hello (again)

2026 is here and with all kinds of

Mac FORMAT

MacFormat, Future, Quay House, The Ambury Bath, BA1

Apple is going back to Intel chips, but not in the way you think

Rumour claims the two firms are reuniting after a lengthy break

Google jailbreaks AirDrop to work cross-platform with Android

Quick and easy sharing across devices

Apple chooses the best apps and games of the year

Awards handed out for App Store excellence

Apps & games

APP OF THE MONTH [ MAC APP] Moonlock

Media Picks

What you should be playing and reading this month

Crave

THE GEAR WE’RE LUSTING AFTER

John-Anthony Disotto…

LOVES THE MULTITASKING ABILITY OF iPADOS 26, BUT THINKS THAT APPLE NEEDS TO PUT MORE EFFORT INTO EXPLAINING HOW IT ALL WORKS

Apple Fitness+ in NUMBERS

They key facts and stats behind Apple’s workout service

Apple in 2026

Apple is about to have one of its best ever years, according to rumours swirling around Cupertino

50 GREAT FREE APPS!

for Mac, iPhone, iPad & Apple Watch

Master Apple shortcuts

The modifier keys enable you to use shortcuts

Rediscover albums with Longplay

Fall in love with your albums all over again with this amazing music player

Keep your email addresses safe

Shield your email from the long arm of the spam

Soundtrack your iPhone movies

Use iMovie’s suite of audio-enhancing tools to add slick soundtracks

Search any website – fast!

Find your favourite websites faster than ever

What’s new in iOS and iPadOS 26.1

Discover the key changes and OS tweaks

Create retro pixel art

Make your photos look like vintage graphics

Make your ideal web browser

Make online life easy by making your web browser work your way

Set up multiple timers on iOS

Discover timers done right

Neural Accelerators

New M5 chip includes Neural Accelerators on the GPU but what do they do?

GENIUS TIPS

EXPERT ADVICE Our resident genius solves your Mac

Quick-fire questions

How waterproof is my iPad? > Although almost

iOS software

Swipe away your touchscreen troubles and rekindle your love of Apple’s mobile devices

Quick-fire questions

What is the clock speed of an M5

Mac hardware

We help to solve your hardware hassles, from interrupted upgrades to running diagnostics

Add more trackpad gestures

BetterTouchTool offers the ultimate trackpad customisation, and can

Calibrate a MacBook Pro display

Without an expensive calibration instrument, all you can

Quick-fire questions

What can I replace Spotlight with for local

Repair Photos libraries

Resolving riddles and restrictions with what you want to run on your Mac

Strip hidden .DS_Store files

Like all good compression utilities, Keka from the

Search text in document images

Q I keep thousands of images of printed

NEW MAC

Discover the easiest and fastest ways to transfer your dusty old data to a box-fresh Mac

Back up your old Mac

Be sure to protect your data by making a copy of everything on your Mac

5 Best backup drives

External drives offer a better backup solution than

Manage your Mac before moving

There’s a good chance you won’t want to

BEST BACKUP APPS

Time Machine makes backing up easy but it’s

Migrate to your new Mac

Transfer your stuff with ease with the help of Apple’s Migration Assistant

Settling in to your new Mac home

Most of your digital belongings are safe and well, but you’re not finished yet

THE ULTIMATE APPLE FITNESS GUIDE

Apple’s devices are not just getting faster, in combination with a range of apps they are also helping you to get fitter

Boost health and fitness with your iPhone

Set goals, move smarter and perform better

Boost your health and fitness with your Watch

Turn effort into insight and keep going

TOP 5 Fitness apps

Fiit: Workouts & Fitness Plans > Free (with

HOW TO Start your first workout

1 Set your goal Open the Workout app

HOW TO Keep yourself motivated

1 Check out the Alerts Before starting a

HOW TO Maintain your momentum

1 Workout to music Find you keep going

Our ratings

A truly exceptional product. Award given solely at

Best home printers & all-in-ones Studio Display

We put six all-round home models through their printing paces

Samsung Odyssey OLED G81SF

Bold, colourful 4K display with the latest OLED tech

Ruark MR1 Mk3

High-end desktop speakers with plenty of power

reMarkable Paper Pro Move

Taking notes in 21st century style!

Affinity by Canva

A complete creative studio for zero cost

DJI Mic 3

A small but powerful mini wireless microphone setup

Signature Slim Solar+ wireless keyboard K980

A comfortable, full-size keyboard that’s always good to go

Satechi OntheGo Bluetooth Mouse

An affordable, go-anywhere mouse

Twelve South PowerBug

An interesting take on a wireless charger

Chants of Sennaar

Work your way beyond being lost in translation

OneOdio Focus A6

Affordable over-ear headphones with noise cancellation

Arlo Essential 3 2K Pan- Tilt Security Camera

A versatile outdoor security camera – but the price is disappointing

6 apps for Staying healthy in 2026

Feel better than ever

iMac

From £1,299

Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad

From £179 Apple’s extended keyboard boasts Touch ID

Apple Magic Mouse

From £79'

Apple Magic Trackpad

From £129

MacBook Air

From £999

TV 4K

From £149

Mac mini

From £599

Apple HomePod/ HomePod mini

£299 / £99

Watch Series 11/Ultra 3/SE 3

From £219

MacBook Pro

From £1,599

Mac Studio

£2,099 The Mac Studio received an update in

iPad/mini

EXPECTED MAR 2026 UPDATED MAR 2025 iPad (11th

iPad Air

From £599

iPad Pro

From £999

Apple Smart Folio

From £59

Apple Pencil/Apple Pencil Pro

From £79

Apple Magic Keyboard

From £299

iPhone 17

From £799

iPhone 17 Pro/ Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro, From £1,099 iPhone 17 Pro Max, From £1,199

iPhone Air

iPhone Air, From £999

Apple Vision Pro

£3,199

Apple AirPods Pro 3/ AirPods 4/AirPods Max

£219 /From £129 / £499

BEST BUYS…

EXTERNAL DRIVE SanDisk Desk Drive From £319.99 westerndigital.com

BEST BUYS… Third-party Mac apps

TEXT EDITOR BBEdit 15 $59.99 (about £60 )

BEST BUYS… Third-party iPhone, iPad & Watch apps

VIDEO EDITOR (iOS/iPadOS) Final Cut Pro for iPad

One more thing Apple Intelligence

Apple has promised a big AI update in 2026, and Graham Barlow feels nervous