Mac

Stay up-to-date on the latest Mac news, and tutorials. Get expert tips and tricks to optimize your Mac’s performance and learn about the latest Apple products and software updates. Discover the best Mac apps and accessories to enhance your user experience.

Cool-looking concept converts legendary Macintosh LC into a retro iPad Pro dock

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 31, 2016

German magazine Curved.de recently published an interesting mockup which envisions an iPad Pro dock with vintage Macintosh look complete with a monitor, keyboard and mouse. Released in the early 1990s, the Macintosh LC (“LC” stood for “low-cost color”) was the company's low-end, inexpensive Mac which due to its Apple II compatibility was adopted primarily in the education and home markets.

“For such a concept to prove beneficial, Apple would have to implement a modified version of its desktop operating system OS X on its Pro iPads,” writes the magazine.

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Clean up time: how to remove your account name from your Mac Menu Bar

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated February 10, 2023

Any time you set up a new Mac, or make a new user account, macOS will automatically display your account name in the Menu Bar so you know what account you're logged into.

But for some people, you probably already know what account you're logged into because you only have one account, or perhaps that text is just cluttering up your Menu Bar and you want it gone.

No matter what the scenario may be, there's an easy way to remove your macOS account name from the Menu Bar and we'll show you how it's done in this simple tutorial.

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GraphicConverter for Mac gains facial recognition, Collage, Picture Package and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2016

GraphicConverter by small Germany-based developer Lemkesoft has been dubbed the Swiss Army knife of Mac graphics programs, and for a very good reason: this app converts over 200 different graphic file formats into any of almost 80 graphic formats.

In its latest update, GraphicConverter for Mac was bumped to version 10 and enriched with a trio of major new features—facial recognition for your photos, Collage and Picture Package—along with refinements like support for converting Apple’s Live Photos format into an animated GIF.

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10 Siri for Mac features I hope to see in OS X 10.12

Sébastien Page ∙ May 27, 2016

Siri is one of these features that feels like a broken promise. Not only it hasn't evolved that much over the years, but it's also not that much more reliable than it was when it was first introduced back in 2011.

If the rumor mill is any indication of what's to come, it appears that Siri might make its way to the Mac, and maybe get even smarter with the introduction of an SDK for developers.

So I sat down and started thinking about what specifically I would want Siri to be able to do on my Mac, beyond the smart assistant's existing capabilities. This is my wish-list. 

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Customizing the toolbar in your Mac Finder window

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated August 14, 2018

If you own a Mac, you most likely use the Finder window on a daily basis; probably more than you even realize. But one thing you may not have known throughout the eons of using the Finder interface as Apple has created it to be used, is that you can actually customize the Finder toolbar to your liking.

By doing so, you can supercharge your Finder window's functionality with additional easy-to-reach features, and we'll show you how to customize your Mac Finder toolbar in this simple tutorial.

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Apple’s just been granted a patent for a MacBook with embedded cellular connectivity

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 26, 2016

The United States Patents and Trademark Office (USPTO) today granted Apple a brand new patent which seems to address a longstanding complaint among MacBook owners: the machine's lack of an embedded cellular connectivity.

Titled “Electronic device with dual clutch barrel cavity antennas” and originally filed for in the second quarter of 2015, the invention describes using additional wireless circuitry for cellular data via cavity antenna structures that are not present on current MacBooks.

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Pixelmator for Mac gains precise selection tools, all-new Photos extension and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 26, 2016

My favorite Photoshop alternative, Pixelmator, was updated this morning on the Mac App Store with some notable new features, bug fixes and enhancements. Pixelmator 3.5 for Mac, a free update for those who own the app, includes the new Smart Selection and Magnetic Selection tools, a new Retouch extension for Photos which provides a full set of powerful retouching tools, and more.

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1Password for Mac gains new browser support, anchored Large Type window and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

Developer AgileBits today released a new version of its popular password manager in the Mac App Store, 1Password for Mac.

Available to existing users at no additional charge, “The Passion Project” update bumps 1Password to version 6.3, bringing out support for an additional three browsers along with an enhanced Large Type feature, which now lives in a draggable window of its own, and a few minor VoiceOver enhancements.

Grab the update for free if you already have the app, or buy 1Password for Mac for $64.99 on the Mac App Store.

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Spotlight Suggestions expand to seven new countries, including India and Hong Kong

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 24, 2016

Spotlight Suggestions, a feature that recommends content from the Internet when searching with Spotlight on an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad with iOS 9.0+ or a Mac running OS X 10.11 El Capitan or later, has expanded to seven additional markets: Hong Kong, India, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and United Arab Emirates.

Counting these regions, Spotlight Suggestions are now available in a total of 26 major markets around the world, listed on Apple's iOS Feature Availability webpage.

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19 useful Mac startup keyboard shortcuts you should know

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 14, 2022

For those of you who have wondered about the many ways you can start up your Mac, here's a list of the Mac startup keyboard shortcuts you can invoke to access handy macOS features, which are only available at boot time.

Most of the time, your Mac just works—until it refuses to start up properly due to an unforeseen system error, a misbehaving app, a broken system component, and whatnot. Beyond system errors, different people have different needs when it comes to starting up their computers.

For example, you could be a pro user who dual boots between macOS and Windows on a daily basis. Others might wonder about booting a Mac from a disk other than their designated startup disk. Or perhaps you're looking to isolate the cause of a software issue in the macOS Safe Mode or boot straight into Recovery OS as the last option?

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