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Apple Mac Studio (2023) review: the M2 Ultra rips

tigaman webdesign — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 16:44:59 +0000

The Mac Studio remains the top choice for professionals who need a powerful but compact desktop computer.

There is a new Mac Studio. It looks almost exactly like last year’s Mac Studio — so similar, in fact, that I have had to put Post-it notes on the two units we have in our office in order to tell them apart.

It remains a remarkably compact, very Apple-looking pro-level workstation. It also remains effectively not upgradable at all, which means you need to be very careful about what you select at purchase. It has basically the same ports that the last one had: a pair of USB-C ports (Thunderbolt 4 on the Ultra) and an SDXC reader in the front, and four Thunderbolt 4, two USB-A, one HDMI, a 10GB Ethernet, a 3.5mm audio jack, and the big Mickey Mousey power cable thing in the back.

There are a couple other tweaks. This year’s Studio supports Bluetooth 5.3 while last year’s was 5.0; the M1 Ultra could accommodate up to four 6K displays and one 4K display, while the M2 Ultra can take eight 4K, six 6K, or three 8K thanks to an upgraded HDMI port. The biggest difference, though, is the processor inside.

Last year’s Studio was configurable with the M1 Max or the M1 Ultra, which is essentially two M1 Maxes stapled together. This year’s Studio has been upgraded to the M2 Max and the M2 Ultra, which is two M2 Maxes stapled together. You can probably tell that these are different because the number in their name has increased by one. I’ve been testing an M2 Ultra unit of the 2023 Mac Studio with a 24-core CPU, 76-core GPU, 128GB of memory, and 4TB of storage. And test I did.

The M2 Ultra units start at $3,999, and our specific system would cost — wait for it — $6,799, so this is already a machine only accessible to a fairly specific group of customers. (Apple will give you “up to $1,500” for your now-obsolete M1 Ultra Studio in trade-in credit, should you decide the upgrade is necessary. Thanks, Apple!) This is not outrageous pricing compared to the Mac Pro (or, say, a Threadripper PC), but it is still, objectively, a lot of money.

Nevertheless, this is my first look at Apple’s new M2 Ultra chip, and it’s in a chassis poised to show it off to its absolute fullest potential. So I ran a bunch of benchmarks to see how well it performs. Spoiler: the M2 Ultra is faster than its predecessor, and I’m honestly not sure how much that matters.

First off: what exactly has changed? Both the M1 Ultra and the M2 Ultra are 5nm chips; there were rumors that this chip would see an architectural shrink, but that didn’t pan out for this generation.

Still, Apple has made some design changes. The M2 Ultra features 20 billion more transistors than the M1 Ultra did and can be specced higher, supporting 192GB of unified memory where the M1 went up to 128GB. The M2 Ultra can also be configured with a 24-core GPU and 76-Core GPU, whereas the M1 was limited to a 20-core CPU and a 64-core GPU. That’s more relevant to this review since I received the absolute top-specced M2 Ultra chip that one can get; we’re essentially seeing, all else being equal, how much additional performance those extra cores really deliver.

Four Thunderbolt 4, one 10Gb Ethernet, one Mickey Mouse (sorry), two USB-A, one HDMI, one headphone jack.

The biggest increase is in graphic performance; those extra cores are putting in the work. The differences in Geekbench’s GPU benchmarks, using both Metal and Open CL, were between 20 and 50 percent higher across trials than they were on the M1 Ultra. While this isn’t a system you’d want to buy primarily to game (it’s not matching what we’d expect from an RTX 4090, for example), frame rates on Shadow of the Tomb Raider were also 10 to 30 percent higher across resolutions, run at the game’s highest settings. The M2 Ultra even broke the 60fps barrier at 4K resolution, which is fun and neat.

The M2 Ultra also showed an 18ish percent increase over the M1 Ultra on the Xcode Benchmark, which measures compilation time. That kind of saved time could certainly add up for busy developers.

In fact, PugetBench for Premiere Pro was the only result here where the M2 Ultra got a lower score. I have run this test many times on both of our units, and I cannot figure out what the issue is; I have tweaked every setting I can think of to no avail. The score I’m getting does seem to be in line with other M2 Ultra scores I’m seeing in Puget’s database, so there might just be something weird going on. Regardless, the M2 machine blew the M1 out of the water on actual exports in Premiere Pro, so my inclination is that PugetBench and the M2 Ultra just aren’t getting along for whatever reason (not unheard of for brand-new chips).

Ultra Studio models have a larger thermal module to accommodate the more powerful chip.

The M2 Ultra showed a correspondingly smaller but not-nothing increase in CPU performance in both single-core and (obviously, as it has more cores) multicore performance. It’s worth noting that both machines’ Cinebench scores went down between the 10-minute and the 30-minute loop, but the delta between the scores remained fairly constant. That means the Studio’s cooling system isn’t having more trouble keeping the M2 Ultra’s temps in check than it was with the M1 Ultra.

Speaking of cooling: I didn’t notice any major differences in fan noise or heat between these two units. The M1 Ultra Studio has always been shockingly quiet for me, even with my ear to the case, and I didn’t hear anything substantial from the M2 Ultra version, either. I know complaints about the M1 generation Studio’s noise can be found on the internet, so I guess it depends on the… ear? Or environment?

M2 Max models have two USB-C ports (up to 10Gb/s) on the front. M2 Ultra models get two Thunderbolt 4 (up to 40Gb/s). Both also get an SDXC card slot (UHS-II).

Regardless. Benchmarks (and quiet performance) are all well and good, but what ultimately matters is how well the device performs in day-to-day work. Alex Parkin, The Verge’s art director for video, is much more qualified to speak to this than I am since he generally uses an M1 Ultra Mac Studio as his daily work machine. He kindly used the M2 Ultra machine for a morning of work after I plonked it on his desk in our office, completing tasks in After Effects, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro.

I asked Alex whether the M2 Ultra felt faster than the M1 Ultra, and he kind of shrugged. “Like, yeah,” he said eventually, after some thought.

He was able to complete a Premiere export in 10 minutes that he estimated would’ve taken him 20 on his regular machine (which is not too far off the results I saw from my own export testing). Nevertheless, he didn’t view the increase as particularly life-changing. His evaluation of the M2 Ultra Studio this year was several degrees more subdued than the awestruck reactions I got from our creators who tried the M1 Ultra Studio last year (who were used to Intel Macs or Windows PCs); he’s perfectly happy with the computer he has. That’s not terribly surprising — the big leap from Intel to Apple’s M1 platform isn’t likely to be replicated here.

The sense I get from speaking to Alex and from other professionals who use Apple’s desktop hardware is that the M1 Ultra is so fast that speed is no longer a hang-up in their workflow. The biggest bottlenecks in Alex’s current workday tend to be glitches in Premiere and other software he has to use, which is something I hear from folks in video and graphic design all the time — in the age of the Ultra, raw power is just not a limitation for him. Those are problems that Apple ultimately can’t fix.

(Alex also did not hear any bothersome fan noise from the M2 Ultra model and doesn’t generally hear it from the M1 Ultra, either.)

Don’t get me wrong: more speed is good. This is an impressive technological achievement. It improves upon the M1 Ultra. And on face, this is a great, if expensive, computer. The increased graphical power, in particular, is nothing to sneeze at. It also largely seems like it will serve its target audience in the same way last year’s Studio did, providing a similar, but slightly faster, experience and a similar physical presence, without necessarily fixing major hang-ups that might currently exist in their workflows.

I love machines that make it easier for people to do their jobs. Upgrading to this machine could give busy professionals a good chunk of their day back (those halved export times will add up if you’re exporting all day, every day) and could potentially make business sense. Still, it’s quite a cost, and I ultimately see this machine less as a temptation for M1 Ultra owners (outside of the most deep-pocketed companies) and more for those who are still hanging on to old Mac Pro configurations. Those were a large investment, but every ounce of extra performance the Studio can provide may bring that crowd closer to jumping on Apple’s silicon train.

As I noted in my review of the MacBook Pro 16 with M2 Max, we’ve reached the point with Apple’s chips where we’re not expecting annual earth-shattering leaps in performance; Mac computers, as is also the case with other sorts of computers, are just getting decently faster each cycle. We expect that the vast majority of Mac users will (correctly) wait a few years before upgrading. And this Mac Studio, as much as it is a purchase consideration for power-hungry professionals, is a public showcase for Apple’s engineering.

Apple TV+ unveils official trailer for season two of epic global hit ‘Foundation’

tigaman webdesign — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 17:28:56 +0000

Season two of global hit, epic saga “Foundation” from storyteller David S. Goyer returns with a 10-episode star-studded debut on Friday, July 14th on Apple TV+.

Apple TV+ today unveiled the trailer for the second season of “Foundation,” the hit, epic saga from storyteller David S. Goyer and based on Isaac Asimov’s award-winning stories. Starring an acclaimed ensemble cast led by Emmy Award nominees Jared Harris and Lee Pace, alongside rising stars Lou Llobell and Leah Harvey, the 10-episode second season of “Foundation” will debut globally with the first episode on Friday, July 14 on Apple TV+, followed by new episodes weekly every Friday through September 15. The Apple Original drama is produced for Apple TV+ by Skydance Television.

More than a century after the season one finale, tension mounts throughout the galaxy in “Foundation” season two. As the Cleons unravel, a vengeful queen plots to destroy Empire from within. Hari, Gaal and Salvor discover a colony of Mentalics with psionic abilities that threaten to alter psychohistory itself. The Foundation has entered its religious phase, promulgating the Church of Seldon throughout the Outer Reach and inciting the Second Crisis: war with Empire. The monumental adaptation of “Foundation” chronicles the stories of four crucial individuals transcending space and time as they overcome deadly crises, shifting loyalties and complicated relationships that will ultimately determine the fate of humanity.

Season two of “Foundation” also stars returning cast members Laura Birn, Cassian Bilton and Terrence Mann and introduces new characters and stars, including Isabella Laughland (Brother Constant), Kulvinder Ghir (Poly Verisof), Ella-Rae Smith (Queen Sareth of Cloud Dominion), Holt McCallany (Warden Jaegger Fount), Rachel House (Tellem Bond), Nimrat Kaur (Yanna Seldon), Ben Daniels (Bel Riose) and Dimitri Leonidas (Hober Mallow).

“Foundation” is produced for Apple by Skydance Television and led by showrunner and executive producer David S. Goyer, with Alex Graves, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Bill Bost, Robin Asimov and Marcy Ross also serving as executive producers.

“Foundation: The Official Podcast,” a companion podcast to the drama series, is hosted by Jason Concepcion and Goyer, and produced by Pineapple Street Studios with Max Linsky, Jenna Weiss-Berman and Bari Finkel serving as executive producers. The entire first season is available now on Apple Podcasts.

Apple TV+ offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all your favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have earned 367 wins and 1,469 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy “Ted Lasso” and historic Oscar Best Picture winner “CODA.”

MacDailyNews Take: This literally feels like “more than a century after the season one finale,” so we’re certainly going to need a good “Foundation” recap video, too, before we dive back in this summer, but dive in we will!

MacDailyNews Note: Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $6.99 per month with a seven-day free trial. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.

Please help support MacDailyNews. Click or tap here to support our independent tech blog. Thank you!

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Apple’s view of the future is a lonely one

tigaman webdesign — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 13:00:00 +0000

Screen for one, please. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Vision Pro is all about the ‘experience’ as you watch videos, FaceTime family, and get work done. But that experience looks awfully isolating.

The year is 2025. I’m sitting on the couch next to my husband, who appears in my field of vision whenever we talk to each other. When we aren’t talking, he fades out of view so I can focus my attention on the screens in front of me. I’m editing a presentation for work, FaceTiming with my family across the country, learning Spanish, and watching cooking demos on YouTube at the same time.

I get a notification — it’s time for my daily meditation. The screens darken, and the room around me fades away completely so I can focus on a calming animation and count my breaths. When I’m done, the session is automatically logged in my journal, along with my daily mood: pleasant. Just like yesterday. The FaceTime call comes back into focus just as my family members’ photorealistic personas are laughing at something funny my mom said. I’m not sure what it was, but my avatar laughs along with theirs anyway.

This vision of the future might not be exactly the one that Apple is trying to sell us with its new headset, but I don’t think it’s far off. The Vision Pro is a $3,500 screen for one person: you and you only. Maybe it’s the future of the iPhone. Maybe it will usher in a blissful utopia where we are all tuned into our surroundings as much or as little as we would like to be. Maybe it’s a really expensive way to look dumb in the comfort of your own home. But I think there’s one thing that’s for sure: it looks lonely as hell.

Image: Apple

By design, Vision Pro puts you at the center of a little screen-filled universe.

Exactly what the Vision Pro is and what it’s designed to do has been extremely well documented over the past 48 hours, but in case you missed it, here’s the synopsis: Vision Pro is a state-of-the-art pair of goggles that puts a screen on your face. It’s mostly a VR headset, even though Apple is allergic to saying VR, with some augmented reality elements woven in. It captures the world outside the headset with outward-facing cameras, and it will show you more or less of it as needed. If it recognizes that you’re talking to someone, they’ll come into view. If you want to tune out and watch a movie on your flight, the real world will fade away.

Apple very much wants us to believe that we can participate in the “real world” while wearing the headset. The company is heavily emphasizing the Vision Pro’s augmented reality capabilities, and there’s even a physical dial to control how much of the real world you see at any time. There’s also an external display so anyone else in the room can see your eyes rather than a big black box on your face. And in the keynote, Apple highlighted a parent using the headset in their kitchen with a child playing nearby. The kid kicks a soccer ball toward the headset wearer, and he kicks it right back without missing a beat. See? Nothing to worry about! You can do five things on your headset and be an engaged parent all at once!

Image: Apple

See? You can still parent and wear your goofy headset.

But even though it’s not supposed to totally take you out of reality, by design, it puts you at the center of your own little screen-filled world. That’s an inherently more isolated experience than interacting with a 6-inch screen that you hold in your hand. How do you show someone a funny TikTok you just watched in your headset? How do you watch a cute video you took of your kid with your spouse? How do you show everyone on your FaceTime call that your cat just jumped into your lap? Won’t Apple please think of the pet moments we’re going to miss?

Putting a screen on your head when you want to zone out and watch Netflix is one thing, but Apple’s not selling this as just a screen for your face. You’re supposed to be able to walk around your home, grab a drink from the fridge, and interact with your spouse while you wear it. In fact, Apple’s promotional video portrays it almost exclusively as something you wear at home alone.

And take FaceTime, one of the big use cases. Apple’s pitch is that it’ll make it seem like the people you’re talking to are right there in the room with you. But they don’t see you exactly — they see a photorealistic representation of you as you talk, built from a scan of your face taken with the headset. I have a very hard time understanding how I’m supposed to feel closer while FaceTiming my family across the country when they can’t even see my actual face.

To be clear, I don’t want to declare this product — which is still many months away from shipping — a disaster for society or anything like that. Even if it takes off, nobody’s going to come to my house and replace my iPhone with a headset overnight. It’s very easy to opt out of this whole experience simply by not spending $3,500 on a headset.

But I also can’t help noticing the juxtaposition between the Vision Pro and its very self-centered nature and Apple’s simultaneous push for better tools to manage mental health. In the very same keynote that it announced the Vision Pro, Apple revealed a couple of new features for iOS 17 to help people understand their own emotions and moods. You’ll be able to log your daily mood and moment-to-moment emotions in the Health app, and you’ll also be able to access a standard survey that health professionals use to screen for depression and anxiety.

There’s also a new journaling app, which can automatically prompt you to stop, reflect, and write a journal entry based on things you’ve recently photographed or places you’ve been. It’s probably not a bad thing to take a break from the constant pressure to share your photos, videos, and thoughts with the world and just write something for yourself.

And not to be forgotten, Apple has spent years building features designed to help you keep track of and minimize your screen time. If we already have a hard time putting our phones down, how hard will it be to peel yourself away from TikTok when you’re actually wearing the screen? Apple is willing to outfit us with a few flimsy tools to help us keep healthy relationships with our phones, but it’s also willing to sell you a screen to literally keep strapped to your face.

There’s every chance that the Vision Pro will flop and we’ll just keep happily (and unhappily) using our pocket screens for the rest of time. But Apple is a company with tremendous power to shape how we interact with technology and the track record to prove it. When it releases a product in a new category, it’s reasonable to wonder if that thing represents some version of the future — how we interact with each other and how we relate to ourselves. And if Apple’s Vision Pro is indeed a significant part of that future, then I won’t be surprised if it feels a little bit lonelier.

Apple TV+ shares teaser for ‘Foundation’ season two to premiere July 14th

tigaman webdesign — Thu, 11 May 2023 15:21:58 +0000

Apple TV+ announced that epic saga “Foundation,” from storyteller David S. Goyer, will return for season two on Friday, July 14, 2023.

Apple TV+ today unveiled a teaser for the second season of “Foundation,” the epic saga from storyteller David S. Goyer, and announced that the series will finally return for season two on Friday, July 14th. The finale for season one streamed on November 19, 2021.

Based on Isaac Asimov’s award-winning stories, and featuring an international cast led by Emmy-nominated actors Jared Harris and Lee Pace, alongside rising stars Lou Llobell and Leah Harvey, the 10-episode second season of “Foundation” will debut globally with one episode on Friday, July 14 on Apple TV+, followed by new episodes weekly, every Friday. The Apple Original drama is produced for Apple TV+ by Skydance Television.

Also starring returning cast Laura Birn, Cassian Bilton and Terrence Mann, season two of “Foundation” introduces new characters and stars, including Isabella Laughland (Brother Constant), Kulvinder Ghir (Poly Verisof), Ella-Rae Smith (Queen Sareth of Cloud Dominion), Holt McCallany (Warden Jaegger Fount), Rachel House (Tellem Bond), Nimrat Kaur (Yanna Seldon), Ben Daniels (Bel Riose) and Dimitri Leonidas (Hober Mallow).

“Foundation: The Official Podcast,” a companion podcast to the drama series, is hosted by Jason Concepcion and David Goyer, and produced by Pineapple Street Studios with Max Linsky, Jenna Weiss-Berman and Bari Finkel serving as executive producers. The entire first season is available now on Apple Podcasts.
Apple TV+ offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all your favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 362 wins and 1,452 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy “Ted Lasso” and Oscar Best Picture winner “CODA.”

MacDailyNews Take: This literally feels like “more than a century after the season one finale,” so we’re going to need a nice, concise recap video before we dive back in this summer, but dive in we will!

Please help support MacDailyNews. Click or tap here to support our independent tech blog. Thank you!

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The post Apple TV+ shares teaser for ‘Foundation’ season two to premiere July 14th appeared first on MacDailyNews.

There hasn’t been much drama in Apple’s earnings for two decades — and that’s good

tigaman webdesign — Mon, 08 May 2023 13:12:35 +0000

Apple’s commitment to design and constant evolution for the last 20 years has resulted in incredibly dull earnings even through COVID’s peaks, but also phenomenal growth for its long-term investors.

Apple’s continued annual growth makes it an investor’s dream buy

Every three months, the financial fitness of major companies goes under the microscope, as analysts and fiscal pundits run the numbers and try to work out which firm is worth an investment.

Apple Maps lists your location incorrectly? Here’s how to report it

tigaman webdesign — Mon, 08 May 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Macworld

No map is perfect; all are approximations. But it’s galling to business owners when a modern digital map lists the wrong address, has incorrect business hours, or even says the business is closed when it’s still open. Many, many people email Mac 911 asking for help with this when customers can’t find them, or, to take real examples I’ve received when an address listed offered a dangerous turnoff that wasn’t the main entrance–or when all the people living in a newly-issued U.K. post code were directed to their rural driveway.

(Clarification: When people find the Mac 911 email address they think we’re Apple. “Mac 911? That must be help!” We do aim to try. Apple doesn’t offer direct support via email.)

Apple Maps offers a correction feature that’s changed and expanded slightly in recent releases for iOS/iPadOS and macOS. You don’t have to be a business owner to suggest changes or request a correction. Mistaken addresses and routes of course affect homeowners and renters, too, as well as non-profits, schools, and other organizations. (Google Maps years ago placed my house four miles west for about six months, which was a constant problem for deliveries, service people, and parents trying to bring their kids over for playdates and birthday parties.)

Follow the steps below to report errors or add places that aren’t listed. Note that human beings do review the additions and changes; they’re not made higgledy-piggledy.

If you don’t have access to an Apple device or don’t want to use a Maps app to report, you can use a little-known form to report the problem. Apple also says you can call their helpline, AppleCare (1-800-APLCARE), to report map problems, though I know no one who has.

Correct and add in iOS/iPadOS

To report an issue with a location in iOS 15 or later, use the three-dot menu.

IDG

Launch Maps. To correct a listing:

Tap a location.
Tap the three-dot menu to the right of the estimated time of arrival.
Tap Report an Issue.
Tap the issue you want to correct.
Edit the information.
Tap Submit.

To add a listing:

Hold down on the map to create a Dropped Pin.
Tap the three-dot menu.
Tap Add to Maps.
Tap what you want to add (address, place, transit stop, etc.).
Fill in details and ensure the pin is over the correct location.
Tap Send.

You can also tap Mark My Location at the bottom of the screen to quickly drop a pin at your location and then follow the steps above.

Correct and add in macOS Big Sur and later

You can easily report an issue with a location in Maps in Big Sur.

IDG

Launch Maps. To correct a listing:

Click a place’s icon.
Tap the three-dot menu next to the right of the location name.
Scroll down to Report an Issue at the very bottom and click it.
You can then modify and detail, including location, and click Submit.

It’s not at first obvious that there’s more to the dialog in some cases, as the map may appear to be the only thing you can select. Jiggle your pointing device to display the scroll bar or use a trackpad or scroll control on a mouse to scroll down to uncover categories, hours, and other details.

To add a listing:

Control-click and select Drop Pin.
Click the pin, then the three-dot menu, and select Add a Missing Place (Big Sur to Monterey) or Add to Maps (Ventura).
Fill out details and click Submit.

Correct and add in macOS Catalina and earlier

Launch Maps. To correct a listing:

Select a place’s icon.
Click its info (i) icon and then click Report an Issue at the very bottom of its panel.
Select the kind of issue. In Mojave, these options appear: Location on Map, Place Details, Place Closed, or Other Issue. In Catalina, only Edit Place Details appears.
Click Continue.
Perform the necessary action associated with that choice (see below).
Click Send.

Select an item to report an issue and then select Edit Place Details to provide updates.

Each of the four actions has a separate process:

Location on Map: Move the pin to the correct location.
Place Details or Edit Place Details: Revise information or add it.
Place Closed: Write a description providing documentation.
Other Issue: In freeform text, explain the problem.

To add a new item in macOS Mojave and earlier:

Control-click and drop a pin and then select it.
Click its info (i) icon and then click Report an Issue.
Click Add a Place and click Continue.
Move the pin to the correct place, and then click Continue.
Choose the type of place, like Business or Landmark, fill in the details, and click Send.

The only way to add a listing in macOS Catalina, which also works in Mojave and earlier:

Choose Maps > Report an Issue.
Click Add a Missing Place (Catalina) or Add a Place (Mojave and earlier) and click Continue.
Move the pin to the correct place, and then click Continue.
Choose the type of place, like Business or Landmark, fill in the details, and click Send.

This Mac 911 article is in response to a question submitted by Macworld reader Anne.

Ask Mac 911

We’ve compiled a list of the questions we get asked most frequently along with answers and links to columns:
read our super FAQ to see if your question is covered. If not, we’re always looking for new problems to solve! Email yours to
mac911@macworld.com including screen captures as appropriate, and whether you want your full name used. Not every question will be answered, we don’t reply to emails, and we cannot provide direct troubleshooting advice.

iOS, MacOS, Personal Software, Professional Software

Best Mac antivirus software 2023: Security software compared

tigaman webdesign — Fri, 05 May 2023 14:07:59 +0000

Macworld

Macs may be a far less tempting target for malware and viruses, but they’re not immune from attack. Even if you don’t care about adware or being used as means to infect users on other platforms, it’s still possible to fall victim to ransomware, or password theft.

Accordingly, good antivirus for Mac software will protect your Mac on all of these fronts. It’ll catch malware that’s still spreading or in circulation; block ransomware; protect older systems with out-of-date software from security vulnerabilities; prevent your Mac from acting as a carrier for malware aimed at other operating systems; and keep infected files off of any virtual machines you’re running.

As to the question of which Mac antivirus software you should choose, our current top pick is Intego Mac Internet Security. However, you will find several other recommendations below that may suit you better, depending upon the type and number of devices that need protection and also how much you want to pay.

Our top contenders in our best Mac antivirus round up dominate by posting perfect (or virtually near perfect) scores from security research labs, passing our own malware detection tests with flying colors, offering well-designed interfaces, and even throwing in extra features like a firewall or password manager.

For some great discounts and deals see our best Mac antivirus deals round up.

Updated May 5, 2023 to update the F-Secure review.

Best antivirus for Mac reviews

1. Intego Mac Internet Security X9

Pros

Two-way firewall
Good performance

Cons

Mac-specific (no Windows / Android protection)

Intego’s Mac Internet Security X9 suite is a pair of utilities designed to help you keep your Mac safe and running smoothly. These are VirusBarrier and NetBarrier, which catch and kill malware threats plus spot potential intrusion attempts from outside as well as outgoing attempts from rogue software.

You can get Intego Mac Internet Security X9 here.

The Mac Premium Bundle X9 adds three more sets of capabilities to these: the backup prowess of Personal Backup (a good ‘belt’ addition to your Time Machine ‘braces’), the useful cleaning, tidying and general speed optimising tricks of Mac Washing Machine, and finally the multi-user safe surfing intelligence of ContentBarrier.

Sure, that last one is not something everyone needs, but it’s great for parents. Whichever one of these software suites you choose, you can be sure they offer some of the best protection available for your Mac.

Read our full

Intego Mac Internet Security X9 review

2. Clario Antivirus 1.5 for Mac

Pros

Reasonably priced
Comprehensive and user-friendly security in a single package
Step-by-step setup and help easily available

Cons

Software can sometimes be slow when open

Best Prices Today:

$107.88 at Clario

Clario 1.5 for the Mac is much more than an antivirus package, it packs a healthy amount of security into one package, including real-time and on-demand malware scanning, ad blocking and website trackers, a VPN, and data breach monitoring to alert you if your email is caught and potentially exposed in a cyberattack. There’s also 24/7 live support.

Payment is by subscription, and currently Clario has 54% off the usual $107.88 / £107.88 a year, so you can pay $50.00 / £50.00 a year (billed at $4.17 / £4.17 a month). The three devices included in the plan can include a combination of Macs and iOS or Android devices. There’s also a 7-day free trial.

Set up is quick and painless with a wizard that takes you through configuration of all the key features while allowing you to evaluate the different options and determine which ones you want to enable. Once installed you can access information about the security of your Mac and monitor the status of your online accounts and personal data. The VPN will kick in if Clario detects you using an unprotected network. And from the Dashboard you can trigger a quick virus scan, which is actually quite thorough.

We did encounter some issues with performance, with the program sometimes running slow before we were fully set up, but once we were fully configured everything ran smoothly.

Whether you’re a novice or advanced user, Clario is an effective and supportive security program.

Read our full

Clario Antivirus 1.5 for Mac review

3. AVG Antivirus for Mac

Pros

Capable basic protection for a free product
Quick and easy installation
Clean and helpful dashboard

Cons

Occasional prompts to convince you to upgrade to the paid version
Lacks the ransomware, phishing, and fake website protection built into the paid product

Best Prices Today:

$0 at AVG

AVG Antivirus for the Mac is one of a handful of free antivirus for Mac programs. As such it is basic, but its effective at protecting you from viruses, spyware, and malware.

Despite being free, AVG covers all the bases: blocking viruses and malware from websites, downloads, and email attachments. AVG will scan applications and check every file and remove threats from your Mac. It auto updates so you shouldn’t miss out on protection from the latest threats.

Though it lacks the advanced features of paid antivirus products, it handles the core tasks cleanly and seamlessly. However, if you need to resolve any advanced issues you will need to pay to upgrade to the full version of the software, which is about $2/£2 per month for a one-year subscription. There is a 60-day free trial though, which could be enough for your purposes.

All in all this is a great option, despite being basic. You get much more than you ‘pay’ for.

Read our full

AVG Antivirus for Mac review

4. McAfee Total Protection

Pros

Affordable cover for multiple devices
Simple automated operation

Cons

Lack of detail in activity reports
Occasional performance impacts

McAfee Total Protection is a dedicated software security tool that will monitor your Mac as you work, looking for unauthorised software activity such as browser search engine hacks, attempts to trick you into installing unwanted software, and actual malware and virus attacks.

It is very simple to use; once you’ve walked through the guided steps for giving it permission to work behind the scenes it is essentially something you can just leave to get on with its job.

Total Protection also offers WebAdvisor as an option, steering you from known problem sites and warning you when you visit questionable ones. It also offers a software firewall for two-way network traffic monitoring.

We noted some occasional performance impacts as it ran in the background, but it was largely unobtrusive in its efforts. The option of protecting other devices is useful as well, covering smartphones and Windows PCs as you require.

It’s worth noting that the Windows version in particular offers more features, such as a native VPN, which you don’t get in the Mac app.

You can get McAfee Total Protection here.

Read our full

McAfee Total Protection review

5. Norton 360 Deluxe

Pros

Easy-to-use & effective
Multiple device cover
Minimal performance impact

Cons

No backup on macOS
Didn’t spot threats in zip files

Norton 360 Deluxe is a security utility that performs a range of different monitoring and safeguarding operations to keep your Mac free from threats such as browser hacks and search engine hijack scripts to intrusion attempts and actual malware.

It focuses on catching unwanted software, but it also offers some useful additional features including a VPN for securing personal data while online, and a tool for managing passwords, bank card details and similar data.

There are three different versions, two of which can also be used to secure your iPhone as well as Android smartphones and Windows PCs, should you require that. In tests it proved to have little to no detectable impact on performance, and it spotted all the challenges in our test macOS setup.

Note that the Cloud Backup feature doesn’t work on macOS, but that is more of an extra rather than a vital part of the package.

You can get Norton 360 Deluxe here.

Read our full

Norton 360 Deluxe review

6. Avast Premium Security

Pros

Doesn’t generally impact performance
Caught all problem test files

Cons

Slow manual scanning
No option for single-device license
Upselling

Avast Premium Security for Mac does its job well overall. There are a few niggles such as the unwanted upselling for Cleanup Premium and the fact that the File Shield monitoring slows down file copy times a bit.

Otherwise, it’s a well-featured suite which will protect from all sorts of nasties including watching for browser script hacks, potential ransomware and other remote attack activity. It will, of course, also scan for potentially unwanted programs and actual malware threats, whether on your Mac or your removable media or in email attachments.

Custom scheduled scans can be set up, although the automatic background monitoring teamed with occasional specific manual scans is likely to be enough for most requirements. Wi-Fi network monitoring for vulnerabilities is another feature this software offers, and the Real Site option watches for fake sites pretending to be legitimate shopping or banking sites, a serious risk that goes beyond just watching for unwanted files on your own Mac. It is very effective at all these things, although we found that customising its behaviour can be a little fiddly.

Read our full

Avast Premium Security review

7. Bitdefender Total Security 2021

Pros

Doesn’t slow down your Mac
Effective real-time protection
Unobtrusive browsing protection

Cons

No password manager
Very limited VPN
No identity protection

Bitdefender Total Security is a very effective tool for keeping your Mac safe, and it will also protect Windows PC, an iOS and Android devices. The bundled VPN is very basic and gives you only 200MB of data per day, but the rest of the suite of tools is effective and easy to manage.

But when you compare what the Mac version offers compared to the Windows version, you’ll feel quite hard done by. There’s no password manager, no social network protection, no webcam or microphone protection, no Wi-Fi security advisor and plenty of other features that Windows users get for the same price.

Bitdefender is also lagging behind its rivals with no identity protection. If your goal is simply to keep your Mac protected from malware, then Bitdefender does a great job. But you can find better value elsewhere.

Read our full

Bitdefender Total Security review

8. Eset Cyber Security Pro

Pros

Effective protection
Full control over settings

Cons

Minor impact on Mac performance
No VPN
No iOS version

Eset Cyber Security Pro is a useful security tool that protects your Mac – and your Windows PC, Linux box and even Android phones, although not your iPhone – against unauthorised software behaviour, network intrusions, search engine hijack scripts and worse.

It stands out from its competition through its comprehensive range of preferences controls that can fine-tune many aspects of its behaviour, and its relatively low price.

It isn’t the most unobtrusive in terms of background performance impact, although most of the time this was minor enough to be not really noticeable.

As well as real-time and on-demand monitoring it also provides a useful firewall, dedicated tools for spotting web-based threats including spyware, and protection against phishing attempts to trick users into divulging private data. It also offers parental controls with three user categories and detailed control over what kinds of sites each user is allowed to visit.

Read our full

Eset Cyber Security Pro review

9. Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac

Pros

High malware detection rate
Monitors for ransomware-style attacks from unknown software in specific folders

Cons

Wouldn’t detect some malware in real-time in our tests
Fewer extra features compared to less-expensive or similarly priced higher-rank competitors

Trend Micro Antivirus is a good program with well rated antivirus protection, and a simple, straightforward interface that users will appreciate.

Anyone looking for additional features will be disappointed with this suite, but it offers good protection at a fair price.

In March 2022 AV-Test gave Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac a 99 percent protection score against 200 samples.

Our own spot checks produced similarly good results. Lining up against the Objective See malware library Trend Micro had no trouble detecting most threats. However in a few cases it didn’t detect all the malware contained in a folder until a scan had been run.

Trend Micro is an excellent choice for those looking for something that’s simple and easy to use. There are options with better protection, but Trend Micro’s protection is still good and pricing is fair.

Read our full

Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac review

10. Avira Prime

Pros

Easy to use
Full VPN
Won’t slow down your Mac

Cons

No fine-tuning scan options

Avira Prime is a security utility designed to keep your Mac safe from potentially unwanted programs; which covers everything from simple scripts designed to compromise and redirect your browser searches through to actual malware.

A single large window presents the various features, from scans to app management and cleanup, although a couple of its features use a separate panel for a web-based console. In our tests it detected all our compromised files and installers.

It doesn’t look inside zip archives or disk images, but it pounces as soon as items are extracted from these.

Most importantly, even while Avira Prime is actively scanning for trouble it has such a small impact on the general performance of our Mac that we wouldn’t notice it without comparing timings. You can get the basics of the security features with Avira Free Security but Prime’s annual subscription provides useful additional capabilities, if you can stomach the high cost.

Read our full

Avira Prime review

11. Sophos Home Premium for Mac

Pros

Effective protection
Reasonably priced

Cons

Confusing setup process
Configuring software and running scheduled scan is cloud-based

Sophos used to offer a free version of its Home product with antivirus protection and website protection, but in 2021 that version was discontinued, leaving Sophos Home Premium as the only option for personal use.

There’s now a 30 days full trial, but after that it costs £37.46/$44.99 for the first year and £49.95/$59.99 for each subsequent year. You can install on 10 Macs or PCs though.

Setup was confusing. Initially the software guides you through the process, but then setup stops and you have to sign into your
Sophos Home dashboard to complete setup (it’s not at clear that you need to do this step).

There’s also no Dock icon to launch the program, instead you use a menu bar icon to access the online dashboard where you can control the five types of protection including:

Antivirus protection – real-time scanning for local and network drives, perform a manual scan or schedule one, plus a quick scan can be triggered from the menu bar icon.
Web protection
Ransomware protection
Privacy protection
Malicious traffic detection
Web filtering

A
2017 evaluation of macOS security software by AV-Test gave Sophos Home outstanding grades for protection, performance, and usability. We ran the EICAR test, which simulates a virus, and Sophos detected and blocked it with no trouble. The website filtering worked well.

Sophos Home Premium provides effective protection, but the setup process and cloud-only features are drawbacks. It needs clearer set up and the ability to do more locally.

Read our full

Sophos Home Premium for Mac review

12. ClamXAV

Pros

Effective antivirus protection

Cons

Charges an annual subscription for basic malware protection with no other features

Installing ClamXAV from the ClamXAV website is quick and easy. Either click the Free Trial button or sign up for a $29.95/£24 a year subscription and the installation file is automatically downloaded. After the initial setup, where you need to grant permission to access the Downloads folder and modify security settings, you are all set.

You can run a manual scan from the main screen, but there are several other options. A quick scan checks system files and other areas on your Mac, you can select just your hard drive to runs a scan on all folders and files on the disk, and dragging and dropping a single folder or file onto the scanning pane checks it for malware. You can also select an external drive or connected USB stick for scanning. There’s also a real-time scanning component–Sentry–that is always on guard.

It is possible to schedule any type of scan to run on specific days and times. By default, any malicious files are automatically quarantined, but you can decide whether or not to quarantine infected files. You can open the quarantine folder to see what files were caught.

ClamXAV proved effective at detecting and stopping test malware files, but there’s nothing more to the program beyond the basic antivirus scanning and options. ClamXAV is certainly effective at virus scanning, but that’s a capability found in many free and equally effective security products for the Mac.

Read our full

ClamXav review

13. Malwarebytes Premium for Macs

Pros

Offers all the basic types of security
Easy to use
Reasonably priced

Cons

Mac version missing certain features compared with its Windows counterpart
Excludes any mention or advice on the Malwarebytes browser extension

Malwarebytes comes in both free and premium editions for personal use. Unfortunately the Mac version falls short of many of the features of the Windows version. Malwarebytes Premium for Mac includes the basis virus and malware scanning as well as the ability to detect malicious apps, or PUPs (potentially unwanted program). The real-time protection constantly monitors your system for security threats, automatically blocking and quarantining anything that could infect your computer.

But it doesn’t directly come with the protection against malicious links and phishing attempts. Nor does it offer the safeguards against ransomware and zero-day exploits.

There is a free version of Malwarebytes, but that just includes just basic virus scanning. The premium version costs $3.33/£2.50 billed monthly or $39.99/£29.99 billed annually for one device, and $6.67/£5.83 billed monthly or $79.99/£69.99 billed annually for five devices. There’s a free 14-day trial.

Malwarebytes Premium on a Mac is accessible through a menu bar icon. Clicking the icon displays a menu with options to start a scan, temporarily turn off the malware protection and malicious app blocker, update the program, view and tweak its settings, and open the management console.

From the management console you can trigger a manual scan and set up scheduled scans to run on a recurring basis. A detection history displays all quarantined items. There’s an Allow list to add legitimate files or programs that were mistakenly flagged as malware to.

Malwarebytes Premium has regularly and consistently gotten top marks from AV-Test for protection, performance, and usability. In real-world testing conducted by AV Comparatives during February and March of 2022, the software scored 100% at blocking malware, though it had a high number of false positives.

It’s just a shame that the Mac version feels like an also-ran compared with the Windows edition.

Read our full

Malwarebytes Premium for Macs review

14. F-Secure Total for Mac

Pros

Includes virus protection, secure browsing, ID monitoring, a VPN, and a password vault in one package
Effective and flexible VPN

Cons

Missing key capabilities such as a quick virus scan and a scheduled scan
Certain options unavailable in the Mac version vs the Windows version
No notification for malware infections
No way to view malicious or quarantined files
Charges a hefty annual subscription

F-Secure Total for Mac is a simple-to-use security software suite that works on macOS, iOS, Windows and Android devices and protects your data from a wide range of threats. It includes several useful features, but lacks certain key options, especially in the virus scanning.

The program is $59.99 a year for one device, which is steep, but there’s a free 30-day trial that requires no credit card and even gives you free technical support if you need it.

Clicking the Scan button runs a full virus scan that checks your entire system, while clicking the link for Viruses & Threats takes you to another screen where you can scan just specific folders. But there are no options to run a quick scan or even to schedule a scan, unlike the Windows version which includes a quick scan. It provides real-time virus and spyware scanning to automatically block malware, and ‘DeepGuard’ monitors applications for any changes indicative of a malware infection.

You can set up the ID monitoring to check your email address for data breaches among your online accounts. The VPN is another defense and includes tracking protection to prevent advertisers from monitoring your online activity and a kill switch to quickly cut off all internet traffic.

F-Secure offers a password vault that creates and stores secure logins for all your accounts. The password vault requires an extension that supports Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. Safari isn’t yet supported.

Unfortunately, F-Secure doesn’t let you review blocked or deleted malicious files, and no setting allows you to quarantine files instead of remove them.

Read our full

F-Secure Total review

15. MacKeeper 5

Pros

Easy management of protection
Useful range of features

Cons

Some performance impacts
No throttle controls

MacKeeper 5 is the reborn version of a security utility that has been around for many years. The reputation of previous versions seems just old news now – today, it’s a useful and comprehensive tool for keeping your Mac secure and optimised as you work, play and use the internet.

The range of tools it offers in addition to watching for unwelcome software is wide ranging. There’s a memory optimiser, an update tracker to spot outdated applications, a smart uninstaller to clean up after other software and a VPN feature for secure browsing.

There’s even identify protection, which monitors password databases to catch possible ID theft efforts. While we noted occasional performance impacts from its real-time antivirus monitoring, it wasn’t something that happened all the time.

Ultimately, we liked MacKeeper’s easy and helpful interface, which makes what could be a daunting task quite approachable.

Read our full

MacKeeper 5 review

16. Avira Free Security for Mac

Pros

Effective antivirus protection
Includes a VPN, password manager, and junk file cleaner

Cons

Offers several different tools via its dashboard, but only a few are available in the free version
A smart scan promises to boost your performance, but there’s little you can do in the free version
The VPN severely limits the amount of encrypted traffic

Avira Free Security for Mac seems to offer a lot of features for free. But most actually require a paid subscription, so the product’s overall usefulness is limited and the constant sales pitches annoying.

You can run a quick scan to check out system files and other vulnerable areas or a full scan to analyze your entire Mac for malware. These scans can run daily, weekly, or monthly. You can also create a custom scan. There are also real-time virus protection scans to scan new files saved to your computer or downloaded from the internet. You have to pay to scan a USB drive. Malware discovered is automatically quarantined. Avira was effective at detecting and stopping malware when we tested it.

The free version of Avira includes a junk cleaner that can identify issues via a smart scan, but you need to pay to actually clean up anything beyond the junk files.

The old adage of “you get what you pay for” is certainly true with Avira Free Security. Take away the tools that require a subscription, and you’re left with the antivirus feature, a limited VPN, a password manager that works only in Safari, and a junk file cleaner.

Read our full

Avira Free Security for Mac review

17. Kaspersky Total Security for Mac 2022

Pros

Top-rated antivirus engine
Reasonably priced
Host of effective tools under one roof

Cons

No dedicated Mac version
Awkward installation process for the Mac
Certain tools require separate apps to manage them

The 2022 version of Kaspersky Total Security offers a raft of features, including antivirus and anti-phishing protection, ad blocking and private browsing, webcam spying protection, a VPN, a child locator with parental controls, screen time management, and a password manager.

The main disappointment with Kaspersky Total Security 2022 is the installation process on the Mac – made all the more frustrating by the fact that installing on Windows is quick and easy.

Mac users have to download and install the Internet Security product and then download and install the password manager and Safe Kids tools as separate apps. Kaspersky doesn’t make this clear.

Once installed, the product is robust and effective. Based on 2021 testing for anti-virus products, Kaspersky received top marks for protection, performance, and usability from
AV-Test and solid grades from
AV Comparatives. The product also was rated the best antivirus software for 2022 from
Security.org.

Total Security offers access four key features: scanning, updating, privacy, and Safe Kids. To hunt down malware, you can run a full scan, a quick scan, or a scheduled scan. The Safe Money feature protects your credentials when you shop or bank online, while the Kaspersky password manager sets up strong passwords.

There is also an easy to configure VPN and the Safe Kids app (which can be accessed via a smartphone app) brings parental controls.

Read our full

Kaspersky Total Security for Mac 2022 review

Best Mac antivirus at a glance comparison

Here is an overview of the top Mac antivirus software tested above.

Developer

Product name

USB scan

Ransomware protection

Adware prevention

Anti phishing protection

Email protection

Firewall

VPN

iOS version

Parental Controls

Support

Trial

Price

Intego

Internet Security X9

7 days

$49.99/£49.99 / ye ($24.99/£20.99 /yr deal)

Clario

Antivirus 1.5 for Mac

7 days

£107.88/£107.88 / ye (currently $50/£50 /ye); ($4.17/£4.17 / mo for a year, or $8.99/£8.99 /mo billed monthly)

AVG

AntiVirus for Mac

60 days

Free (Paid for version is $2.49 per month for one year / $2.39 a month for two-years / $2.29 a month for three-years)

Norton

360 Deluxe

30 days

$39.99/£34.99/yr

McAfee

Total Protection

30 days

$34.99/£34.99/yr

Avast

Premium Security

60 days

$44.99/£39.99/yr

Bitdefender

Total Security

30 days

$39.97/£34.99/yr

Eset

Cyber Security Pro

30 days

$49.95/£39.95/yr

Trend Micro

Antivirus for Mac

30 days

$39.99/£49.95

Avira

Prime

30 days

$99.99/£85.99

Do Macs need Mac antivirus software?

Plenty of Mac aficionados will tell you that Apple computers are inherently secure and don’t require protection. We’d argue that they are wrong – or overconfident, at the very least.

Not long ago, the Silver Sparrow malware was detected on Macs powered by the M1 processor and infected hundreds of thousands of Macs in total. The bad guys, then, are still very much targeting Mac users and they’re getting smarter and greedier. As a result, cyber security is something you can’t afford to ignore, and good Mac antivirus is a very good place to start if you want to stay safe.

Macs are generally more secure than their Windows brethren for two reasons. On the technical side, macOS is a Unix-based operating system. As a Unix-based operating system macOS is sandboxed.

Sandboxing is like having a series of fire doors: even if malware gains access to your Mac, it is unable to spread to other areas of the machine. They are more difficult to exploit than Windows PCs, but Macs are not unhackable.

More general advice can be found in our Mac security tips; and those who have been hit by a malware attack should try how to remove a virus from a Mac.

How to choose the best Mac antivirus

Features fundamental to all packages are two ways to find viruses: on-demand protection and via always-on protection. The former finds viruses by examining one file after another during scheduled scans, or when you choose to undertake a scan, perhaps because you’re worried your Mac might be infected. The speed at which the Mac antivirus app can do this is important, because some take a long time and also hog the Mac’s CPU while they do so. Waiting six hours to find out if your Mac is infected is neither convenient nor relaxing.

Always-on malware protection is what protects the user outside of the times when scans are run. If some malware arrives, perhaps via an email or a downloaded file, then the always-on protection should be able to detect it and either quarantine it (copy it to a safe folder so the user can decide what to do with it), or simply delete it. Usually a notification is shown when malware is detected in this way, but not all antimalware apps show the same amount of explanation of what’s happened – and this was one of the factors we examined in our testing.

Outside of direct malware detection, many security suites include additional tools such as ransomware protection. Ransomware is a type of malware that, once it’s infected a computer, encrypts all the user’s files and then demands a fee to decrypt them. To protect against this infection, anti-ransomware features typically block any app from writing to a user’s home folders, such as Documents or Photos, unless the app’s pre-approved (a process called whitelisting). Lots of apps come already pre-approved, of course, such as Microsoft Word, or Apple’s own Photos app. But you can add others.

Several products also include virtual private network (
VPN) add-ons. These protect an internet connection by encrypting it, and this is useful when utilising unsafe open WiFi such as that provided by a café or hotel. In our experience, these are not replacements for separate paid-for VPN services as many do not unblock video streaming services and some are cut-down versions which constantly nag you to pay extra for the full, premium versions.

Web protection via browser plugins or extensions is also a common component and aims to stop you (or your children) doing anything you regret online, such as visiting fake or infected websites or handing over personal information.

There are usually different options from each vendor, and you get more extras with the top packages, and far fewer with free ones. They might include password managers, parental controls, cloud storage – the list goes on. Generally, the underlying antimalware engine is the same in all products from the same company, so you can save money if you don’t need those additional features.

Do bear in mind that all antivirus for Mac apps are sold as yearly subscriptions. That’s right, you can’t just pay once and use forever. Often there’s a hefty discount for that first year’s subscription, but this can burn you when automatic renewal occurs a year later and the full retail price is charged: often 100% more. Alternatively, you can purchase several years’ subscriptions at once for a bigger discount.

Some of the best Mac antivirus subscriptions allow you to install the software on more than one computer (including Windows and Android devices), which can sometimes add significantly to the value – all computers, phones and tablets within a household can be protected with one subscription.

Spotting fake Mac antivirus software

Beware that, due to the fact that people are so concerned about malware threats on the Mac, there have been cases of malware disguising itself as an antivirus app, such as the Mac Auto Fixer pop-ups that appeared on some Macs suggesting that software needs to be installed (at a high price). This is similar to another fake antivirus app called MacDefender.

Another Mac antivirus company that is often thought of as unscrupulous is MacKeeper. In the past various reports have suggested it is a scam or at worst malware. In recent times MacKeeper has attempted to transform itself and leave its disreputability behind. It has, for example, gained Apple Notarization – which means the software is checked by Apple for malicious components. The company has also been working to get certifications from various bodies to prove it isn’t a PUP, including an AV-Test certificate. If you have any problems with MacKeeper we do explain how to remove it here: How to uninstall MacKeeper.

How we test Mac antivirus software

Each software package is evaluated creating a clean installation of macOS, cloning it for each AV product, and then booting separately into each one to install a different package. This was to ensure that previous app installations didn’t interfere with new ones – sometimes AV software treats other AV software as an infection.

In addition to visiting malicious websites, downloading known malicious software, and even running said malware on our Mac, we also reference the most recent reports from two labs that regularly cover macOS malware: AV Comparatives and AV-TEST. These laboratories test AV software against sets of known malware as well as products that are grouped as potentially unwanted applications (like adware).

The latter doesn’t damage or expose your computer or its files but may consume power and CPU cycles. Because the testing effectively looks at a combination of virus databases and behavior, they remain good gauges even after many months. When an antivirus for Mac software package lacks a rating from a known security research lab, we do more extensive testing with real malware.

Finally, while we gave props for a lot of different features and behaviors, we marked products down if they lacked any or all of the following:

A nearly perfect score on macOS malware detection
Ransomware monitoring
Native browser plug-in or system-level Web proxy
A high score on Windows malware detection

Privacy concerns

Using a Mac antivirus product, especially any that includes tools to also improve your online privacy, may lull you into believing you’re safe from personal and private information leaking out. That’s not quite the case. While there’s no reason to panic, you should consider a few reasonable issues.

First, an antivirus for Mac product may upload the complete text of files flagged to the cloud, where it can be analyzed by separate tools hosted there. This practice is normal and sensible: Some malware can detect when a running process may examine it, and will then engage in subterfuge. Antivirus software makers also can access their massive databases to examine files with characteristics that trigger their algorithms—certain elements that match known malware. As a result, security researchers discover new viruses, worms, Trojans horses, and the like.

However, helping the greater good means you’ll have to be comfortable with trusting a third-party with your file contents. Where appropriate, we noted privacy policy issues in individual reviews.

Second, this software may also rely partly or entirely on cloud-based checks of URLs, malware, and the like. Accordingly, an AV package might upload every URL you visit, metadata about files, signatures of files, information about your computer’s hardware, a list of running or installed applications, and more. Companies vary on their disclosure of such policies, and may not let you opt out of this kind of sharing. We note issues in each review as available.

Third, anti-virus software makers also get a sense of what behavior is happening on your computer that’s being monitored or blocked, and may use that information for their own purposes. In some cases, you can opt out of this information gathering.

Antivirus, Personal Software, Security

MacDailyNews presents live notes from Apple’s Q223 conference call

tigaman webdesign — Thu, 04 May 2023 20:47:01 +0000

MacDailyNews presents live notes from Apple’s Q223 Conference Call with analysts starting at 2pm PDT / 5pm EDT today, May 4, 2023.

This stream is best experienced on an iPhone 7 or later, iPad (5th generation or later), or iPod touch (7th generation) using Safari on iOS 12 or later; or a Mac using Safari on macOS Mojave 10.14 or later. Streaming to your TV requires an AirPlay 2–capable device, or via AirPlay to an Apple TV (2nd generation or later) with the latest Apple TV software or tvOS. Other platforms may also be able to access the stream using recent versions of Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge (MSE, H.264, and AAC required).

Apple’s live conference call webcast will begin at 2pm PDT / 5pm EDT here.

Apple today posted quarterly revenue record of $94.836 billion (vs. $97.278 billion YOY), down 3 percent year over year, and quarterly earnings per diluted share of $1.52 (vs. $1.52 YOY).

For the quarter, analysts’ consensus estimates (per Refinitiv) called for Apple to report EPS of $1.43 EPS (vs. $1.52 actual) on revenue of $92.960 billion (vs. $94.835 billion actual).

Live notes:

• AAPL After hours: $169.15 +$3.36 (+2.03%) @ 06:00PM EDT

• End of conference call

• Cook: I think we can do better on everything, so I wouldn’t single out just one segment; there’s opportunity in many of them
• Greatest Service opportunity?

• Cook: I don’t see Apple participating directly, but would be a beneficiary indirectly as Apple’s chip making partners partcipate and increase capacity
• Apple is one of the largest chip companies; is the company a benefactor of the Chip Act?

• Cook: Feedback for Apple Pay Later and Savings have both been “really good.”
• Apple Pay Later?

• In the June quarter last year, iPhone SE and iPad Air both launched
• Luca: we expect our revenue performance for the June quarter to be similar to that of the March quarter

• Luca: Component pricing is expected to be favorable in the June quarter
• Q: Component pricing?

• Cook: China revenue grew on a constant currency basis; Apple pleased with China performance; four of the top five bestselling smartphones in Urban China are iPhones; Apple gained smartphone share in Q2 in China; Services hit an all-time quarterly record in the country
• Q: China repopening effect on demand?

• Cook: I think there’s a good opportunity across the borad from prosuct to Services in India
• Q: Potential for Services in India?

• Cook: Those are internal numbers. Enterprise business is growing; Apple is focused on BYOD companies; Apple is primarily a consumer company based on revenues
• Q: How much of Apple revene comes from consumer vs. enterprise?

• Cook: Each country is different, so I hesitate to compare too much; I do see a lot of people entering the middle class in India; Appel wants to convince them to buy an iPhone
• Q: What is Apple seeing in India today vs. China a decade ago?

• Luca: We are guiding to stable gross margins; foreign exchange expected to be flat on a sequential basis; seasonal loss of leverage will be offset by cost savings
• Q: Gross margins seem to be holding up; what’s driving the strength?

• Luca: Apple has great momentum in emerging markets, where there is much headroom for growth
• Q: Consumer spending trends?

• Luca: Macro environment is hurting digital advertising and mobile gaming (bit of a slowdown, especially due to tough compare from COVID lockdown years)
• In general, paid subscription in the App Store continue to grow
• Luca: Macroeconomic environment negatively affected advertising and mobile gaming in Q2, but other services continue to consistently grow
• Q: Services customers’ behavior changes?

• Cook: In Q2, emerging markets saw stellar demand
• Q: iPhone demand?

• Apple is very pleased with the initial uptake of Apple Savings accounts
• Cook: On our financial products, as with Apple Watch and health/fitness, we’re helping people have better financial health/fitness
• Q: Apple Pay, Apple Pay Later, Appel Savings expansion?

• Cook: We recaptured some, but it’s difficult to quantify
• Q: Product mix for iPhone? Recapture deferred sales from previous quarter?

• Over the past few years, despite COVID, chip shortages. etc. the supply chain has been incredibly resilient
• We’ll continue to invest everywhere and optimize the supply chain everywhere
• Cook: Our supply chain is truly global and we are invsting all over the world
• Q: Moving production out of China?

• Cook: We view A.I. as huge and we’ll continue weaving it into our products on a very thoughtful basis
• AI is weaved into many Apple products: Fall detection, crash detection, etc.
• Cook: We don’t comment on product roadmaps.It is important to be deliberative on these things
• Q: Artificial Intelligence, especially generative AI?

• Cook: We try really hard to design our product so that they work seamlessly together, so there are a good deal of people out there who have multiple Apple devices
• Q: Monetization per user?

• AAPL After hours: $169.02 +$3.23 (+1.95%) @ 05:31PM EDT

• Cook: iPhone base is well over a billion active devices
• Cook: Installed base of active devices is over 2 billion; we set new record across each geographic segment in each of the major product categories
• Q: Record installed base in active devices?

• Apple sees a great opportunity in emerging markets
• In India, there are a lot of people coming into the middle class; Cook believes the country is at a tipping point
• Apple has a number of channle partners in the country as well; very happy with how that’s going
• Cook: We set a quarterly record in India in Q2; it’s a major focus for us
• Q: Emerging markets, especially India?

• Production levels during Q2 were where we wanted them to be
• Cook: Hard to quantify; we did recapture some amount of sales last quarter
• Q: How should we think about deferral of demand vs. destruction of demand from China’s shutdowns late last year?

• The dividend is payable on May 18, 2023 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on May 15, 2023
• Apple’s board of directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.24 per share of the company’s common stock, an increase of 4 percent

• Apple expects gross margin of 44.0-44.5% in June quarter

• The board of directors has also authorized an additional program to repurchase up to $90 billion of the Company’s common stock

• Net cash: $57 billion
• Total debt of $110 billion
• Ended quarter with $166 billion in cash and marketable securities
• Maestri touts Apple’s performance in the enterprise

• Over 975 million paid subscriptions across all Services, nearly double that of 3 years ago
• Apple installed base: Over 2 billion active devices
• Continued growth in Services is a reflection of Apple’s ecosystem

• During the quarter, Apple Watch installed base reached an all-time high
• Over half of iPad purchasers were new to the product
• iPad face tough YoY compare and headwinds from the macroeconomic envirnment
• During the quarter, Mac installed base reached an all-time high
• During the quarter, iPhone installed base reached an all-time high
• Challenging macro environment
• Net income $24.2 billion

• 71% services gross margin
• 36.7% products gross margin

• Services set an all-time quarterly record
• During the quarter, our installed base of active devices reached an all-time high
• $73.9 billion product revenue
• Luca: Foreign exchange had a negative impact of over 5 percentage points

• Cook promotes Apple’s use of recycled products
• Cook lauds Apple’s commitment to “carbon removal” and becoming “carbon neutral”
• Cook touts Apple values, being a “force for progress,” “culture of belonging”
• First two Apple Retail Stores opened in India

• Apple Pay Later and Apple Savings launched during the quarter

• Cook promotes Apple Music Classical

• Friday Night Baseball returned for a new MLB season
• First season of MLS partnership is underway. MLS Season Pass

• Cook touts Apple TV+ series and films
• More than 975 million paid subs
• Services: $20.907 billion (vs. $19.821 billion YoY)

• Wearables, Home and Accessories: $8.757 billion (vs. $8.806 billion YoY)

• iPad revenue impacted due to macroeconomic challenges, foreign exchange rates, and difficult compare with M1 iPad Air having been introduced last year
• iPad: $6.670 (vs. $ 7.646 billion YoY)

• Very difficult Mac compare due to M1 rollout last year
• Mac: $7.168 billion (vs. $10.435 billion YoY)

• Emergency SOS via satellite expanded to total of 12 countries
• iPhone: $51.334 billion (vs. $50.570 billion YoY)
• During the quarter, our installed base of active devices reached an all-time high
• Macroeconomic headwinds impact of more than 500 basis points
• We are pleased with our performance in emerging markets, setting quarterly records in several
• Cook: We are pleased to report an all-time record in Services and a March quarter record for iPhone despite the challenging macroeconomic environment

• AAPL After hours: $167.77 +$1.98 (+1.19%) @ 5:00PM EDT
• AAPL After hours: $167.30 +$1.51 (+0.91%) @ 4:55PM EDT
• AAPL After hours: $166.84 +$1.05 (+0.63%) @ 4:46PM EDT

The post MacDailyNews presents live notes from Apple’s Q223 conference call appeared first on MacDailyNews.

Apple Arcade adds a whopping 20 new games

tigaman webdesign — Thu, 04 May 2023 16:02:51 +0000

Apple today announced 20 new titles launching on Apple Arcade, Apple’s game subscription service that offers unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games.

The new titles include WHAT THE CAR?, TMNT Splintered Fate, Disney SpellStruck, and Cityscapes: Sim Builder, all of which are only available on Apple Arcade. The expansion also adds popular games from the App Store to the service, including Temple Run+, Playdead’s LIMBO+, PPKP+, and more.

Apple Arcade brings together over 200 critically acclaimed original and exclusive mobile games across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. for just just $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year

“Apple Arcade brings together hundreds of fun titles in one gaming destination for our users to discover and enjoy,” said Alex Rofman, Apple’s senior director of Apple Arcade. “Today’s launch boosts our award-winning catalog with 20 new games people will love playing and sharing with their friends and families.”

Since its debut in 2019, Apple Arcade has provided unique benefits for subscribers. With no ads, no in-app purchases, and strong user privacy protections, the service offers a fun and safe gaming experience for users of all ages. It also features weekly content updates and new game launches playable across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, available in one all-inclusive subscription with access for up to six family members.

“Apple has been a great partner for us since the debut of Apple Arcade, with SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit being one of the first titles available, and it continues to perform extremely well since its launch in 2020,” said Doug Rosen, Paramount Global’s senior vice president of Games & Emerging Media. “We love the Arcade model because it provides us with a great opportunity to build unique games, specifically for this audience. We’re so excited for subscribers to play TMNT Splintered Fate, a brand-new title from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe, available exclusively on Apple Arcade.”

Apple Arcade features games developed by some of the world’s best creators, from indie titles to popular global franchises. The extensive collection of mobile games includes everything from fast-paced action games and fierce multiplayer competitions, to lively adventures, relaxing puzzlers, and compelling sports titles.
“We’re a small team, and we love making comedy games, so we’re happy to unveil our latest project, WHAT THE CAR?,” said Tim Garbos, Triband’s creative director. “The best part is players can enjoy it today on Apple Arcade. It’s a racing adventure filled with comedy — an amazingly absurd car game with lots of laughs — that everyone can play and share with their friends and family.”

New games available today on Apple Arcade include:

TMNT Splintered Fate (Paramount Global)

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been a cultural phenomenon for over four decades, captivating audiences with their unique blend of action, humor, and personality. In their latest adventure, available exclusively on Apple Arcade, Splinter is missing and the brothers are under attack. Unravel the mysteries to discover the sinister hand behind the mayhem. Join Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael on a co-op roguelike adventure where their unique attacks combine with randomized power-ups for some gnarly fun. Search for clues and hints across NYC with help from familiar allies like April, Metalhead, Casey Jones, and more.

Disney SpellStruck (Artist Arcade)

Developed in partnership with the co-creator of Words with Friends comes a new enchanting word game. Set out on a journey to the Isles of Tiles with beloved Disney and Pixar characters and take on challenging crossword-style games. Players will flex their spelling skills with Mickey Mouse, Tiana, Stitch, and others in a new adventure. They’ll play with friends in online versus mode, complete daily challenges, and test their spelling power as they claim the top spot on the leaderboards.

WHAT THE CAR? (Triband)

From the indie developers behind quirky hit titles like WHAT THE GOLF? and WHAT THE BAT? comes a new comedic masterpiece, WHAT THE CAR?. In this hilarious racing adventure, players take on the role of an unconventional race car with constantly changing features, such as legs, wings, and even the common cold. The game features wacky physics-based gameplay, making each race a fun adventure full of unexpected twists and turns.

Cityscapes: Sim Builder (Magic Fuel Games)

This new, sustainable take on classic city-building games is optimized for mobile and created by veteran sim builders. Players take on the role of mayor, and are tasked with building carefully thought-out systems to protect the health and happiness of citizens. With a focus on sustainability, players must carefully balance citizens’ basic needs such as housing, jobs, and utilities, while considering the impact of industry and transportation on the environment. With stunning 3D architecture, Cityscapes: Sim Builder offers endless design possibilities and endless hours of fun.

Chess Universe+ (Tilting Point)

For chess lovers looking to take their game to the next level, look no further. Built by chess grandmasters and gaming experts, Chess Universe+ is playable both online and offline, where beginners and experts alike can develop their skills and rise up the leaderboard.

Disney Coloring World+ (StoryToys)

Disney fans can let their imaginations run wild by coloring their favorite Disney and Pixar characters. Using a variety of brushes, crayons, markers, and magic tools, players can customize their characters and create their own unique versions of classic Disney scenes. Once a character is decorated, it becomes a sticker that can be placed and played with in magical 3D sticker books. With each completed page, more characters and pages unlock for endless fun and creativity.

Disney Getaway Blast+ (Gameloft)

Embark on a magical vacation in this match-three puzzle game featuring fan-favorite Disney and Pixar characters. Players will match and pop bubbles, restore and design unique islands, and meet new friends along the way. They’ll collect adorable characters like Stitch, Elsa, and Maleficent, and design their vacation islands in an eccentric Disney style. Enjoy the Disney magic and charming art in this puzzle adventure.

Farming Simulator 20+ (GIANTS Software)

Experience the thrills and challenges of running a farm. Harvest an array of crops, from wheat and barley to cotton and sunflowers, and take care of cows, pigs, sheep, and horses. Sell products in a dynamic market and invest earnings into additional machinery and farm expansion. With over 100 realistic vehicles and tools from leading brands like John Deere, Case IH, and Massey Ferguson, players can immerse themselves in the farming experience like never before.

Getting Over It+ (Bennett Foddy)

In this challenging platformer, players hike up an enormous mountain with nothing but a hammer while stuck in a pot. The physics-based game is designed to be tough, with every fall and failure resulting in starting all over from the bottom. Hikers who reach the top of the mountain may find themselves changed forever.

Hill Climb Racing+ (Fingersoft)

Get behind the wheel of this entertaining physics-based driving game. Players will face the challenges of many unique hill-climbing environments while gaining bonuses from daring tricks to upgrade their car and reach even higher distances. Race uphill in a variety of vehicles, including motocross bikes, monster trucks, tractors, quad bikes, tourist buses, race cars, ambulances, fire trucks, snowmobiles, and many more.

Iron Marines+ (Ironhide Game Studio)

This real-time strategy adventure in a sci-fi setting was made by the studio behind the Kingdom Rush saga. Recruit and train the greatest heroes in the galaxy, lead them into dangerous missions against nearly impossible odds, and unleash their mighty powers and abilities. Adapt strategy by changing troops’ roles even in the thick of combat, from ranger to sniper, and from flamethrowers to missile launchers. Countless enemies, adrenaline, tactics, and silly humor await in a galaxy not that far away.

Kingdom Two Crowns+ (Raw Fury)

A side-scrolling micro strategy game, Kingdom Two Crowns+ delivers a minimalist feel wrapped in a beautiful, modern pixel art aesthetic. Play the role of a monarch atop their steed and recruit loyal subjects, build kingdoms, and protect it from the greedy creatures looking to steal coins and the crown. Monarchs can also seek the assistance of a friend, working together locally in classic split screen while sitting next to each other, or on opposite sides of a device in the custom mobile feature of tabletop co-op.

Playdead’s LIMBO+ (Playdead)

Limbo+ is an award-wining puzzle platformer and indie adventure, critically acclaimed for its captivating puzzle design and immersive sound and visuals. Its dark, misty spaces and haunting narrative will stay with players long after they complete the game.

My Town Home – Family Games+ (My Town Games LTD)

This dollhouse game allows players to create their own family life stories and engage in fun role-playing games. With six unique rooms to explore, players can enjoy various family amusements and activities, such as cooking in the kitchen or playing in the garden. The game offers over 100 customizable items, dress-up games, and unique adventures where players can choose their favorite character and make their own game rules, fostering their creativity and imagination.

Octodad: Dadliest Catch+ (Young Horses)

Destruction, deception, and fatherhood. In this sequel to the splash hit Octodad, players control the titular Octodad — a dapper octopus masquerading as a human — as he goes about his life. Octodad’s existence is a constant struggle, as he must master mundane tasks with his unwieldy boneless tentacles while simultaneously keeping his cephalopodian nature a secret from his human family.

PPKP+ (SHIMADA TOSHIHIRO)

The city is suddenly under attack by creatures of Monster Corps, and it’s up to the player to become the hero who will take down the monsters and revive the city. Players can gather building materials in the Scrapyard, replenish their strength in the Restaurant, learn new material in the Dojo, and get new upgrades in the Laboratory in their monster-hunting quest.

Snake.io+ (Kooapps)

The objective is fun and simple: Players start off as a small snake, and must eat pellets or other snakes for mass to grow and become the biggest one on the board; survive as long as possible to beat the highest score. Act fast with the mass-eject booster to attack and defend against other snakes to get ahead. Snake.io+ can be played anywhere, and offers live events with unique skins and real-time leaderboards to compete with other players.

Temple Run+ (Imangi Studios)

Temple Run+ brings the original exhilarating endless runner into glorious 4K. Players can now test their treasure-hunting reflexes on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and Apple TV. Race down trap-filled temple walls and along crumbling cliffs with gorgeous upgraded graphics. Use the Apple Remote or game controllers to swerve, jump, and slide. Dodge deadly obstacles, collect coins, grab power-ups, use ancient powers to cheat death, and complete exclusive challenges to unlock new characters — even on TV.

Time Locker+ (Sotaro Otsuka)

Time Locker+ is a minimalist shooter by solo developer Sotaro Otsuka. In this minimalist shooter game, the speed of time is controlled by the speed of the player’s finger. Players control a character through a series of time-based levels, where they must avoid obstacles and enemy fire while trying to defeat a variety of creatures.

Very Little Nightmares+ (Bandai Namco Entertainment)

Enter the world of Very Little Nightmares+, a puzzle adventure game that blends cute and creepy. Help the Girl in the Yellow Raincoat survive in a hostile house and find a way to get her out. As she awakens in an unknown mansion, the player must guide her through each room. Navigate a vast maze filled with life-threatening traps, avoid enemies, and discover intriguing puzzles to finally pierce the secrets of this strange house.

In 2022, the Apple Arcade catalog expanded with more than 50 new games and also released over 300 updates to existing titles. The service continues to introduce new content weekly to keep fans entertained. Check out new updates launching this month for Jetpack Joyride 2, Angry Birds Reloaded, SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit, Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat, LEGO Star Wars: Castaways, Asphalt 8: Airborne+, Cut the Rope Remastered, My Little Pony: Mane Merge, and many more.

Pricing and Availability

• Apple Arcade is available for $4.99 per month with a one-month free trial.

• Customers who purchase a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV receive three months of Apple Arcade for free.

• Arcade Originals are playable across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. App Store Greats are available on iPhone and iPad.

• Apple Arcade is part of Apple One’s Individual ($14.95), Family ($19.95), and Premier ($29.95) monthly plans, with a one-month free trial.

• An Apple Arcade subscription gives a family of up to six unlimited access to all the games in its catalog.

• Availability for the 200+ titles across devices varies based on hardware and software compatibility. Some content may not be available in all areas.

MacDailyNews Take: Apple Arcade just keeps getting better and better – at no extra cost!

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The post Apple Arcade adds a whopping 20 new games appeared first on MacDailyNews.

PSA: Latest macOS Ventura 13.4 Beta Doesn’t Play Nice With Content Filter Apps

tigaman webdesign — Tue, 02 May 2023 19:36:42 +0000

Apple today released the fourth beta of macOS Ventura 13.4 to developers, and it appears that there are some issues with content filtering apps like Little Snitch, Radio Silence, and others.

After installing the beta, some users on the MacRumors forums and on Twitter had problems with network connectivity, and managed to narrow it down to interference with firewall apps. MacRumors reader Grant, for example, saw his network cycling on and off repeatedly until he uninstalled Little Snitch.

Twitter user @aaronp613 had an issue with his Mac disconnecting after updating and he was able to fix it by turning off Radio Silence.

PSA: Don’t update to macos 13.4 beta 4 – there seems to be network issues. Myself and one other person already having constant network drops every few seconds

— Aaron (@aaronp613) May 2, 2023

Mac users who are having problems with network connectivity after installing ‌macOS Ventura‌ 13.4 beta 4 should disable their network filtering apps. Those who are concerned about not being able to use the apps for the time being should avoid installing the latest beta for now.

Related Roundup: macOS Ventura

Related Forum: macOS Ventura

This article, "PSA: Latest macOS Ventura 13.4 Beta Doesn't Play Nice With Content Filter Apps" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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