quartiles is a new and original daily word game that is now available in Apple Ne

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 s

Macworld During the coronavirus lockdowns millions of people around the world were reliant on video apps such as Zoom or Apples own FaceTime to chat with family and friends online. Lockdowns may be a thing of the past, but video calling still remains popular and is here to stay. And, of course, many of us are still working from home the majority of the time, continuing to use business-oriented apps such as Skype or Microsoft Teams to set up video calls with colleagues and clients. Apart from the

Macworld Apple loves to make its products thinner, even if no one asks for it. When Apple revealed the new iPad Pro it made its thinnest tablets everthe 11- and 13-inch iPad Pro are 5.3 mm and 5.1 mm thick, respectively. But for longtime Apple users, proclamations about the slender profile bring back memories of Bendgate, which happened with the iPhone 6 Plus , the iPhone SE , and most importantly the 2018 iPad Pro . Bendgate isnt going to happen with these iPad Prosat least thats what Apple say

Macworld With WWDC 2024 less than a month away, were starting to get a good idea of what Apple has in mind as its big software announcements, namely iOS 18. We already knew that AI was likely to be a major theme of the event, but a new report offers specifics of what that will involve. According to the generally well-informed leaker Mark Gurman (citing people familiar with the matter), Apple has closed in on an agreement with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT features to the iPhone as of the launch of iOS

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

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

Macworld At a glance Expert's Rating Pros Easy to use Analogue controls Nice clicky feel Cons USB-C iPhones only Our Verdict The GameSir X2s Type C turns your iPhone into a Steam Deck-like gaming machine. Great feel and its great analog controls give you an edge when playing in the mobile world. For example, if you have a Game Pass subscription, you can play really heavy games with this bad boy attached to your phone. Price When Reviewed $45.99 Best Prices Today: GameSir X2s Type-C Retailer Pric

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. Simple is as simple does One of the first things they teach you at tech journalist school is to put yourself in the shoes of the casual reader. Im immersed in the world of Apple pr

Macworld No matter what profession youre in, you likely deal or lead projects on a regular basis. Project organization and management can be a difficult task, but Microsoft Project Professional 2021 can help you start and end your projects successfully. Through May 22, Microsofts leading project management suite (4.4-star rated on GetApp!) is less than $20. Its a one-time fee that opens lifetime access to tools for auto-population, task reports, and more. Project offers a wide range of pre-made

Macworld In this new age of internet threats, you could spend more time worrying about your data privacy than you do actually working or comfortably browsing. If you wish to enhance your digital experience, Windscribe VPN offers an all-in-one solution to privacy and internet security thats now available for a new low price of less than $70. Trusted sites like Toms Guide and G2 gave Windscribe VPN high marks for its user-friendly interface and commitment to a true no-logging policy. This Windscri

Macworld Work towards a new career in cybersecurity with The Complete 2024 Cyber Security Expert Certification Training Bundle , now just $49.99 (reg. $195). Ifyoure interested in a lucrative new career, cybersecurity is a great bet.The industry is only growing as cyber threats become more sophisticated and prevalent. A goodfirst step towards joining this evolving field is investing in a comprehensive cybersecurity education. With this $50 cybersecurity bundle, you can gain practical cybersecuri

Macworld In todays era of multi-terabyte hard drives and online storage, many of us dont keep as close an eye on our disk usage as we used to. Still, even the largest drives fill up eventually. If you dont know how to check your disk space use on your Mac, heres where to look first. And for long-term upkeep, there are plenty of powerful apps such as CleanMyMac ($34.95/34.95) and DaisyDisk ($9.99/9.99) which offer useful visualizations of your hard drive storage, while also allowing you to delete

Macworld The TREBLAB HD77 Outdoor Rugged Wireless Speaker has a long-lasting battery, excellent sound quality, and atoughbuild. This portable speaker could be great for your next camping trip, and you can get one on sale for $59.99. This wireless speakercomes withDualBass and TWS (True Wireless Stereo) technology. It produces 360-degree sound coverage, and the 5,200mAh battery could last up to 20 hours, depending on your usage. The PlayXTend energy-saving feature could stretch this speakers batt

Macworld If your Mac is beginning to sound like it has a jet engine spinning up inside its not just annoying, it may also be a sign that something is wrong. There could be an issue that is causing your Mac to overheat, or you might have a faulty fan. Heres what to do if those fans keep whirring even if nothing appears to be wrong. Why is my Macs fan so loud all of a sudden? Having the fans going at full pelt isnt a sign that things are necessarily wrong with your Mac, as the reason theyre instal

Macworld MacOS Recovery (often referred to as Mac Recovery Mode) was introduced back in 2010 with OS X 10.7 Lion. This Recovery HD partition contains the latest version of the macOS you installed on your Mac and makes it possible to troubleshoot issues with your Mac. It is a useful tool that the majority of Mac users will almost never need to use. Why use macOS Recovery? I did say almost . There are a few instances where you may need to use macOS Recovery: You need to wipe a Mac because you want

Macworld Are your favorite streaming platforms simply not cutting it with their content these days? You can change up your streaming experience for the better with Curiosity Stream. Dubbed Netflix for documentaries, Curiosity Stream is a streaming service that provides lifetime access to thousands of unique and educational documentaries and docuseries . Through May 12, lifetime access is only$179.97 (reg. $399). Founded by John Hendricks, the mastermind behind Discovery Communications, Curiosity

Macworld Quick show of hands: How many of you have gotten stuck in a multi-person iMessage session that caused your phone to go buzz every five seconds? Yep. Weve all been there. In the old days, in order to escape the constant buzzing, you had to turn on iOSs system-wide Do Not Disturb feature or switch off all notifications for the Messages app. Now, its easy enough to just leave the group chat or silence it. Steps to Leave iMessage Group Chat on iPhone Open the Messages app. Tap the group con

Macworld If your Mac is starting to run slow the first thing to check is if you are running low on space. Its generally advised that you should have 10% of your total space free on your Mac for the most optimum working. If you are down to your last few gigabytes then its time to do some housework and grab some space back. Over time, a Mac is likely to accumulate a large collection of duplicate files that take up this valuable space so thats a good place to start. However, finding and deleting th

Macworld The new M2 iPad Air has arrived, but unless youre planning on buying the 13-inch model, its not very different than the M1. And today you can save a bundle on an old one: Amazon is slashing prices of the M1 iPad Air to $449 (64GB) and $599 (256GB) in all colors , a savings of $150 and the best price weve ever seen. The iPad Air is a fantastic tablet, with a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, a super-powerful M1 chip, a 12MP front camera with Center Stage, Apple Pencil 2 support, USB-C, an

Macworld Even the biggest companies have been caught up in social-media backlashes, from Adobes tone-deaf software smile correction to Googles embarrassing and wrong AI tool. But I didnt think much of a potential controversy when I watched Apples ad for the new iPad Pro at its Let Loose event this week. Boy, was I wrong about that. The Crush! advert tries to get across the perennial Apple concept that the iPad Pro is such a capable and versatile creative tool that you can do almost anything with

Macworld After a long process of YouTube video downloading, it will be quite annoying to see a warning that the downloaded file format is not compatible with your Mac computer. When encountering this situation, you always need to download YouTube videos directly in a supported format. When you download videos from YouTube, you will find that the suffix of the video file is not the common MOV, MKV, or MP4, which is quite annoying if you want to open it on a new Mac computer. Thats because YouTube

Macworld At a glance Expert's Rating Pros Excellent Apple & Android support Great battery life USB-C and 3.5mm audio support Cons No ANC Design is dated No on-ear detection Our Verdict Its been too long since Beats updated its more affordable on-ear Solo headphones, and while there are lots of improvements in this version it feels like a missed opportunity to really push the category forward. A dated design and just okay sound make this a good buy on sale, but not at full price. Price When Revie

Macworld STORI AI is an all-in-one brand automation platform that streamlines your marketing workload .Savetime quickly generating content, and savemoney by doing it allwith a 5-year Essential Subscriptionfor only $149.99 (reg. $1,200). Simplify your marketing tasks with a suite of automated branding tools.STORI AI can suggest colors and logos,andevengenerate mission statements and values.You can even invite other team members through STORI to collaborate with you and the AI. If you need to crea

Macworld Apple doesnt participate in big industry-wide events such as CES or E3. The most valuable company in the world holds itsown events, thank you very much. Several times a year, Apple invites the press and industry professionals to Apple Park to hear all about its latest products and services. Apple calls these events, andstreams them live online to millions of watchers. In 2023 there were three such events: WWDC in June, the Wonderlust iPhone event in September and Apples second fall even

Macworld If youre always focused on Microsofts latest news, you might be missing out on a big open secret. Microsoft 365 isnt the only way to access its top-rated productivity tools. If you dont need the cloud features or wouldnt mind forgoing the recurring subscription fees, you should know that you can now get a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Pro 2021 for less than $60 This license is good for lifetime access on one Windows device. Youll get immediate access to Microsofts popular apps, i

Macworld Whatever happened to the paperless office? Of all technologys promised benefits, the paperless office has proved to be one of the most elusive. By now we were supposed to have converted to completely digital workflows, consuming fewer environmental resources and reducing waste, easing collaboration with remote colleagues, and minimizing the weight of documents we have to send to work contacts or carry around with us. Look around the next time youre at work or in your home office and you

Macworld During Apples Let Loose iPad event on Tuesday, the company unveiled a new ad for the iPad Pro, as it often does during these events. The ad, named Crush!, depicts a massive hydraulic press filled with creative implements: multiple musical instruments, paints, TVs, and old arcade game, music mixing equipment, and more. Accompanied by All I Ever Need is You by Sonny & Cher, the press crushes all these artistic and entertainment implements, then pulls up to reveal the iPad Pro. The ad prem

Macworld In May 2024, Apple unveiled the latest generation of its Pencil stylus for iPadApple Pencil Pro. Its essentially a replacement for the 2nd-generation Apple Pencil, made to support only the newest iPad Air (M2) and iPad Pro (M4) models, and with similar design but several new features. That means Apple now has four products all named Apple Pencil, but two of them are essentially only for products no longer sold as new, but rather only for legacy models. Which Apple Pencil: Specs Before w

Macworld A new Bloomberg report details a project code-named ACDC , for Apple Chips in Data Centers, in which Apple will use its own silicon to provide cloud AI services. Apple is going big on AI with iOS 18 and macOS 15, and while on-device processing will be a big differentiator for the company, more advanced tasks will require the resources of big server infrastructure. According to the report, the plan to use Apples own chips for cloud infrastructure began three years ago but has been accele

Macworld Apple has released the release candate beta of the Sonoma 14.5 update to developers and the public. The RC comes nine days after the fourth beta was released. The full version will likely arrive for all users in the next week or two, perhaps after the new iPads start shippingApple could release iOS and iPad OS 17.5 as well. macOS 14.5: Beta 4 developer notes The following are the release notes for the macOS 14.5 beta 4 release to developers . No notes have been provided to developers ab

Macworld If it seems like everyone has a pair of AirPods except you, theres never been a time to try them out: Amazon is selling the 2nd-generation AirPods for a penny under $80 today , a savings of $59 a the lowest price weve ever seen. These AirPods are the same model that came out in 2019, but theyre still a fantastic set of earbuds. They dont have Apples newest design or features in the 3rd-gen model, but theyve got everything you want in a pair of buds: fantastic battery life, seamless setu

Macworld The M4 chip is here, ushering in new state-of-the-art performance in AI with its fastest-ever Neural Engine, according to Apple. Thats fine and dandy, but what were really wondering is, how fast is the M4s CPU versus the M3 chip its replacing? We now have some early benchmarks that give us an idea. Geekbench 6 results have appeared in the Geekbench Browser and @VadimYuryev of Max Tech spotted them and posted the results on X. The numbers show that the M4s CPU offers a 22 percent improve

Macworld Well, that was fast. The M3 chip , introduced last October, is already yesterdays news . Were living in an M4 world, courtesy of the surprising announcement that the new iPad Pro is powered by Apples next generation of chips . Even if you dont care about iPads, this announcement will affect the trajectory of the Mac and iPhone in quite a few ways. The first question to answer is: why so soon? The iPhone gets a new chip generation once a year, when the new iPhones arrive. Apple likely wa

Macworld When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1996 one of the first things he did was drastically streamline the companys product portfolio. Slashing over 70 percent of the companys products, everything was focused on a simple 22 grid: pro/consumer on one axis, desktop/portable on the other. Among other things, he argued that if consumers dont know which product to buy, there are too many products. Obviously, Apple is in a very different place today. Its many times larger and competes in many mo

Macworld The first thing an entrepreneur learns is the importance of social media for marketing. The second thing they learn is how time-consuming that can be, but UNUM Pro is an tool that lets you plan your posts and helps increase engagement with a fraction of the drudge work. Social media managers are nothing new, but UNUM offers several advantages over comparable services like Planoly or Later. For one thing, there are no monthly fees for the Pro Plan just a single $49.99 payment for a life

Macworld The drought is finally over! Apple has announced new iPad Pros, new iPad Airs, the Apple Pencil Pro, and more! We talk about the latest Apple product announcements in this episode of the Macworld Podcast. This is episode 883 with Jason Cross , Michael Simon , and Roman Loyola . Listen to episode 883 on Apple Podcasts Listen to episode 883 on Spotify Get info Click on the links below for more information on what was discussed on the show. Everything Apple announced during the Let Loose e

Macworld Whether due to a hard drive crash, a virus attack, or a simple mistake, the surge of panic and frustrationthat accompaniesthe realization of possibly lost data is about as unpleasant as it comes. Fortunately, there are solutions to help alleviate such stress. You can easilyrestore lost, corrupted, or otherwise inaccessible videos, photos, and other files witha lifetime subscription to EaseUS Fixo, only $49.99 (reg. $119). EaseUS Fixo is an all-purposefixer, ready to jump in and repair s

Macworld The iPad is a capable device for both art and productivity, but it becomes a stronger proposition in both areas if you have a good stylus to hand. Whether youre sketching a new building design, taking notes during a work meeting or designing graphics, a stylus is a game-changer. But with so many to choose from in just about every shape and size, which is the best for your needs? Everyone has heard of the Apple Pencil, but there are plenty of great alternatives that cost a fraction of th

Macworld Apple has released yet another Apple Pencil during its Let Loose event, but its only compatible with the new iPad Pros and Airs. So if you have an older iPad, youll need one of the older Pencils. And today, you can one for cheaper than ever: Amazon is selling the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil for $79 , a savings of $50 and the lowest price weve ever seen. The 2nd-gen Apple Pencil magnetically attaches to the side of an older iPad Air or Pro to charge and can be used for navigation, writing, and

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

Macworld For as long as we can remember, Apple has included a little gift when you buy a new iPhone, Mac, or iPad that makes users feel like they are valued members of a community: A small sheet with two Apple logo stickers. However, if you buy one of the new iPad Pros or iPad Airs, you wont receive any. According to 9to5Mac , Apple has distributed a memo to its store employees explaining the change, which is due to the environmental push to remove all plastic from its packaging. Stickers are in

Macworld If you spend hours typing each day, its important to find the keyboard that suits your needs whether thats a mechanical keyboardthat providessatisfying tactile feedback or a keyboard packed with media controls and macOS shortcuts. There are plenty of options to choose from, and here we look atsome of the best keyboards for Mac to help you decide. We have all sorts of Mac keyboards in this round-up, including Apples 2021 Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and the cheaper, and still-on-sale, M

Macworld Why your iPad is failing to meet its potential After a lengthy quiet period Apple has announced a raft of new iPads, and demand is sure to be hot among the companys loyal fans. Boasting insanely fast processors and all-new screen tech and sizes, the 2024 iPads are sumptuously designed and specced. Combining the work and entertainment capabilities of a laptop with the portability and convenience of a smartphone, the iPad has the potential to be the most versatile Apple device of all. Whi

Macworld Which iPad should you buy? There are a lot of choices and it can be confusing. There are four different varieties of iPad, listed below, and each is available with or without cellular (including 5G on certain models), which costs extra. Thats before we get into storage capacity, colors, and second-hand alternatives. Our in-depth buying guide assesses the whole range of iPads sold by Apple and explores all the factors that should influence your iPad buying decision such as value for mone

Macworld If youve been paying attention to the rumors leading up to Apples Let Loose iPad event, you knew what to expect: iPad Air and iPad Pro in 11- and 13-inch sizes with new processors, a new Apple Pencil, and an updated Magic Keyboard. Still, there were a few details during the announcement that hadnt been predicted, and which caught us a little bit by surprise. None of these are earth-shaking revelations, but they can be enough to slightly color our views of some of these products. Here ar

Macworld With social media posts, videos, blogs, marketing materials and more all expected to be part of any companys identity or any individuals personal brand, its easy to feel overwhelmed with the requirements of constantly feeding the digital beast. Thankfully, AI is here to help. With a lifetime subscription to a Unifire.ai Scale Plan on sale for $149.99, you can start leaning on the power of artificial intelligence to start pumping out all of that necessary content . The Unifire.ai approac

Macworld The power, capacity, and look of Macs and MacBooks are impressive, but certain features are left to be desired. Want a more powerful and customized Mac experience? MacPilot is a platform offering 1,200 features to optimize your user experience . Now, lifetime access is only $29.97 (reg. $99). With MacPilot, users can unlock these features to enhance their computing. Customize your dock by adding spacers and sleek smart stacks and menus, repair your Macs system by running maintenance scr

Macworld A new iPhone case doesnt just bring protection, it can bring style, class, and functionality too. Todays deal brings all that at an insanely low price: Amazons Woot is selling the Case-Mate Leather Wallet Folio for the iPhone 15 Plus for just $5 , a ridiculous $60 off the MSRP and the lowest price youll ever find for a case this good. This case doesnt just look good with soft genuine pebbled black leather, it also adds space for 3 credit cards, an ID card, and cash that doubles as a sta

Macworld One of Apples best accessories is its keyboard case for iPad Air and Pro, called Magic Keyboard . To go along with the newly-designed, thinner iPad Pro, Apple introduced a new sleeker Magic Keyboard. Its got almost everything we loved about the old Magic Keyboard like pass-through USB-C charging and quality backlit keys (sadly the high price tag comes with it), but makes the following improvements: Its thinner. Theres a half-height function row to control quick settings like brightness,