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macOS - page 13

Steam for iOS lets you join friends on PC for local multiplayer

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Valve Steam
Enjoy Remote Play Together today.
Photo: Valve

Gamers using the Steam Link app on iOS can now enjoy multiplayer games with friends who use a PC.

Valve’s new Remote Play Together feature, announced last month, is already out of beta and available to all. And it works across Windows, macOS, and Linux — as well as Android and iOS.

Mac makes IBM employees more productive and happier

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IBM
Once rivals, IBM later embraced the Mac, and now thousands of its employees are users.
Photo: Apple

Research by IBM found that its employees who use a Mac are more likely to exceed expectations on performance reviews than co-workers with PCs. Mac’s users also make larger high-value sales deals.

Long-time Mac users should find this delightfully ironic, as IBM helped popularize the PC back in the 1980s.

macOS Mail bug exposes portions of encrypted emails

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MacMail
Your encrypted emails on Mac might not be as private as you think.
Photo: Apple

Apple failed to kill a bug in the Mail app for macOS for months despite its potential to expose private details in emails that the user thought was encrypted.

Security researcher Bob Gendler first discovered the flaw in July and notified Apple of it. Despite releasing four updates for macOS since that time, the privacy flaw still hasn’t been fixed. Apple says it’s working to resolve the issue soon though.

Microsoft prepares huge Outlook improvements for macOS

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Outlook-macOS
The new Outlook will be better than ever.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft is preparing to make its Outlook app for macOS better than ever. An overhaul will introduce new sync technology and big performance improvements, as well as welcome design tweaks.

Here’s what you can expect.

16-inch MacBook Pro leaks again in macOS Catalina

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16-inch-MacBook-Pro-keyboard
Are you ready?
Photo: Apple

Another image of a new 16-inch MacBook Pro (above) has been leaked by macOS 10.15.1 Catalina.

The photo reveals a redesigned keyboard layout, with a Touch ID sensor separated from the Touch Bar. But it does not confirm rumors of a return for the dedicated escape key.

It’s also hard to tell whether this keyboard uses the dreaded butterfly switches that MacBook Pro fans want Apple to abolish. And we could be waiting a long time to find out.

Apple seeds new beta for macOS Catalina 10.15.1

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macOS Catalina is here. But proceed from Mojave with caution.
macOS Catalina is here. But proceed from Mojave with caution.
Photo: Apple

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s big beta dump, Apple is back with one more beta software update for macOS Catalina.

macOS 10.15.1 beta 3 was seeded to developers this morning, bringing a host of new bug fixes for the Mac following the public launch of macOS Catalina just earlier this month.

Catalina update bricks some unlucky Macs

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Mac-bricked
That's not what you want to see.
Photo: Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash

A seemingly small number of Mac users are reporting that their machines have been bricked after upgrading to macOS Catalina.

It is believed a potentially unsuccessful EFI firmware update is responsible for the issue. All affected users see nothing but a folder icon when attempting to boot up their Mac.

CleanMyMac X is all you need to maintain a healthy Mac

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CleanMyMac X
All the tools you need to make your Mac speedy and safe.
Photo: MacPaw

Are you maintaining a healthy Mac? It doesn’t have to be difficult. CleanMyMac X offers all the tools you need to ensure your machine is always speedy and safe.

The latest version of the app stops malware in its tracks, ensures your apps are always up to date, and keeps your Mac running as fast as it can be.

It also helps you weed out system junk from the darkest depths of your machine, and it’s three times faster than its predecessor.

Apple delays iCloud Drive file sharing until next spring

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Files app on iPad in iOS 13
File sharing was pulled from iCloud Drive during beta testing.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Apple has quietly delayed the release of a new file sharing feature for iCloud Drive.

File sharing was initially scheduled to release later this fall following the release of macOS Catalina on Monday. Apple is now saying we won’t get our hands on it until next spring.

Final Cut Pro X gets new Metal engine for big performance boost

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Final-Cut-Pro-X-Metal
Final Cut X Pro is faster than ever.
Photo: Apple

The latest version of Final Cut Pro X is out now with a new Metal engine that promises a big performance boost. It also make optimizations for the all-new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR.

Apple is today bringing the same Metal engine to Motion and Compressor, too.

iPad is catching up with Mac, but it will never be as easy to use [Opinion]

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It’s not rocket science... oh wait, it is: Opening two files on an iPad.
Opening two files in the same app on an iPad requires rocket science.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Thanks to the recently launched iPadOS, I can finally do simple things on my iPad that I’ve always been able to do on my Mac. Like opening multiple documents in the same app, or installing fonts.

Trouble is, while these things are easy to do on a Mac, they’re fiendishly difficult with an iPad.

In the early days, everyone celebrated the iPad for being easier and more intuitive to use than a Mac. But as Apple crams in more features, that is no longer true. iPad is still easier to use for simple things, but it is much harder and more cumbersome for performing advanced tasks.

Duet Display turns any Android into a second screen for your Mac

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Duet-Display-Android
Duet Display is the best second screen utility.
Photo: Duet

Duet Display, the app that turns your iPhone or iPad into a second screen for your desktop, is finally on its way to Android.

You can use it alongside your Mac or Windows PC, and setup is quick and simple. Preregister your interest in Duet now ahead of its official debut later today.

Pocket Casts goes free with optional ‘Plus’ subscription

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Pocket-Casts-iPhone
Download it today!
Photo: Pocket Casts

Pocket Casts, one of the best third-party podcast apps on iOS, is now available for free.

It won’t cost you anything to download the app anymore, and you’ll get to enjoy some of its best features — like cross-platform syncing and the dark theme — for absolutely nothing.

An optional Pocket Casts Plus subscription, priced at just $0.99 a month, gets you even more.

Two brilliant Mac features that will never come to iPad

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Mac desktop
A nice big desktop makes everything easier.
Photo: Michael Soledad on Unsplash

Recently, I’ve been using my old Mac more and more, even thought I’ve long preferred using an iPad for both work (writing) and play (making music, and all the other dumb stuff you do on a computer when you’re goofing off).

And It’s gotten me thinking. Why do I prefer the Mac for some tasks? And I mean, strongly prefer. I’m so used to using both iOS and macOS that it’s not a questions of familiarity. Nor is it that I’m trying to squeeze the Mac way of doing things into the iPad, and vice versa — a common problem for new switchers.

No, my preference comes down to two small yet fundamental differences between the iPad and the Mac. These two features are present on the Mac, and will probably never make it to the iPad. What are they?

How to radically customize your Mac’s display

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Mac customize display
Tweak your Mac's display with macOS' amazing accessibility options.
Photo: Wesson Wang/Unsplash

Just like iOS, the Mac has some great features hidden inside the accessibility section of the System Preferences (aka. Settings) app. Today we’re going to see how to tweak the Mac’s display to make it easier to use, for anyone. You can adjust the colours, make page elements easier to see, and even turn everything B&W. Let’s see what’s what.

Microsoft says Edge for macOS is ‘ready for everyday use’

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Microsoft-Edge
Get your hands on the third and final preview today.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft Edge is now “ready for everyday use.”

The next-generation version of the browser, built on Chromium, is still in beta for Windows and macOS. But Microsoft says it’s stable enough to become your primary window to the web.

Samsung DeX brings Android apps to your Mac and PC

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Samsung-DeX
But you probably can't use it yet.
Photo: Samsung

You can now run a desktop version of Android on your Mac or PC using the brand new Samsung DeX app.

It’s free to use and plays nicely with your computer’s existing keyboard and mouse. But there is a big catch.

Check out these secret (and super-useful) settings for your Mac

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JPG screenshot location
Dust off your Terminal to use these great hacks.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

By using commands in your Mac’s built-in Terminal app, you can quickly change settings you probably didn’t even know existed.

Some of these Mac settings are just shortcuts — you can enable them in the usual way, using the mouse. But Terminal makes things simple. Instead of opening the System Preferences app, then finding (or remembering) a setting you want to change, and then searching further until you actually find the right checkbox, you can just type (or paste) a command, then  hit return.

Most of these are secret settings, though. They are impossible to change without Terminal. Let’s check them out.

Apple’s USB-C AV dongle gets a 4K HDR upgrade

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Apple-USB-AV-dongle
It's finally fit for 2019.
Photo: Apple

Apple this week upgraded its official USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter to support 4K HDR video at up to 60Hz.

The newest model, numbered A2119, boasts HDMI 2.0 connectivity. That means you can enjoy HDR10 and Dolby Vision content when outputting video from a compatible Mac or iPad Pro.

Apple expands bug program with monstrous $1 million bounty

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The CIA has a team of more than 5,000 hackers.
Hackers can get PAID for finding bugs now.
Photo: Brian Klug/Flickr CC

Apple is ready to pay a bigger bounty than any other tech company when it comes to finding bugs on the iPhone or other Apple products.

The iPhone-maker revealed today at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas that it will now pay up to $1 million for some discovered vulnerabilities, up from the $200,000 it offered when the bug bounty program began three years ago.

Apple might give hackers special iPhones to plug security problems

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The CIA has a team of more than 5,000 hackers.
This is what a real hacker looks like. Dry ice is not optional.
Photo: Brian Klug/Flickr CC

Apple has historically not been a company in favor of people jailbreaking its devices. So why would Cupertino give hackers special iPhones to help them find weaknesses in iOS? To patch those problems, of course!

According to a new report, Apple will announce plans this week at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas to hand out such devices to security researchers. Apple also will introduce a new Mac bug bounty program to reward anyone who finds security problems in macOS.

This is what happens if you try to put a folder named ‘Dropbox’ in iCloud Drive

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A dropped box
A dropped box.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Dropbox is getting increasingly bloated and annoying — on the Mac, at least. When iOS 13 ships later this year, you’ll be able to share whole iCloud folders with other people, so you can ditch DropBox altogether. But how will you switch?

One thing you can’t do is just drag your Dropbox folder into iCloud Drive. iCloud just won’t let you. In fact, you can’t even create a new folder and name it “Dropbox.” WTF?

Chrome update brings better Incognito, kills Flash by default

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Google-Chrome
It's now possible to bypass certain paywalls.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Google Chrome just got a big new update that improves upon two important features.

The version 76 release disables Flash by default to improve browsing performance, while Incognito Mode has been tweaked to prevent websites from detecting it.

The change means that you will now be able to bypass paywalls on some websites.