TOUGHENING UP YOUR MAC

I started writing this month’s ed’s intro with

> THE SHIFT

MATT BOLTON gazes into his crystal HomePod mini to make some 2022 predictions for Apple’s line–up

LETTER OF THE MONTH

I migrated to macOS from Linux and Windows.

Apple acts against AirTag abuse

Extra safeguards against “unwanted tracking”

> Tap to Pay on iPhone

IT WILL SOON be possible to accept contactless

News in brief

A bite of the Apple

CRAVE

THE GEAR WE’RE LUSTING AFTER

Do more with iCloud

iCloud brings all your Apple devices together in beautiful harmony. Here’s how to make the most of it

Make your Mac more accessible

(and your other devices too)

Master Accessibility on Mac Part 1

Here’s how to use VoiceOver and zoom and hover on your Mac

Master Accessibility on Mac Part 2

Control your Mac with your voice or type to ask Siri

Master Accessibility on iPhone and iPad

Here’s a rundown of the accessibility features in iOS and iPadOS

REVIEWS

TOUGH TESTING, TRUSTED RATINGS

POWER UP YOUR PASSWORD

Just how secure are your online accounts? Join us as we reveal the tips and techniques you need to protect your personal data from hackers

Manage passwords on Mac

Step one is to find the best way to strengthen — and securely store — passwords on your computer with a master password

Manage passwords on iPhone, iPad, and Watch

Make password management simpler by ensuring you can securely access your vault on your mobile devices

OWC Mercury Pro U.2 Dual

A superspeed SSD solution for your desktop

Monoprice CrystalPro 4K monitor

Clever features help this display stand out from the crowd

Kensington StudioCaddy

Compact charger for Apple devices

Lululook Magnetic iPad Stand

A neat, iMac–style stand

Netgear Orbi Quad–Band WiFi 6E

High–end Wi–Fi 6E performance, high–end price

NuPhy Air60

A small mechanical keyboard with plenty of options

DJI Mic

Could this be the mic of your movie–making dreams?

The best MacBook sleeves to protect on the go

Don’t let your expensive machine get scratched, dented, or worse…

LaCie Mobile SSD Secure

Protect important files on the go with this encrypted SSD

The Lüften

A pneumatic standing desk that’s sure to turn heads

XGIMI AURA

The full cinema experience at home, without the hassle

ANTIVIRUS APPS

GROUP TEST

INTEGO INTERNET SECURITY X9

Thoughtful design with nearly everything you could want

Premiere Elements 2022

Turn footage into slick sequences complete with titles and effects

Effie

Focus on your writing with this distraction–free app

WonderPen 2

This writing tool offers useful features at a low price

Encodya

A bleak future with bleaker controls

Buttercup

Protect your online accounts and other data

Pareto Security

Perform a security audit

Six apps to read and listen to literature

Step into a new world of digital storytelling

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

> Searching within iWork docs

I’ve lost an important Numbers spreadsheet, but can’t remember its file name, only some contents. Can Spotlight search inside files?

> iPhone too easily muted

I keep accidentally muting my iPhone, causing missed calls. How can I stop this?

> iMac grinding to a halt

My iMac 2012 has a 3TB Fusion Drive, and has recently slowed to a crawl, taking seconds to respond to a mouse click. What’s wrong with it?

> Unresponsive MacBook

The display on my MacBook has suddenly gone black, and it seems unresponsive. When I try starting it up, it still chimes, but the screen just stays black. What has broken?

> Wobbly internal hard drive

I boot my iMac 27–inch Late 2013 from an external SSD, and now its internal hard drive has become wobbly, sometimes not appearing in the Finder when it starts up. Disk Utility says it can’t be unmounted, so it can’t check it. What should I do?

> Mac stuck in Afghanistan

When I performed a clean install of Big Sur on an old MacBook Air the installer never asked me my country, and has set that as Afghanistan. How can I correct that?

> Stripping hidden files

When I send others a compressed archive of my work folder, they complain about the .DS_Store files inside it. How can I rid my Mac of them?

> Wipe a Mac for its new owner

How should I prepare my old Mac before passing it on for my daughter to “inherit”?

Design dynamic wallpaper

HOW TO DO ANYTHING ON YOUR MAC, iPHONE & iPAD

What’s new in Photoshop

Make multiple selections and enhance landscapes with AI Neural filters

Premiere Elements 2022

Put the app’s latest tools through their paces to create eye–catching videos

Clean up your Music library

Fill in missing album artwork and metadata, and create Smart Playlists

Make music with Groovebox

This music maker is brilliant fun for beginners and experienced alike

Start new habits and stick to them

Tune up your life with the Fabulous– Daily Routine Planner app

Use Quick Notes on an iPad

Quick Notes is an invaluable tool for grabbing text, images, or links on iPad

Set up Account Recovery

Apple has tools to help access devices where you don’t know the passcode

Mesh networking

If your Wi–Fi can’t cope, a mesh system could be the ideal solution