LETTER OF THE MONTH

NEW IS NOT “NEW” ANYMORE

ARE WE STARTING to feel the long–term effects

THE TEAM

Matt Lochrie Art Editor Matt’s favorite product from

HomePod is back

Smart speaker revived with “breakthrough sound and intelligence”

News in brief

A bite of the Apple

> THE SHIFT

MATT BOLTON thinks that in a world where phone upgrades can’t be exciting anymore, maybe they should be boring

CRAVE

THE BEST GEAR FROM THIS YEAR’S SUPER TECH SHOW

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO APPLE MUSIC

Take back control ofyour music collection, with our in–depth guide to the Music app for Mac and beyond…

Your music library

Import and manage your personal audio collection

Sync your songs across all devices

How to store your music with Sync Library

Listen your way

Become a Music genius — we show you how!

Worth your money?

Why should you consider subscribing to an Apple Music plan?

Buy music on the iTunes Store

Avoid monthly fees and own all of your favorite tracks

History of Apple Gaming

With Apple now in its fifth decade, we explore key products from its history, the impact they had on the gaming industry, and the sometimes surprising impact that gaming had on Apple itself

REVIEWS

TOUGH TESTING, TRUSTED RATINGS

MacBook Pro 16–inch (2023)

A productivity beast, but don’t sweat it 2021 MBP fans

Mac mini (2023)

Apple has maximized the potential of its mini

The best C D/DV D drives for the modern Mac

No optical disc drive? No problem, check out our pick of the best drives to keep those discs spinning on modern Macs

Bowers & Wilkins Px8

The Px8 headphones bring the fight to rival AirPods Max, with even better audio quality and longer batter life

Creative Pebble Pro

Proof that big things come in small packages

Amazon Echo Studio

With its sound revamped to make it even more immersive than ever, Amazon’s most powerful smart speaker has a lot to offer

THE BEST NOTE–TAKING APPS FOR MAC

Apple may have improved its Notes app, but there are plenty of other options if it’s not for you

AGENDA

A note–taking app that will keep you focused and help with managing your day

Affinity Photo 2

Serif’s powerful editing app gets a serious update

CrossOver 22

Run (some) PC apps on your Mac without Windows

To help with your spring cleaning

Clear out the clutter and keep your home organized

Best of the best

Can’t find the hardware or app you’re looking for in our reviews section? Then check in here — we’ve highlighted the best in every major category, as voted for by us

WATCH ULTRA

How to get the most out of Apple’s smartest, most durable Watch ever

FIND YOUR WAY

The Wayfinder watch face is only available on the Ultra and is designed to aid you when undertaking more extreme adventures, and especially in adverse conditions. The face is laden with data, but still easy to read no matter the conditions.

CUSTOMIZE WAYFINDER

Almost all Apple Watch faces can be tweaked to your preferences, but for the Wayfinder it is especially important. The layout can become very crowded, and because it is a face you’ll need during harsh activities, you should spend time making it work for you.

TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF PRECISION DUAL‐FREQUENCY GPS

The L1 standard is the oldest GPS and contains two codes, and the L5 standard is designed for high–performance needs — together they make a formidable team to help the Ultra provide the best possible location data at all times.

TAKE THE BATTERY EVEN FURTHER

The Ultra offers twice as much battery performance as all other Apple Watches and this goes a long way to justifying the extra size of the device. Plus with Low Power Mode activated, you can almost double the battery life again.

TRACKING BACK TO YOUR SAFE POSITION

The Ultra is marketed as an adventure watch, and when you are exploring a location with very few people around it helps a great deal to know where safety is — this is where the clever Backtrack function will come in extremely handy.

TRACK YOUR CYCLE WITH THE TEMPERATURE SENSORS

The Apple Watch Ultra includes two temperature sensors that can be used to measure skin temperature. This can in turn be utilized to help keep track of your ovulation cycle, so it could be crucial in the right circumstances.

MORE WORKOUT DATA WHILE YOU EXERCISE

The larger Ultra display enables you to view more metrics at the same time, and in a way that still makes each one instantly understandable. With the Ultra, the information flow and display of real–time data is even smoother.

STAY ULTRA SAFE

The Ultra takes your safety many steps further with a selection of easy–to–use features that could actually save your life one day. Through hardware innovation and software that fits your needs, Apple has added some big functionality in a small space.

HOW DEEP IS YOUR DIVE?

The Depth app is designed to start working from the moment the Ultra is submerged. You need to enable “Auto–Launch App” in Settings > General where the Depth app will be listed, and from this point on it will kick in the moment the Watch is under water.

IMPROVED HEALTH TRACKING

It is undeniable how focused Apple has been in protecting the health of its users. As the health–tracking features become more honed you can start to have more trust in the results, to the point that serious illnesses may even be spotted much earlier.

CELLULAR CHANGES EVERYTHING

All Ultra Watches have cellular functionality built in, and there’s so much you can do without ever taking your iPhone out of your pocket. With low monthly prices, a longer battery and a bigger screen, it could be time to leave your phone at home more often.

THE ACTION BUTTON

The new Action button on the Ultra is the first new input mechanism on an Apple Watch since it was originally launched. It can be used in emergency situations or for extremely quick access to a task you need very often.

THE BEST FEATURES REMAIN, AND SOME ARE EVEN BETTER

The more powerful battery and improved GPS mean that you can enjoy the classic Apple Watch features even more on the Ultra. The device is fast becoming a tool that can handle the majority of your digital needs no matter how busy your days are.

TOUGHER THAN EVER

A watch by its nature will be prone to knocks and scrapes, and this is magnified when it is used in harsh environments. The Ultra Watch is designed for outdoor adventures and the build quality is obvious from the moment you unbox it.

A GENUINE DIVE COMPUTER

The Oceanic+ app will effectively turn the Ultra into a fully fledged dive computer and bring with it a host of features to keep you safe. It has the potential to replace expensive standalone equipment and to completely change the way you dive.

SUPERIOR SPECIFICATIONS

The main reason to purchase an Apple Watch Ultra over the previous offerings, or even the Series 8, is because of the improved specs. These work together to make the Ultra more usable in a variety of conditions, and they add a great deal to the value.

macOS patches

EXPERT ADVICE Our resident genius solves your Mac

> First Aid from the top or bottom?

When running Disk Utility’s First Aid, which should I check first: the disk, or its volumes?

> Reconnect to your mobile network

After I updated my iPhone XR to iOS 16.1.1, it shows No Service as its status. How can I reconnect it to its network?

Quick–fire questions & answers

WHY DOES CONTINUITY CAMERA SOMETIMES LOSE WI–FI CONNECTION?

> Connect a video projector

I’m due to give a talk in Keynote using my M1 MacBook Pro with a video projector. How can my Mac connect to that projector?

> macOS Ventura printer error

After upgrading my Mac to Ventura, trying to connect it to my Epson XP–750 printer fails with an odd error. Is it now incompatible?

> Missing Target Display

My iMac 27–inch running High Sierra won’t connect to my M1 MacBook Air using Target Display mode. What am I missing?

> Find proper movie files

When I use Find in a Finder window to look for movies, why do I see .ts files? How can I remove them from those results?

> Lost accented characters

When I updated macOS, I lost the ability to enter accented vowels in all my apps. How can I restore that?

> Permissions gone haywire

After a file–sharing session, permissions on files in my Home folder have gone haywire, and I’m asked to authenticate before I can move them. How can I return them to normal?

Master login items on Mac

The Login Items feature gets an important makeover in macOS Ventura

Manage duplicate images

Discover and sort duplicate clips and stills for a cleaner Photos library

Make the most of Notes

Discover all the new and useful features on offer in the Notes app

How to use Live Text

Edit and translate image text on your iPhone

Type smarter on–screen

Set up shortcuts, send images, and more with Apple’s on–screen keyboard

Grading on the go

How to give your colors, tones and composition a cinematic makeover

Control the Home app from Mac

The long–neglected Home app finally gets a welcome revamp for macOS Ventura — we take a look at what’s new

Master complications

Complications in watchOS 9 make your Apple Watch even more “you”

Matter — the allied standard

The smart home tech of the future is coming to Apple devices