IT training macworld UK TruePDF april 2019

NEWS 4 Apple to hold new product event on 25 March 6 Apple reported to launch new video service soon 9 In two years, the Mac, iPhone and iPad will beable to run the same apps 12 ESET Cyb

APRIL 2019

Mac buyer’s guide

Best printer for Mac save money on ink +

APRIL 2019

Mac buyer’s guide

Best printer for Mac

save money on ink

+

NEWS

4 Apple to hold new product event on 25 March

6 Apple reported to launch new video service soon

9 In two years, the Mac, iPhone and iPad will beable to run the same apps

12 ESET Cyber Security Pro for Mac

17 Alien Skin Exposure X4

4 Apple to hold new product event on 25 March

6 Apple reported to launch new video service soon

9 In two years, the Mac, iPhone and iPad will be

able to run the same apps

12 ESET Cyber Security Pro for Mac

17 Alien Skin Exposure X4

25 Loopback 2

33 Apple iPhone XR/XS/XS Max Smart Battery Case

37

BUYING GUIDE

FEATURES

Mac buyer’s guide 37

Best printer for Mac 62

What ink should you use in your printer? 71

The best free Safari extensions for the Mac 77

What Intel’s 2019 road map can tell us

about the future of the Mac 85

Mac buyer’s guide 37

Best printer for Mac 62

What ink should you use in your printer? 71

The best free Safari extensions for the Mac 77

What Intel’s 2019 road map can tell us

about the future of the Mac 85

Help Desk 94

62

71

Apple to hold new product event on 25 March

Apple plans to unveil a subscription news service – a service that publishers are baulking at.  Roman Loyola reports

We’ve been waiting for Apple to announce

a spring event this year, as the company often makes at least one major

announcement before its Worldwide Developers Conference in the summer According to

BuzzFeed’s John Paczkowski, we could be hearing about a spring event soon He reports that Apple is working on an event for 25 March, which will be held

at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park

Apple to hold new product

event on 25 March

Apple plans to unveil a subscription news service – a service

that publishers are baulking at.  Roman Loyola reports

We’ve been waiting for Apple to announce

a spring event this year, as the company often makes at least one major

announcement before its Worldwide Developers

Conference in the summer According to

BuzzFeed’s John Paczkowski, we could be hearing

about a spring event soon He reports that Apple is

working on an event for 25 March, which will be held

at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park

Sources tell BuzzFeed that the event headliner will be a new Apple news subscription service that works with the News app in iOS and macOS

Coincidentally, the Wall Street Journal reported

in February that Apple wants a whopping 50 percent of the revenue that publishers generate through the service – a cut they won’t accept The WSJ also states that publishers don’t get access

to subscriber data, which makes this ‘Netflix for news’ deal even less palatable

It’s possible that the event could be moved to a later date, should Apple find that negotiations for the news service aren’t gong as planned BuzzFeed said the event will focus on Apple services, but their sources would not say what other services would

be discussed, such as Apple’s rumoured video streaming service (see page 6)

Anything else?

BuzzFeed reports that this event will probably not include an AirPod 2 unveiling or an iPad mini 5 reveal, even though rumours of those products have been making the rounds If the event is to showcase services, it’s possible we’ll see no major hardware announcements or minor ones If this seems odd, consider how much Apple emphasizes its growing services revenue during its recent quarterly results announcements iPhone sales are in decline, and Apple wants people to see that it is developing new revenue streams, such as services An event that focuses on the company’s new services can go a long way toward conveying that message

Sources tell BuzzFeed that the event headliner

will be a new Apple news subscription service

that works with the News app in iOS and macOS

Coincidentally, the Wall Street Journal reported

in February that Apple wants a whopping 50

percent of the revenue that publishers generate

through the service – a cut they won’t accept The

WSJ also states that publishers don’t get access

to subscriber data, which makes this ‘Netflix for

news’ deal even less palatable

It’s possible that the event could be moved to a

later date, should Apple find that negotiations for

the news service aren’t gong as planned BuzzFeed

said the event will focus on Apple services, but their

sources would not say what other services would

be discussed, such as Apple’s rumoured video

streaming service (see page 6)

Anything else?

BuzzFeed reports that this event will probably not

include an AirPod 2 unveiling or an iPad mini 5

reveal, even though rumours of those products have

been making the rounds If the event is to showcase

services, it’s possible we’ll see no major hardware

announcements or minor ones If this seems odd,

consider how much Apple emphasizes its growing

services revenue during its recent quarterly results

announcements iPhone sales are in decline, and

Apple wants people to see that it is developing new

revenue streams, such as services An event that

focuses on the company’s new services can go a

long way toward conveying that message

Apple reported to launch new video service soon

Apple is going to have trouble getting its service off the ground without the biggest names in streaming.  Jason Cross reports

Apple has been long-rumoured to have a

TV service in the works Now, according

to a new report from CNBC, the service

is nearly ready to launch It claims that Apple

is finalizing its deals and software, with an expected launch in April or May

A separate report from Bloomberg says that Apple invited big Hollywood names involved

Apple reported to launch

new video service soon

Apple is going to have trouble getting its service off the ground

without the biggest names in streaming.  Jason Cross reports

Apple has been long-rumoured to have a

TV service in the works Now, according

to a new report from CNBC, the service

is nearly ready to launch It claims that Apple

is finalizing its deals and software, with an

expected launch in April or May

A separate report from Bloomberg says that Apple invited big Hollywood names involved

with Apple’s original TV series to attend a 25 March unveiling of the service The stars include Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner, and J.J Abrams.

It would correspond with a new TV app for iOS and Apple TV devices that lets users subscribe

to streaming services right within the app, and all their content consolidated within it In that way,

it will be similar to Amazon Channels, though we hope it has a wider selection of premium content and a better interface

Apple may find it hard to get its service off the ground, though Netflix, the 800-pound gorilla

of streaming, is not going to be included in the offerings, according to CNBC’s sources Neither is Hulu, which is fairly popular within the US HBO’s streaming service is probably the most popular among individual traditional channels, and CNBC’s report states that it’s not on board yet, though negotiations are at an early stage

Neither Netflix nor Hulu are part of Amazon’s Channels line-up, either And how many people do you know who do most of their TV watching through Amazon Channels, despite the enormous reach

of Amazon Prime and the fact that the Channels service is several years old?

Of course, those who own an Apple TV will still

be able to watch Netflix, or HBO as they do now:

inside their respective standalone apps

Apple is expected to supplement the various subscription channels with its own premium content The CNBC report says this content will be

with Apple’s original TV series to attend a 25 March

unveiling of the service The stars include Jennifer

Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner, and

J.J Abrams

It would correspond with a new TV app for iOS

and Apple TV devices that lets users subscribe

to streaming services right within the app, and all

their content consolidated within it In that way,

it will be similar to Amazon Channels, though we

hope it has a wider selection of premium content

and a better interface

Apple may find it hard to get its service off the

ground, though Netflix, the 800-pound gorilla

of streaming, is not going to be included in the

offerings, according to CNBC’s sources Neither is

Hulu, which is fairly popular within the US HBO’s

streaming service is probably the most popular

among individual traditional channels, and CNBC’s

report states that it’s not on board yet, though

negotiations are at an early stage

Neither Netflix nor Hulu are part of Amazon’s

Channels line-up, either And how many people do

you know who do most of their TV watching through

Amazon Channels, despite the enormous reach

of Amazon Prime and the fact that the Channels

service is several years old?

Of course, those who own an Apple TV will still

be able to watch Netflix, or HBO as they do now:

inside their respective standalone apps

Apple is expected to supplement the various

subscription channels with its own premium

content The CNBC report says this content will be

free, but the Bloomberg report says, “along with an Apple subscription, there will be some free content” Let’s just say that the monetization scheme is not clear yet We are aware of several dozen Apple original TV programmes and series in development, though most are in the early stages of production It’s likely that only a few will be ready for the service

by April or May; additional exclusive shows will launch throughout 2019 and into next year

free, but the Bloomberg report says, “along with an

Apple subscription, there will be some free content”

Let’s just say that the monetization scheme is not

clear yet We are aware of several dozen Apple

original TV programmes and series in development,

though most are in the early stages of production

It’s likely that only a few will be ready for the service

by April or May; additional exclusive shows will

launch throughout 2019 and into next year

In two years, the Mac, iPhone and iPad will be able to run the same apps

Bloomberg reports that Apple’s ‘Marzipan’ will make it easier for developers to write code, writes  Roman Loyola

Apple announced that the company has no

plans to merge iOS and macOS during its Worldwide Developers Conference last year, but it also said it’s working on a way for developers to write apps that work on both

In two years, the Mac,

iPhone and iPad will be

able to run the same apps

Bloomberg reports that Apple’s ‘Marzipan’ will make it easier

for developers to write code, writes  Roman Loyola

Apple announced that the company has no

plans to merge iOS and macOS during its Worldwide Developers Conference last year, but it also said it’s working on a way

for developers to write apps that work on both

operating systems Project Marzipan, as Apple calls it, wasn’t discussed in much detail at WWDC, but Apple described the News, Stocks, Home, and Voice Memos apps that come with macOS Mojave

as examples of Marzipan at work And we haven’t heard a lot about Marzipan since WWDC

In February, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Marzipan could be in the spotlight for this

year’s WWDC According to Gurman, Apple could release a software development kit at the conference that will allow iPad developers to port their apps to the Mac Then, in 2020, Apple will release a kit that ports iPhone apps to the Mac

By 2021, Apple will give developers the ability to create a ‘single binary’ of an app – in other words, one app that can run on Mac, iPad, and iPhone.The ability to write a set of code and be able to run it on different platforms could make it easier

Apple announced at WWDC 2018 that it is working on giving the Mac the ability to run iOS apps

operating systems Project Marzipan, as Apple

calls it, wasn’t discussed in much detail at WWDC,

but Apple described the News, Stocks, Home, and

Voice Memos apps that come with macOS Mojave

as examples of Marzipan at work And we haven’t

heard a lot about Marzipan since WWDC

In February, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Marzipan could be in the spotlight for this

year’s WWDC According to Gurman, Apple

could release a software development kit at the

conference that will allow iPad developers to port

their apps to the Mac Then, in 2020, Apple will

release a kit that ports iPhone apps to the Mac

By 2021, Apple will give developers the ability to

create a ‘single binary’ of an app – in other words,

one app that can run on Mac, iPad, and iPhone

The ability to write a set of code and be able to run it on different platforms could make it easier

Apple announced at WWDC 2018

that it is working on giving the Mac

the ability to run iOS apps

to create apps, although developers will have to consider the interface differences between iOS and macOS Gurman also said that this could allow Apple to have a single App Store rather than separate ones for iOS and macOS.

Gurman also reported that Apple is considering

a preview of the new Mac Pro at WWDC 2019, along with iPad productivity tools and a dark mode for all its devices for easier night-time viewing Rumour has it that WWDC 2019 may be held in San Jose, California, from 3 to 7 June

Why this matters: Developers have had to make decisions on how to best allocate their resources and their efforts, and for the most part, iOS development gets the nod over macOS. With Marzipan, developers can find new markets and revenue possibilities It could also result in a new era of macOS development and a surge of new Mac apps

to create apps, although developers will have to

consider the interface differences between iOS

and macOS Gurman also said that this could

allow Apple to have a single App Store rather

than separate ones for iOS and macOS

Gurman also reported that Apple is considering

a preview of the new Mac Pro at WWDC 2019, along

with iPad productivity tools and a dark mode for all

its devices for easier night-time viewing Rumour

has it that WWDC 2019 may be held in San Jose,

California, from 3 to 7 June

Why this matters: Developers have had to

make decisions on how to best allocate their

resources and their efforts, and for the most

part, iOS development gets the nod over

macOS. With Marzipan, developers can find new

markets and revenue possibilities It could also

result in a new era of macOS development and a

surge of new Mac apps

Forget about the cringeworthy name; ESET

Cyber Security Pro is a solid anti-virus suite for Mac AV-Test (fave.co/2EVDaoR) gave ESET CSP a perfect score on

its widespread and prevalent malware test in December, the most recent test available Our own checks produced a similar result when testing

ESET Cyber Security Pro for Mac

Price: £39.99 from fave.co/2VJQBOo

RATING:

Forget about the cringeworthy name; ESET

Cyber Security Pro is a solid anti-virus suite for Mac AV-Test (fave.co/2EVDaoR) gave ESET CSP a perfect score on

its widespread and prevalent malware test in

December, the most recent test available Our

own checks produced a similar result when testing

ESET Cyber

Security Pro for Mac

Price: £39.99 from fave.co/2VJQBOo

RATING:

ESET CSP on a MacBook running macOS Mojave(AV-Test used High Sierra).

ESET had no trouble blocking most of the threats on WICAR’s test site (fave.co/2EXj11N) of prevalent web-based attacks The only issue we noticed was that ESET didn’t detect the Adobe Flash hacking team leak; however, we tested on Safari without an active Flash plug-in

Moving over to spot checks with malware from the Objective See repository, ESET immediately detected trojans, back doors, and ransomware

These threats were revealed as soon as the malware was unzipped, and ESET alerted us to the issue and began automated clean-up Depending

on the type of malware, ESET’s approach is to remove the malware code from within documents and other files as opposed to deleting the entire

ESET Cyber Security Pro’s home screen

ESET CSP on a MacBook running macOS Mojave

(AV-Test used High Sierra)

ESET had no trouble blocking most of the threats on WICAR’s test site (fave.co/2EXj11N) of

prevalent web-based attacks The only issue we

noticed was that ESET didn’t detect the Adobe

Flash hacking team leak; however, we tested on

Safari without an active Flash plug-in

Moving over to spot checks with malware from the Objective See repository, ESET immediately

detected trojans, back doors, and ransomware

These threats were revealed as soon as the

malware was unzipped, and ESET alerted us to the

issue and began automated clean-up Depending

on the type of malware, ESET’s approach is to

remove the malware code from within documents

and other files as opposed to deleting the entire

ESET Cyber Security

Pro’s home screen

thing That’s not always the case, however; ESET did at times delete entire DMG files.

Like many suites, ESET offers to scan USB drives as soon as you plug them in, and you can choose to mark some drives as safe so that ESET will not scan them when you use them in the future.ESET’s Windows protection also comes highly rated ESET Smart Security received a AAA rating from SE Labs for its July to September 2018 tests AV-Comparatives scored ESET Internet Security around 98- to 99 percent on all of its tests, while AV-Test’s most recent round of testing did not include ESET for Windows

Overall, ESET’s protection on Mac is very good and ultimately protected us from the more common malicious threats

Interface and features

ESET’s basic user interface on Mac is similar to what we’ve seen on Windows Navigation is made easy on left-hand rail with all actions carried out

in the main part of the window From the home screen ESET CSP shows green check marks for not just your computer, but also your firewall, web, and email, and there’s a parental control status indicator as well

A Pro-level security suite is nothing if it doesn’t have extra security features beyond basic scanning and real-time protection Yet there isn’t a lot here compared to ESET’s base suite The extras include

a firewall and parental control, and that’s it There’s

no password manager as many other security suites

thing That’s not always the case, however; ESET

did at times delete entire DMG files

Like many suites, ESET offers to scan USB drives as soon as you plug them in, and you can

choose to mark some drives as safe so that ESET

will not scan them when you use them in the future

ESET’s Windows protection also comes highly rated ESET Smart Security received a AAA rating

from SE Labs for its July to September 2018 tests

AV-Comparatives scored ESET Internet Security

around 98- to 99 percent on all of its tests, while

AV-Test’s most recent round of testing did not

include ESET for Windows

Overall, ESET’s protection on Mac is very good and ultimately protected us from the more

common malicious threats

Interface and features

ESET’s basic user interface on Mac is similar to

what we’ve seen on Windows Navigation is made

easy on left-hand rail with all actions carried out

in the main part of the window From the home

screen ESET CSP shows green check marks for

not just your computer, but also your firewall, web,

and email, and there’s a parental control status

indicator as well

A Pro-level security suite is nothing if it doesn’t have extra security features beyond basic scanning

and real-time protection Yet there isn’t a lot here

compared to ESET’s base suite The extras include

a firewall and parental control, and that’s it There’s

no password manager as many other security suites

offer, or a disk ‘cleaner’ like Norton Security Deluxe has for sniffing out duplicate and unnecessary files.

Pricing

ESET Security Pro for Mac is priced at £39.99 per year for a single Mac and £5 for each additional Mac up to five The price is quite high considering our current favourite Mac antivirus suite, Sophos Home Premium, is just £37.50 (fave.co/2NNMdej)

to cover 10 devices

Two other items of note in ESET CSP include the Tools and Cybersecurity Training sections The former lets you see which processes on your Mac are

accessing the network, which is nice for advanced users but a little unreadable for everyone else

We’re a little disappointed this section doesn’t include the ‘Connected Home Monitor’ available on

ESET CSP’s Tools section

offer, or a disk ‘cleaner’ like Norton Security Deluxe

has for sniffing out duplicate and unnecessary files

Pricing

ESET Security Pro for Mac is priced at £39.99 per

year for a single Mac and £5 for each additional

Mac up to five The price is quite high considering

our current favourite Mac antivirus suite, Sophos

Home Premium, is just £37.50 (fave.co/2NNMdej)

to cover 10 devices

Two other items of note in ESET CSP include the Tools and Cybersecurity Training sections The former

lets you see which processes on your Mac are

accessing the network, which is nice for advanced

users but a little unreadable for everyone else

We’re a little disappointed this section doesn’t include the ‘Connected Home Monitor’ available on

ESET CSP’s

Tools section

Windows The Windows feature lets you observe your entire home network, all the devices on it, and any potential issues Avast Security Pro on Mac has a similar feature, and these network monitors will only become more useful as more essential bits of our homes go online including lighting, thermostats, and appliances.

Cybersecurity Training, meanwhile, is a great idea to include in a security suite All it does is link to a web page on ESET’s site where you can learn about standard precautions to take against malware attacks, phishing sites, and best practices for password management, two-factor authentication, and more It’s a great idea as a resource for users unfamiliar with the basics of online security

Macworld’s buying advice

ESET Cyber Security Pro gives you all the protection you need, plus a firewall, and parental controls at a higher than normal price The extra tools aren’t much to get excited about, and we’d like

to see the current network monitor morph into the connected home feature available on the Windows version Still, the protection is solid and that’s what counts most with a security suite Ian Paul

System requirements

•OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) or later

•300MB memory consumption

•150MB disk space

Windows The Windows feature lets you observe

your entire home network, all the devices on it,

and any potential issues Avast Security Pro on

Mac has a similar feature, and these network

monitors will only become more useful as more

essential bits of our homes go online including

lighting, thermostats, and appliances

Cybersecurity Training, meanwhile, is a great idea to include in a security suite All it does is

link to a web page on ESET’s site where you

can learn about standard precautions to take

against malware attacks, phishing sites, and best

practices for password management, two-factor

authentication, and more It’s a great idea as a

resource for users unfamiliar with the basics of

online security

Macworld’s buying advice

ESET Cyber Security Pro gives you all the

protection you need, plus a firewall, and parental

controls at a higher than normal price The extra

tools aren’t much to get excited about, and we’d like

to see the current network monitor morph into the

connected home feature available on the Windows

version Still, the protection is solid and that’s what

counts most with a security suite Ian Paul

System requirements

•OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) or later

•300MB memory consumption

•150MB disk space

Alien Skin Exposure X4 is a prosumer

app targeted to photo hobbyists and enthusiasts who want to kick their photographic output up a notch or two

While the app – which works both as a standalone or a plug-into Photoshop – specializes

in raw images, it’s also compatible with a variety

of formats including Tiff, Jpeg and Psd Version

Alien Skin Exposure X4

Price: $119 (around £90) from fave.co/2EWePPO

RATING:

Alien Skin Exposure X4 is a prosumer

app targeted to photo hobbyists and enthusiasts who want to kick their photographic output up a notch or two

While the app – which works both as a

standalone or a plug-into Photoshop – specializes

in raw images, it’s also compatible with a variety

of formats including Tiff, Jpeg and Psd Version

Alien Skin Exposure X4

Price: $119 (around £90) from fave.co/2EWePPO

RATING:

X4 offers improved shadow and highlight recovery for improved detail New, customizable light

effects add drama to your compositions while new transform tools let you correct keystone tilt and other skewed perspectives

In addition to photographic features, Exposure X4’s Smart Collections let you more efficiently organize your photo library using keywords, ratings, and colours A tethered shooting feature, mostly targeted to professional photographers, lets you monitor folders and do tethered shooting directly from camera to screen

Shadows and highlights

Nothing could be easier than Exposure’s new Shadow and Highlight sliders, part of the app’s large assortment of basic and advanced editing

Alien Skin Exposure X4 interface

X4 offers improved shadow and highlight recovery

for improved detail New, customizable light

effects add drama to your compositions while new

transform tools let you correct keystone tilt and

other skewed perspectives

In addition to photographic features, Exposure X4’s Smart Collections let you more efficiently

organize your photo library using keywords, ratings,

and colours A tethered shooting feature, mostly

targeted to professional photographers, lets you

monitor folders and do tethered shooting directly

from camera to screen

Shadows and highlights

Nothing could be easier than Exposure’s new

Shadow and Highlight sliders, part of the app’s

large assortment of basic and advanced editing

Alien Skin

Exposure

X4 interface

tools Moving the sliders adjusts images in real time with immediate previews and no lag time.

As you bring out much of the hidden details in underexposed images, you can use other editing controls like Detail, Colour, Tone Curve, Lens Correction, Focus, and more to tweak photos even more Unless you do a lot of compositing, Alien Skin Exposure X4 works pretty well as a standalone image editor

Presets

Exposure is famous for its nearly three dozen analogue inspired film simulated historical preset categories – including 10 types of colour films, nine types of black and white films, Lo-Fi, Portrait Touch

Hundreds of film-based presets are the heart and soul of Exposure

tools Moving the sliders adjusts images in real time

with immediate previews and no lag time

As you bring out much of the hidden details in underexposed images, you can use other editing

controls like Detail, Colour, Tone Curve, Lens

Correction, Focus, and more to tweak photos

even more Unless you do a lot of compositing,

Alien Skin Exposure X4 works pretty well as a

standalone image editor

Presets

Exposure is famous for its nearly three dozen

analogue inspired film simulated historical preset

categories – including 10 types of colour films, nine

types of black and white films, Lo-Fi, Portrait Touch

Hundreds of film-based

presets are the heart

and soul of Exposure

Up, Graduated Filters, Bokeh, Cinema, and more with 500 presets.

You don’t have to keep clicking to sample results Just mouse over the presets to dynamically view which ones will best improve your image

With Exposure’s non-destructive layer and masking features, you can add presets to an image

as well as brush on edits and apply gradients to discrete parts of the photo

Transform and light effects

When you are shooting upwards at a tall structure, you generally encounter the keystone effect – the structure appears to be tilting away from the camera lens To correct this perspective, Exposure X4 has a new Transform section that lets you

straighten, crop, scale, and position your subject on

an X-Y axis This easy-to-use adjustment makes all buildings look the way you had intended

New Transform tools let you correct keystone distortion

Up, Graduated Filters, Bokeh, Cinema, and more

with 500 presets

You don’t have to keep clicking to sample results

Just mouse over the presets to dynamically view

which ones will best improve your image

With Exposure’s non-destructive layer and masking features, you can add presets to an image

as well as brush on edits and apply gradients to

discrete parts of the photo

Transform and light effects

When you are shooting upwards at a tall structure,

you generally encounter the keystone effect –

the structure appears to be tilting away from the

camera lens To correct this perspective, Exposure

X4 has a new Transform section that lets you

straighten, crop, scale, and position your subject on

an X-Y axis This easy-to-use adjustment makes all

buildings look the way you had intended

New Transform tools let you

correct keystone distortion

The new version also features enhanced light effects, which are easy to adjust Just choose from

a library of effects, or use positioning controls or your mouse to move or rotate various flares, glows, rays, and light leaks to different parts of the image

You can adjust their intensity and opacity, and even block off parts of the image you don’t want affected

There is no chromatic aberration tool as yet, a staple of most image editors

Organization

The new version assists with using metadata to create Smart Collections, which make it easy to cut through a mass of different kinds of images to single out landscapes, portraits, cat pictures, or whatever you select You can use metadata such

as ISO, keywords and ratings or assign keywords

as you share images from your camera card

Customizable Light Effects illuminate your scene with warmth and depth

The new version also features enhanced light effects, which are easy to adjust Just choose from

a library of effects, or use positioning controls or

your mouse to move or rotate various flares, glows,

rays, and light leaks to different parts of the image

You can adjust their intensity and opacity, and even

block off parts of the image you don’t want affected

There is no chromatic aberration tool as yet, a

staple of most image editors

Organization

The new version assists with using metadata to

create Smart Collections, which make it easy to

cut through a mass of different kinds of images to

single out landscapes, portraits, cat pictures, or

whatever you select You can use metadata such

as ISO, keywords and ratings or assign keywords

as you share images from your camera card

Customizable Light Effects

illuminate your scene with

warmth and depth

Alien Skin’s folder setup relies on the Finder for allowing access to photos from your Desktop and Documents folders without importing them into a catalogue Instead, a Bookmark feature lets you add any folder you want to use in the app as well

as monitor those folders for additional images

Because the app is targeted at more advanced users, Alien Skin assumes that users were

organizing photos in Lightroom rather than Apple Photos, and the app does not see directly into your Photos Pictures folder For those organizing in Apple’s Photos app, an undocumented workaround

You can set

up smart collections from a choice of many different criteria

Alien Skin’s folder setup relies on the Finder for allowing access to photos from your Desktop and

Documents folders without importing them into a

catalogue Instead, a Bookmark feature lets you

add any folder you want to use in the app as well

as monitor those folders for additional images

Because the app is targeted at more advanced users, Alien Skin assumes that users were

organizing photos in Lightroom rather than Apple

Photos, and the app does not see directly into your

Photos Pictures folder For those organizing in

Apple’s Photos app, an undocumented workaround

You can set

up smart collections from a choice of many different criteria

lets you peer into the desktop Photos Pictures package and then drag the Masters folder into the Finder Sidebar to make images stored in Apple Photos immediately accessible to Exposure X4 The app does not display thumbnails of videos stored with images, and they show up as inelegant blank white placeholders.

Lightroom users get an extra incentive to ditch Adobe’s subscriptions with Exposure’s new Lightroom Migration Tool, which can convert Lightroom folders to Exposure bookmarks while retaining metadata like flags, keywords, and labels

Importing images from

a camera card offers lots of naming and metadata options

lets you peer into the desktop Photos Pictures

package and then drag the Masters folder into the

Finder Sidebar to make images stored in Apple

Photos immediately accessible to Exposure X4 The

app does not display thumbnails of videos stored

with images, and they show up as inelegant blank

white placeholders

Lightroom users get an extra incentive to

ditch Adobe’s subscriptions with Exposure’s

new Lightroom Migration Tool, which can convert

Lightroom folders to Exposure bookmarks while

retaining metadata like flags, keywords, and labels

Importing images from

a camera card offers lots of naming and metadata options

Copying images from a camera card into Exposure gives you vast flexibility in naming conventions, metadata, and even the ability to automatically apply presets to the new images, but you can’t preview images before importing them.

Macworld’s buying advice

Alien Skin Exposure X4 is a streamlined, intuitive image editor with most of the editing controls you need and many more that will give your images

an artistic boost As a plug-in to Photoshop and Lightroom, Exposure gives you the choice of sticking with Adobe’s subscription-based Creative Cloud and still getting the benefit of a tremendous number of beloved film-based presets At the

same time, it also offers a viable alternative to Lightroom, which recently made the transition from standalone perpetual licence to joining the subscription family Jackie Dove

System requirements

•OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) or later

•An Intel Core 2 processor with SSE4 support or compatible

•A monitor with 1280×768 resolution or greater

Copying images from a camera card into Exposure gives you vast flexibility in naming

conventions, metadata, and even the ability to

automatically apply presets to the new images, but

you can’t preview images before importing them

Macworld’s buying advice

Alien Skin Exposure X4 is a streamlined, intuitive

image editor with most of the editing controls you

need and many more that will give your images

an artistic boost As a plug-in to Photoshop and

Lightroom, Exposure gives you the choice of

sticking with Adobe’s subscription-based Creative

Cloud and still getting the benefit of a tremendous

number of beloved film-based presets At the

same time, it also offers a viable alternative to

Lightroom, which recently made the transition

from standalone perpetual licence to joining the

subscription family Jackie Dove

If you’ve ever used a app that accepts an audio

input and was frustrated that you can specify only one piece of audio hardware, or if you’ve wanted to route the sound output of an app into

a Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts, or other conversation, Rogue Amoeba’s Loopback is the program you need The latest version improves significantly on its predecessor, which itself was quite powerful

Loopback 2

Price: $119 (around £90) from fave.co/2tV4xZQ

RATING:

If you’ve ever used a app that accepts an audio

input and was frustrated that you can specify

only one piece of audio hardware, or if you’ve

wanted to route the sound output of an app into

a Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts, or other

conversation, Rogue Amoeba’s Loopback is the

program you need The latest version improves

significantly on its predecessor, which itself was

quite powerful

Loopback 2

Price: $119 (around £90) from fave.co/2tV4xZQ

RATING:

The app lets you combine hardware audio – like mics and line input – with the audio output of apps and system-level components, like Text-to-Speech,

to create virtual audio devices A combined audio device appears as a single item you can select as

an input in programs like GarageBand or Skype You can also select it as an output device, too, playing into the virtual audio equipment system audio or the sound out of apps that allow audio output selection

Version 2 simplifies the previous interface, making it easier to connect audio sources and providing you with a better view of how you’ve configured a virtual audio device at a glance It also adds volume controls for every component

in an audio workflow, which lets you really mix the

A typical configuration lets you route the output of multiple apps into a single device that you could use to record or pass to another app

The app lets you combine hardware audio – like mics and line input – with the audio output of apps

and system-level components, like Text-to-Speech,

to create virtual audio devices A combined audio

device appears as a single item you can select as

an input in programs like GarageBand or Skype You

can also select it as an output device, too, playing

into the virtual audio equipment system audio or the

sound out of apps that allow audio output selection

Version 2 simplifies the previous interface, making it easier to connect audio sources and

providing you with a better view of how you’ve

configured a virtual audio device at a glance It

also adds volume controls for every component

in an audio workflow, which lets you really mix the

A typical configuration lets you route the output of multiple apps into a single device that you could use to record or pass to another app

sound together instead of have to control it from the source – often not a possibility – or dealing with out-of-balance levels.

Loopback can be used in both extremely simple and complicated ways, and it benefits from practical examples Here are a few

•Taking the output of a tab in Safari that’s playing cable channel news and recording it through QuickTime player

•With multiple USB mics attached, combining their input to feed into a FaceTime call

•Managing a call with people across multiple Internet audio apps, like audio calls within Slack and Google Hangouts, so that you and everyone can hear each other

•On a podcast with remote guests, where you want

to have background music, live music, or snippets

You can even capture Siri talking

sound together instead of have to control it from

the source – often not a possibility – or dealing

with out-of-balance levels

Loopback can be used in both extremely

simple and complicated ways, and it benefits from

practical examples Here are a few

•Taking the output of a tab in Safari that’s playing

cable channel news and recording it through

QuickTime player

•With multiple USB mics attached, combining their

input to feed into a FaceTime call

•Managing a call with people across multiple

Internet audio apps, like audio calls within Slack

and Google Hangouts, so that you and everyone

can hear each other

•On a podcast with remote guests, where you want

to have background music, live music, or snippets

You can even capture Siri talking

play during the recording that everyone on the connection can hear just as you can.

That scratches the surface But if none of these uses remind you of tasks you’ve tried to manage

or want to do, Loopback likely doesn’t meet your interests

One step shy of literally ‘plug and play’

Setting up Loopback is a simple matter, made more visual and easier to understand in version 2 You click a ‘+’ to create a new virtual device, then select sources A drop-down menu shows all running apps and connected audio input devices Hold down the Alt key and a Running Processes menu item appears, letting you select the audio output of anything currently running in the foreground as an app or in the background as a system process or agent – this includes Siri and other parts of macOS that produces audio or ‘speaks’

Every new device automatically includes Thru, which lets it be used as an audio input as well

Pass-as a combined output, useful for apps that let you choose a specific audio output device For example, you might want to dump the output from an audio editor program as the input of a Skype call, so someone else could listen to changes and approve them as you edit

Loopback 2 supports up to 64 channels of passthrough audio, letting you take up to 64 input channels (32 stereo channels) and pipe to any combination of up to 64 output channels That is a

play during the recording that everyone on the connection can hear just as you can

That scratches the surface But if none of these uses remind you of tasks you’ve tried to manage

or want to do, Loopback likely doesn’t meet your

interests

One step shy of literally ‘plug and play’

Setting up Loopback is a simple matter, made more

visual and easier to understand in version 2 You

click a ‘+’ to create a new virtual device, then select

sources A drop-down menu shows all running apps

and connected audio input devices Hold down

the Alt key and a Running Processes menu item

appears, letting you select the audio output of

anything currently running in the foreground as an

app or in the background as a system process or

agent – this includes Siri and other parts of macOS

that produces audio or ‘speaks’

Every new device automatically includes Thru, which lets it be used as an audio input as well

Pass-as a combined output, useful for apps that let you

choose a specific audio output device For example,

you might want to dump the output from an audio

editor program as the input of a Skype call, so

someone else could listen to changes and approve

them as you edit

Loopback 2 supports up to 64 channels of passthrough audio, letting you take up to 64 input

channels (32 stereo channels) and pipe to any

combination of up to 64 output channels That is a

heck of a lot The previous limit was already quite high at 32, and clearly some users asked for more

With large recording projects using a lot of mics or other sources, Loopback could allow a producer

or mixer to bypass more expensive software

You can monitor outputs, too, which is useful when you’re plugging them into places that aren’t playing the results as well, or where you want to listen to a combined set of audio without routing it

to a program You could pipe simultaneous calls you linked together, as in one of the above examples, and then use a monitor to listen to them all on a headphone output

An Alt-click gains access to everything running on a Mac, including hidden agents

heck of a lot The previous limit was already quite

high at 32, and clearly some users asked for more

With large recording projects using a lot of mics or

other sources, Loopback could allow a producer

or mixer to bypass more expensive software

You can monitor outputs, too, which is useful

when you’re plugging them into places that aren’t

playing the results as well, or where you want to

listen to a combined set of audio without routing it

to a program You could pipe simultaneous calls you

linked together, as in one of the above examples,

and then use a monitor to listen to them all on a

headphone output

An Alt-click gains access to everything running on a Mac, including hidden agents

The graphical approach in version 2 lets you drag output connections almost like you’re grabbing audio cables and plugging them into different jacks This can get a little tricky

in three ways before you get fully used to

it First, you always drag a new wire from the output channel

‘jack’ of a source to

an output channel,

or from an output channel to a monitor

You cannot drag to move the link from

an input side, which seems like a logical and intuitive action – except it isn’t supported

Secondly, you can route an output to multiple inputs, dragging repeatedly from the same output jack But dragging a new ‘wire’ doesn’t re-reroute existing connections, even though that might also seem logical Finally, to avoid accidental deletion

of audio routing, when you select a route and it highlights by thickening its line, pressing Delete on its own doesn’t remove it Instead, you have to use Command-Delete

I’m sure some people need this many channels, and if so, Loopback is there for them

The graphical approach in version 2

lets you drag output

connections almost

like you’re grabbing

audio cables and

plugging them into

different jacks This

can get a little tricky

in three ways before

you get fully used to

it First, you always

drag a new wire from

the output channel

‘jack’ of a source to

an output channel,

or from an output

channel to a monitor

You cannot drag to

move the link from

an input side, which

seems like a logical and intuitive action – except it

isn’t supported

Secondly, you can route an output to multiple inputs, dragging repeatedly from the same output

jack But dragging a new ‘wire’ doesn’t re-reroute

existing connections, even though that might also

seem logical Finally, to avoid accidental deletion

of audio routing, when you select a route and it

highlights by thickening its line, pressing Delete on

its own doesn’t remove it Instead, you have to use

Command-Delete

I’m sure some people need this many channels, and if so, Loopback is there for them

Loopback pairs neatly with two other Rogue Amoeba products: Audio Hijack ($71, around

£54), which has a few feature overlaps, and Farrago ($59, around £45), a soundboard that lets you store and play sound effects and audio snippets Audio Hijack includes recording and effect options, and is aimed more at a front-to-back audio-capture process Loopback makes it easier

to create and control sets of devices to feed into Audio Hijack, however, and make them available system-wide Farrago can be just another sound source into a Loopback interface Rogue Amoeba has two bundles that reduce the cost: Loopback and Audio Hijack for $156 (around £119) and those two apps plus Farrago and its Fission simple

audio editor for $210 (around £160)

Macworld’s buying advice

Loopback 2 offers significant improvements over the initial release across the board, even though version 1 was quite useful and good The interface change to allow a more visual drag-and-drop approach helps considerably, as does exposing Pass-Thru as yet another element in sources The addition of volumes controls for setting balance is completely invaluable

Apple didn’t include robust audio routing and mixing controls in macOS, and it’s hard to blame the company for that, because only a small subset

of Mac users need them Loopback bridges that gap, although its price tag aims the product at audio professionals, podcasters with a budget, or

Loopback pairs neatly with two other Rogue

Amoeba products: Audio Hijack ($71, around

£54), which has a few feature overlaps, and

Farrago ($59, around £45), a soundboard that

lets you store and play sound effects and audio

snippets Audio Hijack includes recording and

effect options, and is aimed more at a front-to-back

audio-capture process Loopback makes it easier

to create and control sets of devices to feed into

Audio Hijack, however, and make them available

system-wide Farrago can be just another sound

source into a Loopback interface Rogue Amoeba

has two bundles that reduce the cost: Loopback

and Audio Hijack for $156 (around £119) and those

two apps plus Farrago and its Fission simple

audio editor for $210 (around £160)

Macworld’s buying advice

Loopback 2 offers significant improvements over

the initial release across the board, even though

version 1 was quite useful and good The interface

change to allow a more visual drag-and-drop

approach helps considerably, as does exposing

Pass-Thru as yet another element in sources The

addition of volumes controls for setting balance is

completely invaluable

Apple didn’t include robust audio routing and

mixing controls in macOS, and it’s hard to blame

the company for that, because only a small subset

of Mac users need them Loopback bridges that

gap, although its price tag aims the product at

audio professionals, podcasters with a budget, or

business users It’s not a casual tool, but it can be vital and affordable for those for whom this review left them pumping their fists Glenn Fleishman

System requirements

•Mac OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) or later

business users It’s not a casual tool, but it can be

vital and affordable for those for whom this review

left them pumping their fists Glenn Fleishman

System requirements

•Mac OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) or later

Abattery case offers double protection,

from physical knocks and drops to saving your anguish when the phone’s battery starts fading fast Apple didn’t release a case for the iPhone X, leaving the market open to Chinese manufacturers Indeed, it didn’t

Apple iPhone XR/XS/XS Max Smart Battery Case

Price: £129 from fave.co/2u1wFLd

RATING:

Abattery case offers double protection,

from physical knocks and drops to saving your anguish when the phone’s battery starts fading fast Apple didn’t release a case for the iPhone X, leaving the market

open to Chinese manufacturers Indeed, it didn’t

Apple iPhone XR/XS/XS

Max Smart Battery Case

Price: £129 from fave.co/2u1wFLd

RATING:

officially release one for its iPhone 8, although the Apple Smart Battery Case for iPhone 7 did fit the 8.More than a year later, Apple has finally

addressed the situation for its latest Smart Battery Case It looks like the firm’s previous offering, with the humpback and clever charging routine

Compatibility

The Smart Battery Case for iPhone XS will fit the older iPhone X, which has the same dimensions The camera bump on the XS is slightly bigger than

it is on the iPhone X, but the X fits this battery case just fine The models for the iPhone XS Max

and XR, which are physically larger, and therefore compatible with only those models

Price

The Apple Smart Battery Case is expensive The XS, XS Max and XR models are all priced at £129 Previous Apple battery cases cost £99, which was eye-watering enough

Power tool

The battery capacity seems small at just 1,369mAh (10.1Wh), compared to some third-party cases at 3,000mAh

or more It did give nearly a full recharge to an iPhone below 10 percent charge, which is on a par with cases with more impressive statistics

officially release one for its iPhone 8, although the

Apple Smart Battery Case for iPhone 7 did fit the 8

More than a year later, Apple has finally addressed the situation for its latest Smart Battery

Case It looks like the firm’s previous offering, with

the humpback and clever charging routine

Compatibility

The Smart Battery Case for iPhone XS will fit the

older iPhone X, which has the same dimensions

The camera bump on the XS is slightly bigger than

it is on the iPhone X, but the X fits this battery

case just fine The models for the iPhone XS Max

and XR, which are physically larger, and therefore compatible with only those models

Price

The Apple Smart Battery Case is expensive The XS, XS Max and XR models are all priced at £129 Previous Apple battery cases cost £99, which was eye-watering enough

Power tool

The battery capacity seems small at just 1,369mAh (10.1Wh), compared to some third-party cases at 3,000mAh

or more It did give nearly a full recharge to an iPhone below 10 percent charge, which is on a par with cases with more impressive statistics

Testing the iPhone XS case, we waited till the handset was at 1 percent charge before putting it in the Smart Battery Case It then powered the phone back up to 90 percent – enough, we judge, to get you to the next charging opportunity.

Apple has improved its Smart Battery Case

by making it compatible with Qi-certified wireless chargers, so there’s no need to remove the iPhone for wireless charging Both charge simultaneously

In fact, this is one of the charging processes that

we like so much about Apple’s battery cases The iPhone will always charge via the case while it has power You don’t need to physically press a button

to draw that power when the iPhone is fading

The case battery will automatically be used first until it reaches 0 percent, then it simply switches

to the iPhone’s battery power Keeping the phone

at 100 percent charge might seem damaging, but the case manages the power output in a way that doesn’t harm the battery Remember this is an Apple accessory working with an Apple device

This means you get the extra hours (Apple claims talk time is increased to 33 hours, and Internet

use to 21 hours) without having to think about it or suddenly lose all power and have to wait for the case’s battery to be alerted

Battery status of both the Smart Case and the iPhone itself are displayed on the iPhone Lock screen and in the Notification Centre, so you can see exactly how much charge you have left

The case can also be charged faster with a charger rather than wirelessly

Testing the iPhone XS case, we waited till the

handset was at 1 percent charge before putting it in

the Smart Battery Case It then powered the phone

back up to 90 percent – enough, we judge, to get

you to the next charging opportunity

Apple has improved its Smart Battery Case

by making it compatible with Qi-certified wireless

chargers, so there’s no need to remove the iPhone

for wireless charging Both charge simultaneously

In fact, this is one of the charging processes that

we like so much about Apple’s battery cases The

iPhone will always charge via the case while it has

power You don’t need to physically press a button

to draw that power when the iPhone is fading

The case battery will automatically be used first

until it reaches 0 percent, then it simply switches

to the iPhone’s battery power Keeping the phone

at 100 percent charge might seem damaging, but

the case manages the power output in a way that

doesn’t harm the battery Remember this is an

Apple accessory working with an Apple device

This means you get the extra hours (Apple claims

talk time is increased to 33 hours, and Internet

use to 21 hours) without having to think about it or

suddenly lose all power and have to wait for the

case’s battery to be alerted

Battery status of both the Smart Case and the

iPhone itself are displayed on the iPhone Lock

screen and in the Notification Centre, so you can

see exactly how much charge you have left

The case can also be charged faster with a

charger rather than wirelessly

Phone protection

While tough and robust, the silky, the silicone exterior feels great A soft elastomer hinge design makes it easy to put the case on and take it off – so

no perilous bending or two-part disassembling that some cases put you through If you’re the sort of person who prefers their iPhone naked, adding this case will save its investment with just one slip of your hand and a hard surface below Some might scoff at the humpback design, and this case will add bulk to your slimline iPhone, but you bought

it for extra power and protection, not looks In

my opinion, it looks just fine, and so it should at the price Inside, there is a soft microfibre lining

to stop your iPhone getting scratched when you remove it or slide it in

Macworld’s buying advice

Yes, at £129 it’s significantly more expensive than other battery cases, but it is the best we have tested and comes with Apple’s trusted credentials

If you just need a battery case for occasional long journeys, then maybe save and buy one of our other (much cheaper) recommended non-Apple cases But if it’s going to be your forever case, then it’s worth saving up for the real thing Simon Jary

Phone protection

While tough and robust, the silky, the silicone

exterior feels great A soft elastomer hinge design

makes it easy to put the case on and take it off – so

no perilous bending or two-part disassembling that

some cases put you through If you’re the sort of

person who prefers their iPhone naked, adding this

case will save its investment with just one slip of

your hand and a hard surface below Some might

scoff at the humpback design, and this case will

add bulk to your slimline iPhone, but you bought

it for extra power and protection, not looks In

my opinion, it looks just fine, and so it should at

the price Inside, there is a soft microfibre lining

to stop your iPhone getting scratched when you

remove it or slide it in

Macworld’s buying advice

Yes, at £129 it’s significantly more expensive than

other battery cases, but it is the best we have

tested and comes with Apple’s trusted credentials

If you just need a battery case for occasional long

journeys, then maybe save and buy one of our other

(much cheaper) recommended non-Apple cases

But if it’s going to be your forever case, then it’s

worth saving up for the real thing Simon Jary

Mac buyer’s guide

When it comes to buying a Mac, we’ve got the lowdown on each model to help you make a decision Roman Loyola reports

If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re

thinking about buying a new Mac and may be in need of a little guidance Fortunately, we’re quite familiar with Apple’s Macs, and we’re happy to help you choose the right Mac for you This buying guide provides an overview of all the Mac models available, and what each model is best suited for

MacBook Air

The MacBook Air is Apple’s affordable line of laptops Three 13in models are currently available

Mac buyer’s guide

When it comes to buying a Mac, we’ve got the lowdown on

each model to help you make a decision Roman Loyola reports

If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re

thinking about buying a new Mac and may be in need of a little guidance Fortunately, we’re quite familiar with Apple’s Macs, and we’re happy to help you choose the right Mac for you This buying

guide provides an overview of all the Mac models

available, and what each model is best suited for

MacBook Air

The MacBook Air is Apple’s affordable line of

laptops Three 13in models are currently available

It’s ideal for the budget conscious, or for anyone who is always on the go, doesn’t want to be

bogged down by a regular-size laptop, and needs a computer that’s more versatile than an iPad

Specifications

Two of the Air models have the same 1.6GHz core Core i5 (eighth-generation) processor and 8GB of RAM All MacBook Air models come with integrated Intel UHD Graphics 617 technology

dual-Apple claims 12 hours of battery life for both wireless web and 13 hours iTunes movie playback.The main difference between the laptops is storage The £1,199 option (available from fave.

co/2QyLHAS) has 128GB of flash storage, while the £1,399 model (available from fave.co/2VFxRiQ) has 256GB

The £949 Air (available from fave.co/2SFSzyg) has a 1.8GHz dual-core Core i5 (fifth-generation) processor, 8GB of RAM, and integrated Intel HD Graphics 6000 Apple claims 12 hours of battery life for both wireless web and iTunes movie playback

Connectivity

The MacBook Air has built-in Wi-Fi for connecting

to a network It also provides built-in Bluetooth for wirelessly connecting a mouse or other peripheral

If you want to connect to an ethernet network, you’ll need an adaptor

The £1,199 and £1,399 models have only a pair

of Thunderbolt 3/USB-C connectors If you want to connect USB-A devices, you need either a USB-C

It’s ideal for the budget conscious, or for anyone

who is always on the go, doesn’t want to be

bogged down by a regular-size laptop, and needs a

computer that’s more versatile than an iPad

Specifications

Two of the Air models have the same 1.6GHz

dual-core Core i5 (eighth-generation) processor and

8GB of RAM All MacBook Air models come with

integrated Intel UHD Graphics 617 technology

Apple claims 12 hours of battery life for both

wireless web and 13 hours iTunes movie playback

The main difference between the laptops is storage The £1,199 option (available from fave.

co/2QyLHAS) has 128GB of flash storage, while

the £1,399 model (available from fave.co/2VFxRiQ)

has 256GB

The £949 Air (available from fave.co/2SFSzyg) has a 1.8GHz dual-core Core i5 (fifth-generation)

processor, 8GB of RAM, and integrated Intel HD

Graphics 6000 Apple claims 12 hours of battery life

for both wireless web and iTunes movie playback

Connectivity

The MacBook Air has built-in Wi-Fi for connecting

to a network It also provides built-in Bluetooth for

wirelessly connecting a mouse or other peripheral

If you want to connect to an ethernet network,

you’ll need an adaptor

The £1,199 and £1,399 models have only a pair

of Thunderbolt 3/USB-C connectors If you want to

connect USB-A devices, you need either a USB-C

to USB adaptor, like Apple’s £19 one (available from fave.co/2LsHOf9), or a USB-C hub that has USB-A ports.

On the £949 MacBook Air, Thunderbolt 2 is the MacBook Air’s high-speed connector This laptop also has a pair of USB 3.0 ports, which can work with devices that use USB 2.0 If you have a FireWire 800 drive, you’ll need to buy

a Thunderbolt-to-FireWire Adaptor (£29 from

to USB adaptor, like Apple’s £19 one (available

from fave.co/2LsHOf9), or a USB-C hub that

has USB-A ports

On the £949 MacBook Air, Thunderbolt 2 is the MacBook Air’s high-speed connector This

laptop also has a pair of USB 3.0 ports, which

can work with devices that use USB 2.0 If you

have a FireWire 800 drive, you’ll need to buy

a Thunderbolt-to-FireWire Adaptor (£29 from

fave.co/2tT0RIc)

Performance

The MacBook Air is quite capable of handling

everyday tasks, such as sending and receiving

The MacBook Air is a

great affordable laptop