Fun for PC switchers in this week's Switch to Mac: How well do PC joysticks work on the Mac? Flight simulation has been a fascination of computer programmers since the earliest days of graphical user interfaces. Those invested in the hobby get expensive joysticks and throttle rigs — accessories that work just fine on the Mac. Switch to Mac Every week our Peter Cohen brings you...
Want a new MacBook? Be prepared to wait, because you can't just walk in to an Apple Store and walk out with one. I can understand why demand has outstripped supply so radically for the Apple Watch: It's a brand new product category for Apple, and they're taking it cautiously. I'm less clear on why that's also the case for the new MacBook. Apple's showcasing the MacBook at its retail...
Steam reports they have over 4 million Mac-using customers. But how many are playing games that aren't mobile shovelware? Macs still make up a tiny percentage of Steam's customers —less than 3.5 percent, in fact — but it's heartening to talk about Mac gamers in the millions. Still, numbers don't tell the whole story. A quick look around Steam's OS X section or the Mac App Store...
If you get a message to update Adobe Flash on your Mac, use this quick tip to make sure you have the latest version installed. Adobe periodically updates its Flash software with new features and security updates. If you get a message saying Flash is out of date, there's an easy way to tell if you need to update it. We all love to hate Flash — it sucks down battery life on Mac...
We're only a few hours into Apple Watch pre-order day, and already I want to put my fist through a wall. New Apple product releases have become a sadly predictable affair in watching people desperately trying to get their place in line, only to be disappointed when things don't go their way. I'm sick and tired of it. Not getting your Apple Watch on April 24th? Shut up. Consider...
Does the arrival of Photos for OS X mean you have to stop using iPhoto or Aperture? Absolutely not. OS X 10.10.3 was released Wednesday, and with it, a brand new Photos app for the Mac, complete with support for iCloud Photo Library. Photos is the future, yes, and with its release, we won't see any more changes to iPhoto or Aperture, but that doesn't mean those apps are going away...
Apple's new 12-inch MacBook goes on sale tomorrow, but the first reviews are already in. What do the experts say? If you're thinking about getting Apple's new MacBook, you're probably wondering what it's like to use and how well it works. Read on to find out what the first reviewers think, and check back with iMore after we get our hands on one. These first reviews are an...
If you've collected images you'd like to manage with Photos for Mac, there are a few ways to go about importing them. Here's how! Photos gives you pretty comprehensive image management features: You can edit and adjust your images, sort them into albums and more. That's great for photos you've shot on your iPhone, with a DSLR or a point and click camera. But if you've collected...
If you're moving from Aperture to Photos for OS X, the first thing you'll need to do is import your library. Apple's pulling the plug on future Aperture development. It still works with OS X Yosemite, but Photos for OS X is the future. Luckily, importing your existing Aperture library is easy. You can either do it during initial setup and make it your main Photos library, or you can...
The Apple Watch is the most hotly-anticipated Apple product launch since the iPad. Reviewers have gotten their first looks, and here's what they think. The Apple Watch becomes available for pre-order later this week and will get into the first buyers' hands on April 24th. We'll have our review posted as soon as possible. In the interim, check out what others have to say! John Gruber...
Gathering, editing, and cataloging the many great photos we take is one thing. Getting professional-quality prints to hold in our hands is something else entirely. Photos for Mac is equally good at both tasks: you can use it to quickly sort through the hundreds or thousands of photos you've taken to find the best ones and the ones that mean the most to you! Then, instead of printing...
If you're a Do It Yourselfer with an iPod Classic, Other World Computing offers a flash card conversion kit. Apple may have discontinued the venerable iPod Classic, but it still has its fans, for its click wheel design and capacious storage. Now you can keep yours going and bring it into the flash storage age, too. This isn't a review — I can't find my iPod Classic at the moment,...
Developers who think that marketing is a dirty word are cutting off their nose to spite their face. Too often app makers pour blood, sweat and tears into making a new product without having a clear idea of how to communicate its features and benefits. That's where marketing comes into play. It breaks my heart when I talk to a developer with a really cool new app who doesn't have the...
I like to surround myself with old Apple gear. There's something to be said for having a sense of history. I like to surround myself with older computer parts. The keyboard I'm writing these words on was manufactured 20 years ago. My last mouse lasted me nigh on a decade. When I have a few free moments I like to play with an eMate 300, an Apple product from an earlier time. None of...
Even if you can't get in to WWDC, there's another event right next door that caters to Apple developers — AltConf. What's more, it's free. AltConf is set to return to San Francisco at the same time as (the as-yet unannounced) Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), and will happen nearby at a bigger venue than last year. Some speakers have already been announced, too — even though...
I recently called bullshit on T-Mobile for its new coverage maps. T-Mobile responded. Yesterday I spent some time talking with Grant Castle, T-Mobile's VP of Engineering and QA to better understand the way the data in those maps is sourced. Mr. Castle took my pointed criticism in stride; he's accustomed to it, working as he does for telecom's most outrageous, salty CEO. Mr. Castle...
Frontier Developments has announced the release of a Mac beta of its hotly anticipated space adventure, trading and combat game Elite: Dangerous. It's the latest iteration of a legendary game that traces its lineage back to the mid-1980s, on platforms like the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron. After a mid-December release of the PC version, the Mac version is now in beta. What's more, you...
Want to toggle OS X's Accessibility options quickly? Get there in one keystroke with this quick Mac tip! Apple builds great accessibility features into OS X Yosemite, to help users with physical limitations get the most out of their Macs. Getting there can be a bit of a challenge, but this should make it easier. The Accessibility system preference gives you broad control over how...
T-Mobile on Monday said its new coverage map is based on "customer usage data points" rather than theoretical coverage. I call bullshit. I've had T-Mobile service for about two years now. I became a T-Mobile customer after a brief dalliance with Straight Talk Wireless, back in 2013. The company had just brought the iPhone 5 online — its first iPhone. At the time, T-Mobile was still...
Apple sells only one external monitor: The Thunderbolt Display. Is it worth $1,000? Given that the Mac can work with just about any display using the right adapter, what exactly do you get with the Thunderbolt Display, anyway? That's the question I'm trying to help a reader with this week. M.J. writes: What is your opinion of the Apple Thunderbolt Display? I want it as a second...