macOS - page 9

This week on The CultCast: We discuss our WWDC 2020 hardware and software predictions, and there’s a lot to say. Plus: A new leak details a next-generation iPhone with dual displays; the new 5600M MacBook Pro GPU is an absolute monster; and Apple’s back-to-school promo is back for the summer, but with an interesting twist.

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When only wired internet access is available, turn your Mac into a Wi-Fi hotspot that allows wireless devices — like iPhone, iPad, and more — to share its network connection. It’s quick to set up and works brilliantly.

Here’s how to get started.

Do you ever find that websites sometimes refuse to load in Safari on your Mac, no matter how long you wait? The problem has been plaguing Twitter users in recent months, and can occur with other sites, too.

Fortunately, there’s an easy fix.

If you use Gmail inside Mail on macOS, you may have noticed an extremely frustrating bug that can cause the app to randomly shove itself in your face. It’s particularly annoying when you’re using another app in full screen mode.

You don’t have to suffer that anymore. In this how-to, we’ll show you an easy fix that permanently prevents unwanted Mail popups from occurring.

Worried your hefty Pages document is too big to send? There’s a helpful tool baked right into Pages that can help you make it smaller. Here’s how to use it to make sharing documents quicker and easier.

Apple recently brought a bunch of awesome new fonts to macOS, but they’re not enabled by default. Here’s how to download them for free so that you can enjoy them inside almost any Mac app.

Make posters and invitations with more eye-catching designs by setting color, gradients, or images as your document background in Pages. It’s a super-simple trick that can make a big difference. Find out how in this pro tip.

Working from home can make collaboration a little more difficult, but not if you’re using Pages on a Mac or iOS device. The ability to collaborate with others online is now built-in, and it’s surprisingly easy to take advantage of.

We’ll show you how.

Create documents that grab a reader’s attention by taking advantage of the newly-added drop cap tool in Pages for Mac and iOS. It’s easy to use and offers a whole bunch of customizations options.

Here’s how to make the most of it.

Apple’s newest macOS update makes it easier than ever to check MacBook battery health, and to prolong its lifespan. In this pro tip, we’ll show you where to find the new battery health features, and how to check the status of yours.

Apple looks to be gearing up to port iPad’s built-in Messages app over to Mac. The move could immediately fix Messages’ biggest problems on Mac, including its glaring lack of features.

The desktop version of the app still does not support iMessage apps, Apple Pay, message effects and other key features. Evidence of the move has been uncovered in leaked iOS 14 code, indicating it could be executed this fall when Apple drops its next major macOS update.

Are mysterious “iOS Files” taking up gigabytes of precious storage space on your Mac? You may not need them anymore, so we’ve put together a handy how-to guide on removing them with ease.

Here’s how to free up a lot of storage in no time at all.

A new bug introduced with Apple’s recent macOS 10.15.4 seems to be causing random restarts for some 16-inch MacBook Pro owners. Apple hasn’t rolled out an official fix yet, but there is a workaround you can use for now.

Touch ID is a wonderful addition to the Mac that makes logging in, downloading apps, and authorizing purchases easier than ever. Make it even more useful by adding an additional fingerprint and customizing your preferences.

With little fanfare and few details, Valve Corporation said Friday it has ended SteamVR support for the Mac to concentrate its efforts on more financially viable platforms like Windows and Linux.

The news comes as recent surveys show the acceptance of the platform by macOS users below 5%.

A strange bug uncovered in macOS can fill up your storage drives with a whole bunch of empty data. The issue is found inside the Image Capture app and surfaces when transferring HEIF photos from an iPhone or iPad to a Mac.

Apple seeded the second beta of macOS Catalina 10.15.5 to developers this morning, bringing with it a major change to the way MacBooks charge.

Several tech sites got an explainer from Apple on how the new Battery Health Management feature works. The tool is coming to every MacBook with a Thunderbolt 3 port — and it could be a godsend to your battery.

Running OS X on a tablet was a pipe dream for many Apple fans long before the iPad came out. Now that the iPad Pro has a processor that can compete with desktop CPUs, that pipe dream is almost a reality.

YouTuber Jules Gerard managed to get Mac OS X Leopard 10.5 running on his new 2020 iPad Pro without jailbreaking the device. Jules turned to the UTM emulator to show off how fast the old Mac operating system can run on the iPad Pro. Everything works shockingly well, including the built-in apps and Microsoft Office.

Prepare to be amazed:

Developers received a new build of Apple’s Safari Technology Preview this morning. The experimental browser gives devs a sneak peek at upcoming web technologies for macOS and iOS.

Safari Technology Preview release 104 contains a huge number of bug fixes and other under-the-hood improvements, and it’s available on both macOS Mojave and macOS Catalina.

The all-new Facebook Messenger app for macOS made its official Mac App Store debut on Thursday at a perfect time for those working and interacting more from home.

Messenger for the desktop first appeared in early March, almost a year after Facebook announced it at its F8 conference, but was then on offer in only a handful of countries. It is now open to all — and free to download.

Apple is gearing up for its first-ever digital-only Worldwide Developers Conference in June with a fresh update to the Apple Developer app.

Formerly called the WWDC app, the Apple Developer app is the one-stop-shop for all the in-depth information developers need on iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS and all the other Apple platforms. Today’s big update adds some key new features that will make it easier and faster for developers to digest all the new info that comes out of WWDC 2020.

Check out the list of new goodies:

It’s now possible for developers to make their apps available as a universal purchase. Apple enabled the change on Monday, paving the way for macOS, iOS, tvOS, and watchOS apps to be bundled as one.

Apple is not forcing developers to use universal purchases. It does hope, however, that the move will promote the use of Catalyst for porting iPad apps over to Mac.

This top 5 Apple MDM platforms post is presented by Hexnode.

With the surge in recent years of employees working via smartphones, tablets and laptops from all over the place, it’s no surprise mobile device management, aka MDM, has become a crucial tool for organizations large and small. Then add in the near-ubiquity of cloud computing and software-as-a-service (SaaS) apps, plus companies letting employees use their own devices (BYOD). It all equals MDM becoming an unavoidable part of IT security. Ignore it at your own risk.

Apple is planning huge improvements to mouse support on iPhone and iPad for its iOS 14 update, a new report claims.

It is believed users will see more traditional cursor options — like those you’re used to seeing on desktops. Apple is also expected to add new gestures that will work alongside a new Smart Keyboard with built-in trackpad.

AMD’s next-generation graphics cards could bring ray tracing capabilities to Mac.

The company’s new Navi 2X architecture, coming later this year, will be the first to catch up with Nvidia’s GeForce RTX cards in the ray tracing department. It also promises 3D audio, faster load times, and “a new generation of games.”