Macworld Waves of extreme heat have already passed across the United States, Europe, and other parts of the world so far this summer. While people are at the greatest risk from high temperatures, your Mac may be even more fragile. (People can be water cooled and no current Mac offers that option—though some have tried.) An iPhone or iPad will warn you when it detects it’s too hot before shutting down, while a Mac may simply suddenly power off. If it doesn’t power down, you may be running it to close to its maximum capability and putting a lot of additional wear in the process on components that might fail later during other seasons. Knowing the temperature is one thing. The other is…

Apple on Wednesday released the second beta of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 for developers to test. As with all new betas for major point updates, the software includes a number of small tweaks and changes as Apple refines the operating systems ahead of their launch. iOS 17 upgrades the communications experience with Contact Posters, a new stickers experience, Live Voicemail, and much more. Some of the changes in the second beta include: • A new Live Activities feature that allows users to stay on top of things happening in real time, right from their Lock Screen. • A new motion effect for Live Photo wallpaper that makes the Lock Screen feel more dynamic than ever. • The ability to add widgets to…

Macworld Of all the features coming to macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS this fall, I might be most excited about widgets. No, seriously. Widgets! Yes, of course, widgets have been around forever. Apple overhauled the widget experience with iOS 14 three years ago, giving us a new widget template, widgets on the home screen, and smart stacks. On the iPad, they were relegated to a sidebar, but iPadOS 15 fixed that a year later, letting us put widgets anywhere on the home screen. In macOS Big Sur we could put iPhone-ish widgets in the notification shade off the right side of the screen. But with the OS updates coming this fall, Apple is making some welcome changes that will take…

Apple has a goal for its eight-year-old smartwatch: for it to act as your “key to the world.” That’s according to Kevin Lynch, Apple’s vice president of technology, who recently sat down for a virtual interview with CNET. Apple Watch Ultra Lisa Eadicicco for CNET: This direction isn’t new; Apple has been gradually extending the Apple Watch’s functionality over the years, enabling it to work as a digital key for your car and home. In fact, that goal was part of the Apple Watch from the beginning through the original model’s support for Apple Pay. But this theme feels more prevalent than ever in WatchOS 10, the upcoming software update launching in the fall and arriving in public beta next…

Macworld At a glanceExpert's Rating ProsFun transparent design (other colors are available)Improved ANC and sound qualityGood battery lifePriced wellConsDon’t sound as good as AirPods ProMissing a few Apple ecosystem featuresNo wireless chargingOur VerdictPriced similarly to 3rd-gen AirPods, the Beats Studio Buds+ have a more usable design, ANC, and better sound quality. But they’re missing a few Apple ecosystem perks and 2nd-gen AirPods Pro have more features and sound better. Best Prices Today: Beats Studio Buds+ Retailer Price $169.95 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide In our review of the original Beats Studio Buds, we found they outclassed AirPods Pro in several ways but lacked some Apple-specific features. That, along with mediocre noise canceling, made them less desirable…

Macworld At a Glance Our VerdictWe think an M2 Pro Mac mini could be the perfect Mac for many Mac users who may be considering the Mac Studio, but there is no doubt that the Mac Studio is the better machine and the cheapest way to get maximum power. When Apple introduced the Mac Studio in March 2022 we were impressed by its processing power and excellent value combined. Now the Mac Studio has been updated with Apple’s M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips it is still a superb deal for content creators of any level, but Apple’s offering has changed over the months since the original Mac Studio launched. Now the Mac Studio has competition from an M2 Pro…