MacLife September 2015 USA

Homekit is here: Get into 3D printing: [gemmmm Mac software and : take control of the time is now for hardware problems your house! this cool tech solved! Mac) Lifes* SEPTEMBER 2015 NO.106 iPHONE 6S 4K iMAC From Apple Car to iPad Pro: read our comprehensive insider report on the next-generation products in Apple's labs HOW TO: Create stunning albums in Photos Back up iPhone photos for free Track your gas with Numbers Take better notes on iOS c id of head-turning u'll con . The No. 4313 el: h itched beefy aged hide, eight f artisanship, copper rivets and four heavy-duty buckles comprise the last bag you'll ever own. Guaranteed for life. The acme of grassroots American made custom leather goods for the vintage-minded in the digital age. > —— ] ee | : | COLSENKEANE LEATHER ” 704.750.9887 — rt | COLSENKEANE www.ColsenKeane.com Mac!Lifes* SEPTEMBER 2015 NO.106 WWW.MACLIFE.COM CONTENTS SS 22 32 42 Apple's next big thing Get ready for HomeKit Get into 3D printing There's nothing we like more than looking We delve into how this super-smart Join the revolution! We dive into the forward to Apple's next game-changing technology works, check out the best development of this mind-blowing product. Can we expect to see an Apple compatible devices, and find out what technology, explain how it works, and Car or iPad Pro in the near future? alternatives are on the market too. look at the best 3D printers out there. 3D printing is finally ready for home use ~ and we'll help you get involved. maclifecom|SEP 2015| 3 58 68 Her Story Leica Q (Type 116) D the truth in this grippini The amazing full-frame compact camera a START APP LIFE REVIEWS CREATE 06 DigitalLife 54 Nimbus Note 62 LG 65EC9700 82 Ask Head over to maclife.com Our Apple experts answer 55 Moleskine Timepage 64 Tweetbot for Twitter your burning hardware 08 Consider and software questions. Editor-in-chief Chris Slate 55 Line2 65 Alternote on how Apple Music has 86 Monitor gas costs rocked his world. 55 Shoot by Procam 66 Money Pro with Numbers 10 Share 56 Vee for Video 67 Consumptions 88 Creating albums Email: letters@maclife.com. from Photos 57 Spare Lens 67 Actuator 12 Start 92 Migrate Boot Camp Will Apple ever get online 57 Korg iM1 68 Leica Q (Type 116) services right? 94 Master Evernote on iOS 58 Her Story 70 Glimpses 14 Early Access 96 Archive iOS photos Pre-release games, plus 59 Xenowerk 71 Tonality to Flickr more Apple Music musings. 59 Fallout Shelter 72 Reformator 98 Random Apple Memory 15 The Shift We look back at when Aqua David Chartier is liking 60 Tales from Deep Space 74 Netgear Nighthawk looked beautiful. Plus a OS X app developments. X4 R7500 glimpse of what to look 61 The six best iPad apps forward to next issue... 16 6 companies... for pro music making 75 Mycestro .. Apple bought that made it what it is today. 75 Toshiba 3TB Canvio Basics 17 Game Loop 78 Brianna Wu says Mac Beyerdynamic 76 Garmin VIRB Elite Custom One gamers suffer when OS X Pro Plus is an afterthought. 78 Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro Plus 18 Crave The gear we're lusting after. 79 Creative Muvo Mini 16 80 Massive Chalice Garmin VIRB Elite 20 $50 iTunes card What would you buy...? 81 Heroes of the Storm 4 |SEP 2015 | maclifecom Introducing Blackmagic URSA Mini, the lightweight Super 35 4.6K digital film camera with 15 stops of dynamic range! Introducing URSA Mini, a handheld Super 35 digital film camera with an incredible 4.6K image sensor, global shutter and a massive 15 stops of dynamic range! The super compact and lightweight design is perfectly balanced, making it comfortable enough for all day shooting. URSA Mini lets you shoot at up to 6Ofps, features a 5" foldout viewfinder, dual RAW and ProRes recorders, and more! Incredible 4.6K Sensor URSA Mini can capture images at a resolution and dynamic range that goes well beyond that of traditional motion picture film so you can shoot your own epic, cinematic masterpiece! You can capture images up to 4608 x 2592, which is larger than 4K DCI, with 15 stops of dynamic range so you get incredibly clean pictures with amazing detail in everything from the darkest shadows to the brightest highlights! URSA Mini can record 4.6K at up to 60fps, or 1080 HD at up to 120fps. Lightweight and Portable URSA Mini's perfectly balanced body is made out of space aged magnesium alloys so it’s rugged, yet lightweight and comfortable enough to be used all day. You get a super bright 5" fold out touch screen for on-set monitoring, that can also display overlays for timecode, histograms, audio meters, focus peaking and more! URSA Mini features full size, professional connectors, even 12G-SDI, so you don’t need custom cables, plus high quality stereo microphones and a side grip mounted on a standard rosette. www.blackmagicdesign.com Electronic Viewfinder, lens and accessories sold separately. Completely Customizable Blackmagic URSA Mini is completely customizable so you can create a rig that’s built specifically for your production! Add accessories like the Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder and Blackmagic URSA Mini Shoulder Kit, or choose from hundreds of third party accessories. URSA Mini has 9 standard 14" threaded mounting points on the top and bottom of the camera so you can mount it directly to a tripod as well as add accessories such as rails, matte boxes and more. Non-Stop Recording You never have to stop recording because URSA Mini features two CFast 2.0 recorders! When one card is full, recording automatically continues onto the next. URSA Mini uses the latest, incredibly fast CFast 2.0 technology for recording speeds up to 350 MB/s. Wide dynamic range images are saved as 12-bit RAW files, which are perfect for high end grading and effects work, or as broadcast quality ProRes, for easy post production workflows with minimum storage requirements! Blackmagic URSA Mini 4K EF $2,995. Blackmagic URSA Mini 4K PL $3,495 Blackmagic URSA Mini 4.6K EF $4,995 Blackmagic URSA Mini 4.6K PL $5,495. All models include DaVinci Resolve 12 Visit MacLife.com The march of technology never stops, so neither do we. Get the latest Mac and iOS news on our website at www.maclife.com. Check out our new App of the Day and easy Mac hacks. See what's hot (and what's not) on iTunes and whether you agree with our pick of the best new iOS games. We'll also alert you to the best Apple deals plus keep you informed and entertained until the next issue. Read more news, reviews, and tutorials at maclife.com Mac | Life %s ao = gen. cee ere ‘The New Features of OS X El Capitan Apple Daily: More Leaked iPhone 6s Photos; ak Back-to-School Promo; Equality Act of 2015 FACEBOOK: facebook.com/maclife (em Toled D> twitter: twitter.com/maciite ties) MACILIFE DIGITAL OUR APPS EDITION FOR IPAD GBR) pote Newsstana 6 | SEP 2015| macifecom MAC|LIFE FOR IPHONE bit.ly/ML_iphone_app Mac|Lifes* DmroRIAL TORE hee tate uci EOTOR Chis Homan EOUTOR Matt tton OPERATIONS EDITORS Jo Membery a Ricketts CONTRIBUTORS John Archer, DsieAthow, Adam Bans, OestsBastoun Davia Biedny, Alex Blake, J8 Bookwalter, David Chartier, Emma Davies, lan Evenden, Cameron Falter Craig Granel Rose Hattersley, Kenny Hempil, Alastair Jennings, if Joseph, Joseph Leray, Angela Nicholson, ick Peers, Christopher Phin, Dave Stevenson, Jordan Erica Webber, Brianna Wu aT ART RECTOR Paul lacford ARTEDITOR Mat Gartside CONTRIBUTORS Appl, Thinkstock, Nel Godwin BUSINESS DIRECTOR OF SALES Stacy Gaines, gainesmutuceus. cm VCE PRESIDENT STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS Isaac Ugay ca Upay@falurnet com REGIONAL SALES MANAGER Michel Plamp,mplur2 AEGIONAL SALES WANAGER Tad Peres tpete2utueus com REGIONAL SALES MANAGER Austin Park, parkutueus.com REGIONAL SALESWANAGER Jessie Reinert, einerotuureuscom aNAGEMENT CONTENTS MARKETING DRECTOR Wil Ferguson HEAD OF CONTENT NARKETING, TECHNOLOGY Mik Mest {ROUPEDITOR-N-CHEF Paul Newman {GROUP ARTDIRECTOR Steve Gotobed RoDUcTION PRODUCTION MANAGER Mark Constance aoQUcTio CONTROLLER Frances Twentyman PROJECT MANAGER Cte Seatt PRODUCTION ASISTANT Emily Wood Future is an award.wining international modia {group and leading digtal business, We reach more than 49 millon international consumers a month 10 world-class content and adverbsing spate coneurers cine, on tbl snd in print Futur picis a pubic Chiat executive Zilah Byng Maccick ‘company quoted Non-executive chairman Poin: Alon ‘onthe London Interim chiel financial offieat ‘Stock Exchange Fen ain and (eymbot FUT. Tel +44 (0}207 042 4000 (London) ‘wor futureple.com Yel sty. aaa 208 (a) FUTURE US, Ne 4000 Shoreline Cur, Suite 40, South an Fran, ca94080 Tekes0-8724642 wwsftureus.com SOR VICE PRESIDENT Charlie Speight VCE PRESIDENT. MARKETING & OPERATIONS Rhode Bueno DIRECTOR HUMAN RESOURCES Erie Baska rurure tc (ay Hose The Ambury, ath. At, AIT, Unie Kingdom Te 440122542244 Balt Te +4 (0)2070 424000 (Londen) Volume 9, Issue 10 age 95 sie ety ae 0S Cot ued Satan ‘unt sed aCe Cony Be plan aes ss S25, Cline 25 en 9. US pris ny Ca psi a CS RRO, PosTaASTER: ees eo 2 82 aa, WSS ener ese ME et iP 252 ade GC Cana uae a es tame Manus CO hs Mau, nd Pane UnSnIEnCUSTOER SERVE i sone. P SH, an, SOUS Eloe hae 2 ue Fs 17227 Haste we eon ‘80 NO, A WOR FO OUR LAWYERS. i295 AB cen cet aie Miao neath bone teed maa ce ae | + fo cmd db It's cloud storage made simple. vY 100% Automated ¥ Sync Multiple Computers v Access Files Anywhere V¥ 256 Bit Secure Encryption mgHE Dy Ziocloud tie Fre! ol : www.zipcloud.com/maclife a* THE REAL REVOLUTION WHEN 2015 COMES to a close, it will have seen the launch of Apple Watch, iOS 9, OS X El Capitan, the next iPhones and iPads, and maybe even a new Apple TV. But, so far, what stands out to me most is Apple Music. I’d only toyed with similar services before, but now I realize my relationship with music is changing. Thanks to Apple Music’s free three-month trial, I’m sure millions of people are coming to the same conclusion, that streaming music isn’t just a fringe option; it’s taking over the medium. The true form of digital music, and the evolutionary end to the line of CDs, cassettes, vinyl records, and so on. Of course, people will continue to buy individual songs and albums; that option isn’t going away. But when iTunes, the world’s biggest music store, throws opens its doors and says, “Give us 10 bucks, and go wild,” there’s no going back. It puts practically any song or album at your fingertips. I’m still a little hung up on the concept of ownership, to the degree that word still exists... What happens if I quit subscribing, or if the service is cancelled? None of the songs I streamed would be available to me anymore. That concern lessens every day, though, as I become accustomed to the overwhelming value and variety. Music has always been more disposable to me than other media. So for me, Apple Music will likely end up besting Apple Watch as the company’s real game-changer this year. Speaking of the Watch, it’s widely believed that the device is suffering a significant post-launch slump. Apple hasn’t released official figures, but the Watch is estimated to have sold over three million units during its first three months in the US. From one perspective, selling that much of anything in such a short time is impressive. But those people who demand iPhone- or iPad-level sales must be disappointed. I’m sticking with my pre-launch prediction that the Watch will maintain a small but steady level of success. No matter what the future holds for Apple Watch, I think Apple Music will be more important in the long run. At first the service may not have seemed like a true game changer since it doesn’t do anything especially new, but by building it into the default music app on every iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Mac ~ and then offering a free trial to hundreds of millions of users - Apple may have just turned streaming music into the new status quo. 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All rights reserved. ‘our opinions, LETTER OF THE MONTH ‘are png ea SHARE WITH US! 10 | SEP 2015 | maciife com ANDREA I just read your article about the future of OS X and iOS (#103). I’m surprised that nobody ever suggests an alternative to pressing the Home button, especially all the double-tapping needed to close apps from the Fast App Switcher. All that pressing will cause the Home button to break. The iPhone needs more gestures; for example, swiping three fingers up could take you to the Fast App Switcher without needing to press the button. I don’t think you need to worry about breaking the Home button as long as you aren’t unusually hard on it, but some readers might be interested to know that pinching in with four fingers does bring up the Home screen... on an iPad. The tablet gets special gestures that work better with its larger screen. On an iPhone you might consider trying AssistiveTouch (Settings > General > Accessibility > AssistiveTouch). This puts a dot on the side of the screen; touch this to bring up a menu of shortcuts, one of which will take you to the Home screen. It doesn’t include a shortcut to the Fast App Switcher, though. New direction Thanks for the “80 Amazing Apple Watch Tips” article in your July issue. | just took a trip to the UK and was thankful | had an Apple Watch. My favorite app is AroundMe; it helped me find a pub in unfamiliar territory. The step-by-step walking directions are great! The only downside to the Watch is that | don't know as much about it as I'd like, though the learning curve is pleasant, not bumpy. Thanks to the Brain Trust at Apple for this wonderful new technology. KAY KORBEL Glad to hear you're getting good use out of your Watch, Kay! I've enjoyed using mine for walking and driving. While Apple Maps runs like normal on an iPhone, the Watch taps my wrist when | approach a turn. Thanks to those taps and Siri's audible directions, I hardly have to look at the map on the screen anymore. Asking for trouble | really want a new iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3, but | know my wife will say no, so... do you think | could get away with pretending | won a competition in your magazine? It would be so funny if you started a “Fake My Win" service. RICH The last thing we need is for your wife to come to our office and start knocking heads. Find some cool new apps she'd be into and bring her on board. Just be prepared to share your new toys. Small dreams | and many of my friends would much prefer a new iPhone in the original smaller size. Bring back EMAIL: letters@maclife.com FACEBOOK: facebook.com/maclife TWITTER: twitter.com/maclife the 4S mold with all the modern upgrades! A bigger screen is not better for many of us. JEAN J. After the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus received such a positive response and record-breaking sales, | think going back to the 4S is unlikely. But the recent iPod touch upgrade might be a good sign for the 5C. Apple Music critic It looks like Apple has made another big mistake with iTunes. Who in their right mind would want to pay Apple $10 a month ($120 a year) to stream music? | hardly buy any music these days, not from iTunes, on CDs, or otherwise. | like all the older music that | own, and care very little for much of the noise being produced nowadays. My favorite American band is ELO, so that'll tell you how old! am. ERWIN SIEGEL It doesn't sound like you're Apple's target audience, Erwin. But, hey, you don't need to subscribe to Apple Music - just loop Evil Woman and Twilight to your heart's content! For people who regularly buy at least one album a month, spending that cash on unlimited access to every song in iTunes is a pretty good deal. Mac|Lifes* Create Your Own FREE Website website BUILDER.COM Choose from 1000’s of Full Website Templates Y Your Own FREE Domain Y SEO Tools Included FREE Y FREE Business Email Setup Y Easy eCommerce Integration TO CREATE YOUR FREE WEBSITE NOW GO TO www.websitebuilder.com/maclife There's so much to like with Apple's services. But so many teething issues too... at, once again, d sharpening APPLE AND ONLINE services has always been a difficult pairing, producing fiascos such as the Maps launch or, most infamously, MobileMe. The latter was easily Apple’s lowest point when it came to the cloud ~ an online service that was paid for, but simply couldn’t do the what it was intended for. When it was replaced by iCloud, and Steve Jobs announced all the wonderful new things iCloud would do on stage, even he acknowledged that people had a right to be skeptical of these promises, asking rhetorically “Why should I believe them? They’re the ones that brought me MobileMe!” Now, with Apple Music in the hands of millions of people, we're seeing some of Apple’s old issues rearing their heads. At its launch, many people had trouble activating iCloud Music Library, seemingly due to strain on the server — it could be resolved the next day, but meant a major part of the service wasn’t working for people when they gathered their first impressions of it. A few weeks later, it experienced some down time, along with several other Apple cloud services, that meant anyone who had come to rely on it simply couldn’t listen to their music. Down time is always a risk when using online services, but it’s an area Apple has especially struggled with - Siri suffered from significant periods of down time when it launched, too. STILL, DOWN TIME ends, and can be ironed out in the future. But Apple Music has also revealed some functional issues over time. While not quite Maps levels of problems, they are significant. Well-known Apple commentator Jim Dalrymple has given up on Apple Music completely after first some irritating but relatively minor issues with songs on “greatest hits” albums not appearing if the songs were elsewhere in his library already - ona totally different album, for example — but then having it erase around 4,700 songs from his library when he deactivated it, many from long-gone CDs. Meanwhile, here at Mac|Life we’ve been finding the Music app becoming increasingly likely to crash when it’s opened, seeming partly to do with it struggling to connect to the Apple Music server. Apple is hardly the only company with online services that struggle from time to time, if it wants to replace what ‘we're using from other companies, it needs to focus more on getting things right before launch, not after. The smart car MODERN CARS ARE packed with technology, from parking and braking assists to wireless connectivity - and are evolving further all the time. (See p22 for more on future car technology.) This makes them smarter and more useful than ever, but also vulnerable to hacking in a way they haven't been before. This reached a head recently when noted security researcher Charlier Miller showed Wired an exploit in Jeep Cherokee vehicles that allowed his team to control many of its systems - starting with its climate control systems before cranking up the radio and showing images of the hackers on its dash-mounted screen. More of a nuisance than a worry... until the hackers cut a Jeep's transmission as it cruised along the highway. The hack took advantage of the Jeep's built-in Sprint connectivity and severe lack of security to take a remarkable level of control of its, systems, but there is at least a patch for this specific exploit. The concern is that the car industry simply isn't diligent or experienced enough about the digital technology it's increasingly making use of. And as cars move increasingly towards full autonomy, it's a problem that only becomes more crucial. A new automotive security bill is being introduced in the Senate as a result of the report, which will hopefully kick companies into action quickly, provided that it's effective and comprehensive enough. In the UK, hacking problem BY MATT BOLTON recently announced rules for testing driverless cars already include provisions that there must be an appropriate level of security. We don’t think this should put you off the idea of more automated vehicles, but it’s absolutely a wake-up call that companies need to be very careful when building in new technologies. There's an interesting parallel with the Internet of Things and home automation here, with many companies building things like home security cameras, but failing to make their feeds secure to outside intrusion. That's one of the problems Apple's Homekit aims to fix there - but it won't be so easy to ensure that the many different car companies will achieve this too. maclifecom|SEP 2015 | 13, Peet laa Feed your mind. Feast your eyes. a ° Pre-release games and software available now Lous Places fet. Romy) plese Oo « u » | MOONRISE $10.99 o Ss ey It’s Pokémon! On Mac! Not exactly, but that’s the basic hook (> here: you’1l go out with a team of little creatures, and battle and recruit more creatures as you progress through the world. It’s A p p | e M less cutesy than Nintendo’s game, and the interface is a little fiddly t he bad ' for its real-time combat, but this feels polished and fun already. | gnor in g technical VERSION TESTED: 1.625.0 BY MATT BOLTON APPLE'S MUSIC streaming service finally arrived at the end of June, alongside Beats!, a traditional-style radio station. For $9.99 per month, you get access to tens of thousands of tracks, all built right into iTunes or the iOS Music app. It's convenient, and it’s clever and exciting, but we've also had some THE CURIOUS EXPEDITION $14.99 This is an intriguing game of going off to randomly generated landscapes to explore, finding fascinating things, and returning to see if other explorers did as well as you. You get little story moments and tough decisions on the way. Right now, it’s really lacking in explanation, but there’s lots of depth on offer. VERSION TESTED: ALPHA 12.1 reservations about it. The music selection is great, with some unique treats, including Radiohead's In Rainbows and (following a big public discussion) Taylor Swift's 1989. That said, ee at the time of writing, 14 | SEP 2015 | maciifecom usic: the good, the confusing issues, is it a good service? we've noticed some understands what you albums available on like, you get a selection other services are of music in the For You missing - especially section, which you can movie soundtracks. easily keep available for Apple Music also future playing if you streams its tracks in discover something new lower quality than its you love. That said, the biggest competitors setup process is pretty ~ 256kbps versus inflexible, making you 320kbps from Spotify or | choose your “favorite” 144ikbps from Tidal. For | bands from a limited most people, this won't selection. We also find make a difference, but if | the app too busy on you've invested in really | iPhone yet too sparse good speakers and on iPad, and so quite headphones, you might fiddly on both. It also find it a little flatter. lacks Spotify’s awesome Apple Music’s killer collaborative playlists. feature is onadifferent | It’s a good start, but we level though: it’s the hope to see a lot of curation. Once it refinement over time. >THE SHIFT With OS X now offering a mo hand-in-hand approach with iOS devices, DAVID CHARTIER is impressed with the latest Mac app developments raditional PC sales, as a whole, have been in decline for a few years. Bucking that trend, though, is the good ol’ Mac, which has experienced respectable growth over the past decade. Asa result, more apps that started out on the web or mobile are now making their way to the Mac. One could say the Mac has remained a quiet bystander through the iOS explosion. But that’s slowly changing. Apps that started out on the web or mobile are now making their way to the Mac Take Quip, for example (Quip. com), an online productivity suite that offers collaborative document and spreadsheet editing, similar to Google Drive and Office Online (actually, it’s my favorite service in this category, I highly recommend it). Quip started as a web app and has offered an iPhone and iPad app for some time. But very recently it made the leap to the Mac witha native app that supports drag-and- drop and Handoff, Apple’s clever feature for moving your current document or task between devices so you don’t skip a beat. LAST YEAR, MICROSOFT released the first Mac version of OneNote, its note-taking and idea scrapbook app. Naturally, it’s been a Windows app for a while, but it arrived on iPad a couple of years ago, and it then made the leap to the Mac with a fully featured, native version. There are a number of other examples, including even Tumblr, my favorite blogging service, which started as a web app and has long offered iOS and Android apps. Even third parties are building Mac versions of mobile-only apps, such as a menu bar utility for controlling Nest, Google’s smart thermostat. There are various reasons for why all these developers and companies are coming back to the Mac. Some argue the App Store’s restrictions stifle too much innovation, while others tell me that consumers feel entitled to get everything on their phones for free. A couple have said the Mac was always in the cards, they just went mobile first because it’s easier to build for iOS in some ways. | WOULDN'T GO so far to say that the tide is turning or mobile is no longer a major part of our future. But now that the initial excitement has subsided a little, I think we’re getting a better picture of what mobile can and cannot accomplish (at least for now). We’re rediscovering that there is still a real need for good, genuine Mac apps because that’s where so much of our work needs to get done. Hanna's Sth Birthday Party >>> David Chartier is a content strategist and writer with vast experience analyzing the tech world. He runs the website Finer Things in Tech (finerthings.in) and hosts its podcast, The Finer Things In. maciifecom| SEP 2015 | 15 >>>Start za your mind. Feast your eyes. 6 companies Apple bought that made it what it is today Without bringing in this outside talent, the Apple world would be a very different place BY MATT BOLTON <a 1 tna Resto OR P32 Hay Coogun-W Soy Gane — YG rw Cory 84 : Nes bem arated frei 123-Haery aguonWlSpy Came al WF Training Montage 234 Harry Geagsom- elt Spy Game ie tie remeepertet sovcore Srnec 235 te Gopen-tSey one tee Ane tne 120 ery Capel Soycame Sop nae nt Dat tery coment Soyo | | | ste oennresmecee ecu ese tree | | | | | 146 Hany sana Soy Came 50% Mary Geqion Wil Soy Came Touch ID is becoming more important than ever for iPhone users, and it's thanks to AuthenTec. 218 Mury Gopuon Wil Soy Game ye days) be without nee onan 2 gesture controls? oo SoundJam That's what Apple intone (teens To build iTunes, got in this company. one of the most iTunes 1 was but a mere music player - few knew that Apple would grow important apps 5 it into the center of a digital multimedia entertainment ecosystem in Apple's history, it bought this Mac AuthenTee MP3 player, before Buying this security HOW DOES APPLE create all those brought Steve Jobs —_adding a bit of company gave hardware and software features 1 back to Apple. He Cupertino magic. Apple not just the in-house? Does it just have tens of NeXT cut back its product tech for Touch ID, thousands of employees? Well, yes. But This is the big one: lines massively, but also to make that’s still not enough to do everything _ not only did Apple and pushed Jony 3 services such as it might want to. Sometimes, Apple get the NexTSTEP Ive to prominence, PA Semi Apple Pay safe. wants to go ina new direction fast, and OS - the basis for working with him Having its own that’s where buying another company both OS X and iOS on friendlier, custom-made chips with expertise is the best option. ~ when buying sharper designs in the iPhone lets 6 Apple has bought dozens of NeXT, it also and new markets. Apple add powerful — PlaceBase companies over the years, including unique features, The first of many bringing in software that would be and buying this mapping companies the basis of apps such as GarageBand, semiconductor Apple bought, this Final Cut and AppleWorks. But as great design company brought in a suite as those are, they’re just add-ons. was key. of information from These are the companies Apple bought which to build its whose technology was vital for creating own Maps app. If the apps and services that make it as 4 there really will be successful as it is - and for where Fingerworks an Apple car (see it’s going in the future. What would the p22), PlaceBase’s iPhone or iPad (or data will have been NeXTSTEP looks a bit old now, but OS X and iOS 2.2. 2000 coursing through their veins. even Mac these ——_a vital first step. 16 | SEP 2015 | maclifecom >GAME LOOP When big-name game releases are technical disasters, BRIANNA WU says it's all to do with the fact that OS X is being ignored as a platfor THE FINAL FANTASY franchise is the crown jewel of Square Enix. The 2013 Windows reboot of Final Fantasy 14 made a shocking amount of money, stabilizing a company that had long been in financial freefall. The first major expansion, Heavensward, was released on PS4 and Mac this month. But the graphics performance on Mac was so terrible that the company pulled it from sale. It wasn’t the machinations of Kefka, Sephiroth or Ultimecia that devastated the Mac launch of Final Fantasy 14: Heavensward. Rather, it When | visit colleagues in AAA studios, | see offices filled with nothing but PCs was the poor performance of OpenGL that cast a sleep spell on our graphics and got the whole party killed. The irony of the blown launch was the recent announcement of Metal by Apple. Metal was built to solve the problems Heavensward ran into. In their mea culpa, Square Enix noted that if they’d taken the effort to code it natively OpenGL, it would have only had a 30% hit to performance. Instead, they ran it through Cider, a software layer that adapts Windows code to run on Macs, and the result was unplayable. One could certainly talk about the need for technologies like Metal on OS X, but I want to be clear about this. The real problem is that game companies just don’t take Mac game releases seriously. A big part of it is the culture of game development. Often, when I visit colleagues in AAA studios, I see offices filled with nothing but PCs. Many developers I know don’t use or respect OS X. That’s fine when it’s a choice of what system they use at home, but that disrespect bleeds over into a lack of knowledge on how to port games to OS X. IDEALLY, EVEN IF the developers don’t use Macs, a good playtesting department would catch these problems, and have enough pull with engineering to get changes made. Whoever playtested Heavensward had to have known about the problems - and yet it made it to launch. It should have been cancelled, or at least delayed. You can make money by shipping great experiences on Mac. Just ask Blizzard if Hearthstone on OS X has been good for revenue. Blizzard tends to release their games on Mac alongside their Windows counterparts. And they aren’t run through Cider, they’re built natively. Play the new Heroes of the Storm (see p81 for a review), and you’ll find the performance excellent. That being said, Blizzard has long had a reputation for only releasing excellent work. Their commitment to polish applies to everything, game testing, mechanics, and especially performance on average systems. That’s the standard all Mac game development should aspire to. PC gamers are notoriously price sensitive, many being unwilling to pay for a game unless it’s dirt cheap ina Steam sale. One of their biggest complaints about Final Fantasy is the $13 per month subscription cost. My bet is Apple fans would happily pay that — but only if you put the work into it. Square Enix, it’s time to level your OS X dev skills. >» Brianna Wu is the head of development at Giant Spacekat, developer of Revolution 60 on iPhone and iPad, and is a regular speaker at industry events, as well as host on the podcasts Isometric and Rocket. maclifecom|SEP 2015 | 17 ‘ Ninebot One E+ $950 >>> With its sleek black and white styling, this looks like it could be from Oblivion or |, Robot or Moon or the end of WALL-E or... wow, a lot of films look the same. Where were we? Right! The One E+ is a single-wheel self-balancing scooter, for carving your way through the city on your commute at a breezy 13 miles per hour, traveling about 22 miles ona single charge. It's what the Segway could have been if it hadn't ended up as the international symbol of the socks-and-sandals crowd. 18 | SEP 2015 | maciife com ,, DxO ONE $599 ; >> Like taking photos on your iPhone? This blows its built-in camera out of the water. (Also, you really should stop using your iPhone underwater, It's basically a screen-less camera that plugs into the Lightning port on your iPhone, so you can shoot using its awesome Finch sensor - much larger than the iPhone's. This means crisper, more detailed images, with better performance in low light and more control over depth of field. It shoots raw (to a built-in memory card), but transfers JPEG shots to the iPhone. The only downside? It costs as much as a full separate camera. 3 OWC USB-C Dock macsales.com $129 >>> Everything's going the way of USB Type-C. You can fight it all you like, but the MacBook was just the beginning. How will you connect all your old devices to future Macs, then? OWC's hub makes for a great NG), uasic conn - desktop dock solution. It's powered from a wall socket (so provides power to your MacBook), and offers four standard USB connectors, two USB-C (one to connect to your computer, one for other accessories), Gigabit Ethernet, 4K HDMI output, microphone in and headphones out. When it arrives in October, it'll come in gold, silver and Space Gray to match MacBook colors. Gramofon gramofon.com A $79 >>> Want a multi-room speaker setup for cheaper than a Sonos system? Gramofon aims to do this by offering a connected, multi-room audio system for under 80 bucks. Aside from offering Wi-Fi streaming (which is farther-reaching and higher-quality than Bluetooth) and integration with both your devices and numerous cloud music services, Gramofon enables you to connect up your home audio for a very affordable price. It looks pretty sweet, too. Sonos, watch your back. maclifecom|SEP 2015 | 19 $50 iTunes Card How would you blow 50 bucks on music, movies, books, TV shows, and apps? BY MATT BOLTON 1 HOME Rihanna, Jim Parsons, Steve Martin $14.99 This “odd couple" film from Dreamworks isn't especially original, but is still an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon with the family. Parsons plays Oh, a member of a high-tech alien race staging a friendly invasion of Earth so they have a place to hide from their sworn enemies. When Oh is cast out by his race for accidentally revealing their location, he teams up with Rihanna's Tip, a girl separated from her mother in the invasion confusion. The whole deal is silly, colorful and kid friendly, though there are some good comedy moments for adults, including Steve Martin's excellent alien leader. 20 | SEP 2015) maclife.com DEXTER IS DEAD Jeff Lindsay $12.99 Though “lovable” serial killer Dexter's story finished on TV a few years ago, the original book series that spawned it now reaches a conclusion of its own. The Dexter books and TV show diverge dramatically after the first book, so if you're a fan of the TV show, the series is definitely worth checking out from the start, though it can be odd, with some almost explicitly supernatural elements. In this finale, Dexter finds himself at the mercy of poetic justice as he is placed on trial for a murder he didn't commit, losing the support of the friends and family he's strived to build. Is this the end of his journey with his Dark Passenger? TRANSISTOR Supergiant Games $9.99 Released on Mac a little while ago, this action RPG is anew arrival on iOS. Our review described it as “Beautifully presented, with a layered narrative and combat,” and that all holds true on iPhone and iPad. In it, you play as Red, a singer trying to make her way through a hostile city, with only a giant talking sword for company, which narrates the journey. As you fight on, Red gains new skills, enabling you to take on enemies more efficiently. Key to it all is that, while you can just run around attacking, you won't last long. The trick is a pause option, where you can plan your next moves, queuing up your various attacks to awesome effect. LEON BRIDGES, COMING HOME 4 COMING HOME Leon Bridges $799 This gorgeous soul album is smoother than half-melted ice cream that's been shaved with that Dorco six-bladed razor. Seemingly mastered to be a just a little flat, a little crunched, like recordings from 50 years ago, Bridges’ singing is heart-felt and the music punchy, swinging and unashamedly old-school in its style and instrument choice. It's not some pale imitation of soul's '60s heyday, though: it’s the real deal, just delayed by a half century. Own productivity 4-><SOIOE) wireless desktop scanner http://ez.com/macli —— OITA. APPLE'S NEXT \“ " Deep in Cupertino, Apple’s Research and Development division is hard at work on its next great groundbreaking products. Here, we look at the possibilities for its next big headline-grabbing releases... 22 | SEP 2015| maclifecom 7 BY MATT BOLTON & ALEX BLAKE Apple Car Apple's next big thing agama Is Apple really working on the “ultimate mobile device” in secret? INCE THE RUMORS began really swirling earlier this year that a major research operation relating to cars is underway at Apple, known as “Project Titan,” it has been dismissed as just new CarPlay features, new mapping solutions or better battery tech. But, as they say, there’s no smoke without fire, and Apple is producing thick plumes of the stuff. As we go to press, it has reportedly hired Doug Betts, former head of operations at Chrysler, and autonomous vehicle researcher Paul Furgale - all very reminiscent of it hiring luxury goods specialists while developing the Watch Some of it isn’t even subtle. At the Code conference, Jeff Williams, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Operations, responded to a question about what Apple might do in the future by saying “Well, the car is the ultimate mobile device, isn’t it?” You might not think that’s worth taking seriously, but at the same conference back in 2013, Tim Cook, when asked about possible future wearable products, replied “I see [wearables] as a very key branch of the tree... I think the wrist is interesting. The wrist is natural.” The Apple Watch was announced 15 months later. Still, even if you do believe Apple is working on car, it’s unclear exactly what it would release. Saloon, coupé, minivan... all of these? One thing that seems very likely is that it would be electric. Apple’s green credentials are well established, with the company now powering 100% of its own facilities from renewable energy sources — something it might aim to introduce to the automotive world, if it’s able to power a series of charging stations that way. >>> maclifecom| SEP 2015 | 23 £4 Apple has invested heavily in ever more advanced battery technology, which led to it being sued by A123 Systems, a producer of electric car batteries, for poaching key employees for its own “large-scale battery division.” Though what we’ve seen publicly of Apple’s battery technology isn’t at the kind of level you’d expect to be used in cars, there are elements that may be important. Take the new MacBook for example, with its tiered batteries, designed to be used in curved casing shapes without wasting space — ideal for the aerodynamic lines of a car’s chassis, perhaps. The extra capacity from this might enable electric cars with larger ranges, or more compact cars. The most exciting question about an Apple car, though, is whether you’ ll 24 | SEP 2015| maclife com even drive it or not: self-driving cars are coming sooner than most people think. It looks like there will be a tipping point in about five years, which is roughly when Apple is predicted to launch its car. Dr Ken Washington, Vice President of Research and Advanced Engineering at Ford, recently stated: “Fully autonomous cars will be a reality within five years, if not sooner.” Google’s latest model of autonomous car is on the road now, with its fleet driving around 10,000 miles per week, and it also expects to have finished models ready in around 2020. Though the idea of trusting a computer to drive a car is totally alien to many people, all the evidence suggests that self-driving cars will save lives. Google’s vehicles have been involved in several accidents, A self-driving convoy from Volvo, with a range of vehicles taking cues from each other. but they’ve all been the fault of human drivers, not the car’s autonomous capabilities. Recently, two self-driving cars came into an awkward situation for the first reported time, with a Google car moving into the lane that an Audi self-driving prototype was about the pull into. And then... well, nothing happened. The Audi detected the Google car, stopped its maneuver LIDAR scanners in Google's cars constantly map the area in 3D. until it had passed, then carried on as intended without incident. Exactly what technology Apple would use in a self-driving car is known only to Apple right now. There are many options, from Google’s use of a roof-mounted 3D-scanning LIDAR system (bouncing light in all directions), to more subtle mixtures of cameras, lasers and radar around the edges of the vehicle, which many other manufacturers are trialing. ° IT MAY ALSO be that self-driving cars don’t just save lives, but also save you money. Consulting firm KPMG has issued a research paper predicting an 80% reduction in accidents after self-driving cars are widespread, with insurance costs dropping as a result of that by as much as 60%. But that makes the assumption that in a full autonomous future, we’ll all still own our own cars. Many of the companies involved think that’s not the case. Perhaps, instead of owning your own car, you’ll just summon a self-driving one to wherever you are, as if using Uber (indeed, Uber looks set to be a pioneer of this tech). It turns up, takes you where you want to go, then disappears off, and you can just summon another one to take you back. You pay a few bucks for the journey, and that’s it. No maintenance costs, no insurance, no parking woes. In fact, cities and homes might be able to reclaim the large amounts of space used for parking for new buildings or parks. You wouldn’t have to worry about charging an electric car in this case — it would just be part of a revolving fleet of cars available to everyone. Would Apple go for an approach like this? It’s a massive departure from its existing business models, but Apple is all about delivering ease of use and convenience, and in cities especially, this would bring a huge amount of both. Apple is also one the few companies with the money to roll out this kind of scheme ona huge scale. This may all sound a little too out there to be realistic for an Apple car, but we don’t think Apple would get into the game with anything other Apple's next big thing agama “INSTEAD OF OWNING A CAR, YOU WOULD JUST SUMMON A SELF-DRIVING ONE TO WHEREVER YOU ARE, AS IF USING UBER” ute but very me on top. If-driving cars ar the scannini than something completely industry-shattering. When people talk about why Apple wouldn’t get into the car industry, it’s often for reasons such as thin profit margins, or the upgrade cycle being so different that Apple’s development model isn’t suited to it — all of which assumes Apple plans to come into an existing market and compete there in the same way. It won’t. Consider the music industry: when Apple got into selling music for the first time, it wasn’t by stocking CDs. It broke albums down into individual songs, letting people conveniently grab just the music they wanted, any time they wanted. Perhaps what we’re about to see is the iTunes Store equivalent for cars. maclifecom|SEP 2015| 25 iPad Pro It's likely to be super-sized - not to mention super-powerful HERE HAVE BEEN reports that Apple has ambitions to create a larger iPad, aimed at more productive use, pretty much ever since the original version was introduced back in 2010, but nothing ever materialized. In fact, Apple went the other way, introducing the smaller iPad mini, which is even more of a light entertainment device than its larger-screen sibling. Still, the rumors never died, and since the announcement of iOS 9, it seems more likely than ever that Apple is about to introduce a larger-screen, more powerful iPad aimed at businesses and those who want more computing power for the ever more capable, desktop-class apps that are appearing on the App Store. The major feature in iOS 9 that seems to point to the iPad Pro is support for split-screen apps, which enables two apps to run side-by-side on an iPad Air 2 (all other iPad models can bring in a second app using iOS 9’s. Slide Over option, but this isn’t the Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 features a high-res 3:2 aspect ratio screen. 26 |SEP 2015| maclifecom same level of multitasking). Both apps are live at once, and each can be used as if it were running at fullscreen, as apps do now. The iPad Air 2’s powerful A8X chip makes this possible, with its 2GB of RAM and triple-core processor design — all other iPads have at best a dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. There is one limitation on running these apps side-by-side, though: despite the fact that they run as full apps, they can’t display as much as they would if they ran fullscreen, because running in one half of an iPad’s display changes their size and aspect ratio. Forced into a different shape, their interface is limited, and this means that some complex creative apps simply may not be usable in this mode, with too much hidden. ° ON AN iPAD Pro, with a larger screen, this limitation could disappear. Imagine an 11.2-inch tablet, with a resolution of 3,072x2,048 at an aspect ratio of 3:2, instead of the 4:3 ratio used by all other iPads. This offers 25% more screen area than the iPad Air 2 without getting too large, and is closer to being widescreen than the fairly square current iPads. The 3:2 aspect ratio might seem strange, but it’s actually the aspect ratio of the iPhone’s screen up until the iPhone 5, and has been used in Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3, where it was quite well-received. Still, why would Apple use it here? It’s all about the split screen. If you split a 3:2 screen in half, it becomes two 4:3 screens — meaning you could run two iPad apps side-by-side at their original size. If you split the resolution we’ve suggested in half in the same way, it becomes two screens of 1,536X2,048 — the exact resolution of current Retina iPads. The reason we Apple's nex’ (To scale wit Air 2, right. think it will be an 11.2-inch screen at that resolution is that it’s literally two iPad mini 3 screens next to each other ~ it can be made using existing LCD panels, and app developers wouldn’t have to do much to support it, since their apps would work at their best anyway. You could have GarageBand and another music app both running live, with one feeding audio to the other; or have Pixelmator open on one side and a file browsing app for your image storage service in the other, sending images to adjust to the former instantly once you’ve found them. Of course, apps would require updating to run in fullscreen on this iPad, since it’s not a 4:3 display, but there’s the scope for them to use its extra width to help you be more productive - the Mail app could offer an extra pane that shows a list of your mailboxes or folders alongside the inbox pane and message viewer it does currently, for example. ° SPLIT-SCREEN WASN'T the only hint at an iPad Pro in iOS 9, though. Intrepid developers discovered a new on-screen keyboard layout hidden in its code that’s much wider than would fit on acurrent iPad screen, including extra keys to the right and left of the letters, and this would work nicely on a larger, wider display. The standard keyboard now includes extra productivity options that are useful on current iPads, but definitely hint at a stronger focus on office or business work. There’s even an intriguing hint that Apple may intend the iPad Pro to be convertible into a MacBook-like device, with iOS 9 supporting more keyboard shortcuts from connected physical keyboards. Another interesting business feature would be to include NEC technology, so that the iPad Pro could act as an Apple Pay (or other contactless payment) receiver, making it a useful portable payment unit. There’s also the interesting question of pressure sensitivity. It’s likely that an iPad Pro would have Force Touch, but what about a fully pressure- sensitive screen for responsive, accurate drawing or editing in art apps, or better handwriting in note-taking and annotation tools? If it offers that, and a detailed screen in a portable package, it could be ideal for creative pros as well as enterprise types. maclifecom |SEP 2015 | 27 Apple TV Would Apple go 4K, or even make a games console? OR YEARS, TALK of an Apple television set was so fervent, it seemed like the hardware ‘was just a matter of months away. Now, it feels increasingly unlikely. The TV market operates at razor-thin profit margins (which is not how Apple likes to do things), and there’s little room to differentiate between products, since they’re often based on largely the same technologies, with mostly the same online services available to them. Apple’s current set-top box approach looks like it makes more sense, in no small part because it allows Apple to sell much more of them: if it’s compelling, anyone can buy one to use with their current TV. So, of course, there have been many rumors of anew Apple TV to replace the current one. What will it offer that makes it worth the upgrade, though? There are two possible additions that would require a hardware upgrade: full app support, and 4K output. The latter simply requires the right video decoder chips and HDMI 2.0 to be fully future-proof, and we think it’s likely Apple will include it, if it can get the support from TV and movie companies. 4K TVs are starting to become affordable and popular, but the content 28 | SEP 2015| maclfecom is still practically non-existent. If Apple could launch 4K movies in the iTunes Store for rent or purchase alongside the launch of the Apple TV, it could persuade a lot of people to start using iTunes regularly for movies (and charging more for the privilege). It would also provide a way to play 4K videos you’ve recorded from your next iPhone (we’ll get to that). ° APPS ARE MORE complex. Having an App Store would allow lots of video services to reach Apple TV users easily, which is great, and we’d probably see innovative new apps for TV use. We might also get features such as FaceTime on the TV. The really thorny question is whether there would be games on the Apple TV. Between the creation of Metal for faster graphics performance and support for games controllers in iOS, many have seen this as likely for a while now. The issue is that the Apple TV would be far behind the tech in the Xbox One or PlayStation 4 in terms of power and technical complexity if it uses the same chips as iOS devices, so you wouldn’t see ports of the higher-end games available there. iOS games could fill the gap, sure, but the most successful iOS titles use the touchscreen to its fullest, and are great in short bursts rather than focused sessions — whether that translates to a console isn’t clear-cut. The last thing Apple could add to really boost Apple TV would be a video streaming service, akin to Apple Music, but for TV shows and movies. This has been rumored for a while, and is reportedly nearly ready to go at the time of writing. This is something that wouldn’t be exclusive to a new Apple TV, though - users of the old model would benefit too. In fact, we think it’s likely that the old Apple TV will stick around even if the new one appears, as a cheaper option. THE 1) GREAT CourRSES To 10% off Robotics Professor John Lo Are You Ready For the Robotics Revolution? Robots are real. They're everywhere around you. And they're transforming your life. Our world is increasingly defined by cutting- edge advances in robotics, and it’s essential to understand the science and potential of this rapidly growing field. Using in-studio robot demonstrations, videos of state-of-the-art robots, 3-D animations, and other amazing visual aids, Robotics takes the mystery out of arti cial intelligence, from Roombas to cyborgs. In 24 incredible lectures, robotics expert and award-winning professor John Long of Vassar College provides a comprehensive introduction to these intelligent machines. 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The Futures of Robotics Robotics 2 no, 1312 | 24 lectu brought the millions who want to. ts that matter m ams. No homework rid of kr ailable anytime, wnload to your laptop or PC, or for iPad, iPhone, or Android available at wwwTheGreat 4K iMac 5K a bit much? A 4K iMac could be just right >>> There are rumors that Apple is working on an 8K iMac, but that feels a little... extreme to us, and pretty pointless, outside the needs of a vanishingly small number of video professionals. Look the other way, though, at a 4K 21.5-inch iMac, and it seems much more likely. The expectation might be that we’d simply see the resolution of the current 21.5-inch iMac doubled, making it a UHD-standard 4K resolution of 3,840x2,160, but there’s code in OS X El Capitan default resolution of 4,096x2,304 — a display size no other Mac uses. This actually makes sense, because it’s basically what you get if you take the 5K iMac’s 27-inch panel and make it 21.5 inches instead, so it would be technically easy for Apple to do. So why haven’t we seen it yet? Perhaps Apple is waiting for Intel’s next series of desktop processors, or even Thunderbolt 3. We wouldn’t be surprised to see it before A-series Macs that makes reference toa the end of this year, though. Is it just a matter of time before an Apple-made chip powers a Mac? >>> Apple has turned itself into one of the most advanced mobile chip designers in the world over the last few years, producing processors that consistently outperform anything else. But will it put those chips in Macs? It's starting to look more likely than ever, though maybe not across the whole range. Intel's expertise with extremely complex, powerful chips means it would take Apple a long time to catch up with it when it comes to pro-level products, but the A8X chip in the iPad Air 2 is already pretty close in performance to the low-power Intel processor in the new MacBook. In a couple of years, Apple's chips may well 30 | SEP 2015| maciifecom match Intel's at the low end, and be much cheaper to use, too - maybe enabling the MacBook's price to come down to where the MacBook Air is now. One of the biggest issues with putting an Apple chip in Macs is that, even with OS X made to run on them, apps would need to reworked to be compatible - and that was a painful process in the switch to Intel. But Apple has a new secret weapon here, named Bitcode. This technology reads the programming language which apps on the App Store are written in and turns that into Bitcode, which can then be recompiled into a new app that's compatible with any processor architecture. If they include Bitcode compatibility now, developers’ future apps could work on any future Apple hardware without any changes made at all. Solving this key issue is possibly the biggest sign yet that A-series Macs are on the horizon. iPhone 7 How will Apple push the boundaries in its next phone? >>> The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus had a change in size as the driving force of their big design shift, but we think it’s likely Apple will keep the same sizes for its next phone, giving it the chance to refine it in other ways. We expect to see Jony Ive's relentless quest for thinness to continue, and many of the tech changes might reflect this. We could see Apple adopt an OLED screen, of the kind used in the Apple Watch. Because they don't require backlighting, OLED displays are thinner than LCD equivalents, and are battery-friendly because black pixels can be actually turned off - and if a thinner iPhone has limited space for batteries, that may be vital. It might allow for an edge-to- edge display, too. Perhaps we'll even see a tapered design, letting Apple make use of the tiered battery technology in the MacBook. >>» At the time of writing, we’ve already seen a leaked iPhone 6s case, with only boring internal changes such as slightly tweaked logic board connections, so it’s looking unlikely that we’ll be surprised with an early redesign of the iPhone this year. There will, of course, be changes to make your year-old phone feel Apple's next big thing agama iPhone 6s More of the same, only better obsolete, though! We’ve no doubt that Force Touch will be added to the iPhone, giving apps an extra level of interaction to work with, and we’d expect the Taptic Engine (or something like it) to be included as well, giving feedback on deep presses, but also being available for developers to use as part of their app interfaces. An updated camera is all but certain, too. It’s likely that we might finally see the iPhone go past eight megapixels — a 12-megapixel camera that can record 4K video (and 1080p video in proper 120fps slow motion) would be a tempting boost over what’s there now. One thing we definitely don’t expect to see on the iPhone 7 is that camera lens protrusion on the back - which Jony Ive publicly described, with classic British understatedness as, “a really very pragmatic optimization." Apple has a patent on a fascinating new kind of camera design that might avoid the need for awkward lumps, though. It's based on three different sensors, each capturing a different light color. They're then combined in the final result, and because each one is focused on a particular kind of light, there would be less cross-talk between the pixels, meaning crisper images. We might also see Apple put its exclusive contract with LiquidMetal to good use. This amazing material can make very thin and awkward designs very strong, and it can even act as an antenna, so no more rubber lines. maciifecom|SEP 2015 | 31 >>> Feature RE4 <¢% 6 ra) yb We dive into Apple's plans to make iOS the center of your domestic domain and life - creating smart homes for everyone a BY CRAIG GRANNELL AQ 32 |SEP 2015| maclifecom = ACK IN 2001, Steve Jobs talked about the “digital hub" strategy, placing the Mac at the heart of ms your home - at least as far as music and films went. But with HomekKit, Apple's ambitions go significantly further, aiming to turn your iPhone or iPad into an engine that drives potentially countless smart accessories around your home. It's science-fiction thinking arriving in reality - tapping on a device to remote-control lights, locks, heating, garage doors, power outlets, cameras, and much more. Granular context- oriented groupings in Homekit will enable you to define rooms, zones and scenes to control. Of course, the idea of home automation isn’t new, and many products are already on the market. But the ecosystems are fragmented and few champion ease of use. By contrast, those already immersed in Homekit strongly believe Apple offers something different. “With Homekit's Siri integration and ease of configuration, it's a breeze to set up and use,” says Carlos del Toro, Director of Product Management at Incipio, a company working on several Homekit products. "The framework offers seamless interoperability with apps and devices across brands. You'll simply scan for devices and connect. The Homekit framework securely takes care of the rest.” Carlos envisions a future where “Homekit- compatible appliances and devices will be the norm at retailers,” offering complete control of your home with natural speech and proximity- based action sets. And although Homekit was revealed at WWDC 2014, products are now appearing that enable us to, as Carlos puts it, “use HomeKit to enhance our daily lives.” ; 33 ey img | 2 >>> Feature How HomekKit works The 7 \_ PPLE HAS MADE it clear that usability is at the forefront of HomeKit. On stage at WWDC 2014, Senior Vice President of _ Software Engineering Craig Federighi said Apple’s aim was to “bring some rationality” to the world of home automation, which had a tendency to intimidate people with its networking protocols and security mechanisms. HomeKit provides a framework that developers can tap into to provide you with the means to set up and manage a smart home. This will all be done from your iOS device, which will communicate with accessories over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) or Wi-Fi. While you’ ll have to spend some time determining said setup (see Managing Rooms on page 36), the time-savings and convenience when done will be considerable. Federighi explained that you’ll be able to say to Siri something like “get ready for bed” and know your garage door is closed, front door locked, thermostat lowered and lights dimmed. Commands to smaller, user-defined groups or just single HomeKit-enabled products will be possible, and Apple’s developer documentation talks about creating timestamped repeat triggers. Usefully, definitions will synchronize over iCloud if you own multiple devices. Additionally, Apple has confirmed that you won’t need to be within your home Wi-Fi network to control your devices, provided you have an Apple TV at home. Apple’s little black box will act as a door to the internet, providing an entry point into your network when you’re sending commands from anywhere else. Your voice commands will be sent to your Apple TV over the internet, and passed on to your accessories. HomekKit isn’t designed to work with every smart home product on the market - only those that are confirmed compatible and approved by Apple - but third-party hardware bridges are available to connect certain non-HomeKit smart home accessory systems, albeit with some limitations imposed — see Security and Privacy on page 37. Locks, lights, cameras, doors, thermostats, plugs, switches Secure pairing Control individual devices Group devices into scenes Siri integration 34 | SEP 2015) maclife com D cen Florian Albrecht The front door has been opened. = MacLife: What is the main advantage of Homekit? Florian: Apple is about bringing great user experience to technology products. We believe Homekit has the potential to make home automation accessible to the mainstream. Many ompeting and proprietary standards already exist, but none puts the main focus on the end user. HomekKit is designed to e simple, consistent and secure, keeping the data about your home private. ML: What are your thoughts on Homekit? Florian: By providing common protocols, certified hardware and an SDK, Homekit enables companies to do e vendors focus on what they do best. It lets hard) delivering great sensor and control products, and it gives soft ompanies the opportunity to innovate apps naw Elgato has a strong hardware and soft We're confident that y most traditional hardware companies can't are background. e. can make a meaningful contribution that will delight all users of Homekit. ML: How did you find working on a HomeKit product? Florian: Adopting new technology at an early stage esults in both unique challenges and also unique opportunities equired by Homekit was a task that required lots of lementing the security mechanisms focused effort, especially since our devices are battery: ps ered. Ultimately, this level of care is great for the end user, the ecosystem and the devices that we create. ML: What are your hopes for the future of working with tector Homekit and for people using HomeKit products? Florian: We believe Homekit will enable a new gory of consumer-friendly home automation products, both for individual users and also for Elgato as a creator of such products. From the experiences we have gathered ‘re thrilled to s this creating these accessories, v ecosyst get started and can't wait to be a part of it. maclifecom|SEP 2015 | 35 Managing rooms Get into the zone with Homekit - and also the scene, home and room 7 \_ OMEKIT PROVIDES several layers of flexibility regarding the layout of your home automation accessories -_ and devices. Layouts are based around the concepts of “homes,” “rooms,” and “zones.” A home is the largest container, representing a single dwelling and guests can be granted limited access toa home. It’s possible to add multiple homes to HomeKit — your actual home and your office, for example, or multiple holiday homes if you’ve the wealth of a typical Apple exec! One must be set as a default for Siri commands that don’t specify a home. Each home may have multiple rooms within, and these need to be given meaningful and distinct names, such as “living room” and “kitchen.” If a home has two similar rooms that perform the same function, yow’ll need to name them differently, in order for Siri to recognize them when you’re issuing commands. For example, you can’t have two rooms called “office,” or several rooms called “bedroom.” Within each room, there can be multiple accessories, which again should all have unique names. So you may need to get a bit creative if you get carried away in the Apple Store. GET IN THE ZONE - Because people tend to think of certain areas of their home as one, Apple offers an easy way to group rooms and accessories into “zones.” This provides the means to give Siri elegantly simple commands to perform complex actions. The zones can be an arbitrary collection of rooms, say “upstairs,” “downstairs,” or “bedrooms.” Any of the rooms you’ve ~, defined in your HomeKit setup can be added to one or more zones. A handy scenario for a zone would be to use a van (i 685 ae All Devices wee va Edit Dashboard At-A-Glance @ Lohis & Devices 4 @ scanty @ Heating & cooing @ Schedules / | oh =| 2 Ea on a single command to turn off all of the downstairs lights, rather than having | to remember the various names of all accessories and dealing with them individually. MAKE A SCENE - HomeKit’s other grouping option is the “scene,” which is even more powerful than the zone. Ascene also happens to be more granular, since it can include an arbitrary number of actions defining = the settings of specific accessories, rooms or zones. Apple’s developer guidelines suggest you might create a scene called “away” that would lower your home’s temperature, turn off all = the lights and lock the doors. The — opposite to this might be a “party” scene - unlocking your front door, turning on your music system, powering up that extra drinks fridge 36 |SEP 2015| maclifecom > Security and privacy Since Homekit may become instrumental for controlling and securing homes, security and privacy are core to the system. The creator of a “home” is the administrato and can perform all operations, including adding guests (such ily members) Guests must have their fe ID v iCloud account that matches as visiting farm device, and an Aj ith an the one provided by the admin. These users cannot modify layouts, but can make basic ute actions. changes and exe Apple's ensured secure pairing and end-to-end encryption between your accessories and your iOS devices. HomeKit-compatible products mu: roved by Apple and part of the Made for iPhone (MFi) program. Bridged products must also be MFi: approved, and may have restr for example, the likes of non: Homekit door locks will reportedly be blocked entirely. Apple rules are similarly strict regarding apps used to control accessories. Any in use must run in the foreground, excepting approved triggers. t's forbidden for apps to gather and store info about your home and its accessories. And apps must be focused on home automation, ensuring not just p can access Homekit data. Of course, your Homekit conne products will be controllable from your favorite Apple in the kitchen, dimming your normal lighting and setting your colored lights to “disco mode.” Raised an eyebrow while reading this? The concept’s already well and truly here — just check out Hue Disco on the App Store! Precisely how room management will be achieved wasn’t fully clear at the time of writing. Apple might add a “Home” app to your iOS device, akin to the Health app, for accessing data. Alternatively, it might be something only accessible from within HomeKit accessory apps, either using the interface of the app itself or a system-wide Apple-defined interface, like the iOS Document Picker. maclifecom|SEP 2015 | 37 >>> Feature 38 |SEP 2015) maclife com 1ECOBEE3 $229 What is it? A smart thermostat, enabling you to check and adjust your home's temperature from iPhone or Apple Watch Why are we excited? Using ecobee3's remote sensors, it In how keeps accurate tab rm every part of your house is, so no energy is wasted. It monitors the weather and your schedule, it’s comforta it b ing wasteful 2 INSTEON HUB PRO $149 What is it? This hub can control everything from lights to power adapters to wireless cameras to smart locks to therm and the unit is HomeKit-enabled. Why are we excited? The most comprehensive system here, control, lighting and wire-in modules pool pumps, ceiling fans and more. 3 INCIPIO DIRECT WIRELESS SMART OUTLET $25 What is it? A power outlet you'll be able to control from your iOS dev context Siri commands, or even by using in through proximity - eg, powering up electronics on entering a room. Lamp ad id powerstrips are imminent. Why are we excited? Because remote control outlets will save time and energy in the home. [J i r- Vy] ac Of} 4 LUTRON CASETA WIRELESS SMART BRIDGE. $119 casetawireless.com What is it? A smart light system, with this bridge as its central point. Lutron offers a range of bulbs and attachments for controlling your lights centrally, and now you can use Siri to control it. Why are we excited? The Caséta bridge can also control some electronic shades and Honeywell smart thermostats. 5 ELGATO EVE From $39 elgato.com What is it? A range of sensors, designed to provide environmental data, such as energy consumption, temperature and air quality, as well as a power outlet adapter, for controlling an attached appliance or just monitoring its electricity usage. Why are we excited? It will help you make informed decisions regarding energy use. eve 6 SCHLAGE SENSE STBA schlage.com What is it? We've seen quite a few smart locks of late, especially on crowdfunding sites. But Schlage's ticks more boxes than most. It's designed to work with Homekit, and enables entry using your iOS device or a programmable touchscreen. Available soon. Why are we excited? Because we'd like our house to welcome us, and not have to fish for keys. Get ready for HomeKit 7 PHILIPS HUE $200 (for starter pack) philips.com What is it? Wireless lightbulbs. Control your lights from your iOS device wherever you are, transforming your room's feel in seconds. HomeKit support is incoming - existing users might need a new bridge unit, though. Why are we excited? Really? Because of the convenience, flexibility and sheer geeky joy of the system, of course! maclifecom|SEP 2015 | 39 Homekit alternatives Apple's not the only company in the home automation game... ™ bY Hello, Smart Home velore US-based SmartThings was acquired by Samsung elegant and simple means of remotely controlling home lighting. ALL POWERFUL? - However, the more devices and gadgets you accumulate, the more you’re going to want to make them work as one, and there are plenty of competing protocols and standards. Z-Wave and ZigBee are two popular communications protocols that can be used in home automation kit. The former’s website talks of leading brands being powered by it. The latter calls itself the “only open, global wireless standard to provide the foundation for the Internet of Things.” APPLE ECOSYSTEM - Really, though, protocols are only part of the puzzle. What makes HomeKit isn’t the and provides an open platform which does a lot of what Apple's aiming for with its Homekit system, 7 \ OME AUTOMATION is in its infancy, and so a perfectly viable alternative to HomeKit at this stage is to avoid = complex setups entirely, and instead concentrate on a few individual pieces of technology you think will improve your life right now. For example, while the Withings Home Smart Camera and Philips Hue are both intended to fit into a HomeKit set-up, they work perfectly well as they are. Place a Withings Home in a room and it’ll send live video and imagery to an iPhone, along with alerting you regarding movement - it’ll even send these things to an Apple Watch. Likewise, the Philips Hue has long been a Mac|Life favorite, with its iOS app providing an 40 | SEP 2015 | macife.com protocol itself, but the fact it’s part of an Apple ecosystem. As someone armed with an iPhone, you'll just grab a piece of MFi- certified hardware, knowing it should work with your home set-up. The two names most likely to take on Apple in that sense are Samsung and Google. Samsung has made major inroads into home automation over the past couple of years, integrating it into the company’s products. This was further cemented by a 2014 acquisition of SmartThings (smartthings.com), a US-based company building an open platform for smart homes. Through the SmartThings Hub and free app (iOS, Android and Windows), you can add and use whatever devices you want, customizing your smart home. Google, too, looks set to battle Apple for the future of home automation. While its Android @Home system seemingly stalled, the company bought the Get ready for HomekKit n> tT eececoosce OD elle CCocces COCCCCCeS Pose OOCCSCCES® COCCCCe popular Nest smart thermostat. Nest has since branched out into related products and a “Work with Nest” program. This enables smart accessories to work with Nest in all kinds of ways, including toggling lights when the thermostat is in “away” mode during your holidays, and flashing Hue lights to get your attention when a Nest Protect smoke alarm senses something’s wrong. Late last year, Nest formed a working group with Samsung and several other companies to release Thread (threadgroup.org), a networking protocol it describes as “the very best way to connect and control products in the home.” It’s promoted as being completely secure and without a single point of failure, along with essentially solving every problem, ever, for connecting products around the home. At this point, your head might hurt from all the choice and it is impossible to know how everything will Nest has combined with Samsung and other tech companies to form Thread, a working group for connecting Android-controlled home products. shake out. Google in particular seems well placed to and also has a history of creating ecosystems in which take on HomeKit, not least with its rapidly improving outside companies can flourish. software design smarts and ownership of Nest. We'd say the future of home automation is fluid. If Samsung, too, is an industry giant that manufactures you simply cannot wait for a gadget, by all means buy it televisions and a huge range of home appliances. now if it’ll happily work with your existing iOS devices. Otherwise, hang on for HomeKit proper if you’re FLUID FUTURE ~ However, Apple has advantages wedded to Apple, or investigate alternatives (notably of its own. It’s taken the time to get HomeKit right, SmartThings) if you’ve a very mixed-use household boasts superb brand recognition and satisfaction, in terms of smartphones and accessories. maclifecom|SEP 2015 | 41 >>>Feature Replicator. Mini ECHNOLOGIES OFTEN simmer under the surface before emerging into the mainstream. And in the case of 3D printing it’s taken over 30 years to finally come to the boil. Held back by high costs and restrictive patents, 3D printing has been waiting patiently in the wings for its moment in the spotlight, but with prices dropping and options increasing, that moment is now upon us. It’s time for 3D printing to take center stage. A study from CSC (csc.com) published in March, and featured in Forbes magazine, predicted that by 2020 the global 3D print industry will be worth $8.6 billion. And with prices expected to drop by 50% in the next five years, and speeds to get 400% faster, it’s only going to get more practical and useful over time. Now, with the likes of Canon, Dell, Adobe, HP, and Microsoft creating their own apps and hardware, there’s a burgeoning interest in 3D printing that goes beyond its hitherto niche audience; it’s about to go mainstream, and there’s never been a better time to get involved. In this feature we’re going to take a look at the fascinating story behind 3D printing, uncover some of the best printers and tools for Mac users, walk you through your very first print, and reveal why so many people are catching the 3D print bug! maclifecom|SEP 2015| 43 >>> Feature THE 3D PRINTING REVOLUTION SPIRAL VASE Our first featured model is a vase by Martin Zampach. This is a great example of a print that's well designed for most printers - with no nasty overhangs - and it’s also visually interesting and functional. And because it’s hollow, it prints surprisingly quickly (though speed is relative with 3D printing, and you're still looking at a number of hours) You can grab it here: thingiverse.com/ thing:481259 44 | SEP 2015|maclifecom From a research team at a UK university, to homemade firearms, to a community at loggerheads over open source, 3D printing has a fascinating story to tell HEN CHUCK HALL developed wl the principles of 3D printing back in 1984, Ghostbusters was the world’s favorite movie and Apple was launching its first Macintosh computer. Due to high costs and a number of patents that only expired within the last decade, though, 3D printing was the preserve of a handful of people in the manufacturing industry. But in 2005, a UK university lecturer started a quiet revolution. “When 3D printing came along I realized that, for the first time, humanity had a manufacturing technology that stood a reasonable chance of copying itself, and so started RepRap,” recalls Dr. Adrian Bowyer, founder of the RepRap (or “replicating rapid prototyper”) Project. “I received the smallest research grant of my entire 40-year academic career, £20,000, which was less than the cost of a cheap 3D printer at the time.” As the RepRap Project grew, and the team developed the precursor to many of today’s desktop printers, it brought with it an open source ethos, with all printer designs being made available under the GNU General Public License. This ethos was core to 3D printing’s early success. “We believe this community was essentially born from ~ and is still is driven by ~ a desire to change the world for the better,” says Diogo Quental, CEO of Beeverycreative, a leading printer maker. “This is something anyone can see for themselves when they visit a 3D printing show, where the atmosphere is far more collaborative than it is competitive.” A PERIOD OF RAPID GROWTH This collaborative atmosphere kickstarted a period of rapid growth in 3D printer development. As other printer makers built on the technology, a host of new manufacturers emerged in explosive fashion. One of these companies, a company that’s both inspired and divided the 3D print community, is MakerBot. As the 3D printing movement began to coalesce around open source ideals and maker enthusiasm, MakerBot emerged as an early beneficiary, positioning itself as the poster-child of affordable, 3D printing. “3D printing has been around for close to 30 years, but up until 2009, the industry typically offered large mainframe-sized 3D printers that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars,” says Andreas Langfeld, general manager at MakerBot Europe. “MakerBot changed that equation by introducing P— \\,} = desktop 3D printers that are smaller and more affordable.” The internet has been key in the spread of 3D printing, and it’s no surprise then that MakerBot, the world’s best-known 3D print brand, is also the company behind the world’s biggest 3D print community: Thingiverse.com. Launched in 2008, Thingiverse plays host to artists, designers, architects, inventors, and anyone else that wants to share and discuss 3D prints. By September 2012, the site had hit 20,000 model uploads. COMMUNITY BACKLASH Sadly, as with most technologies, it was almost inevitable that this rapid growth would cause a fissure, and in the same month MakerBot made the cover of Wired, it turned its back on open source: “For the Replicator 2, we will not share the way the physical machine is designed or our GUI,” co-founder Bre Pettis explained at the launch of its newest printer, “because we don’t think carbon-copy cloning is acceptable and carbon-copy clones undermine our ability to pay people to do development.” The terms on the Thingiverse site changed, too, to give MakerBot extensive rights to use, sell, reproduce and license uploads to the site. MakerBot’s community, many of whom had Get into 3D printing 3D printing’s all the wrong made a fully working gun and showed the w how to do it. Some prints are criticized for being too rough. But as this skull pattern shows, highly intricate designs that are relatively smooth are possible to achieve at home, maclifecom |SEP 2015| 45 contributed to the company’s success, were not happy. And when Stratysys - the company that held the patent on FDM technology (one of the most important 3D printing techniques - see p48) for 20 years — bought MakerBot in 2013, many believed “THIS COMMUNITY WAS BORN FROM A DESIRE TO CHANGE THE WORLD" that the honeymoon period was over. “Some of you may think that I am rather lax in my pursuit of those people who would appropriate RepRap technology and close it off, thereby breaking the terms of the GPL,” Adrian Bowyer wrote in a blog post at the time. “The reason that I am lax - and I am - is because I don’t care about those people. I don’t care about them because I know that by closing off the path that they have chosen, they have turned it into a reproductive cul de sac; they have made their machine sterile.” FIRED INTO THE MAINSTREAM Bowyer may have had a point, because MakerBot - which has undoubtedly done more than any other brand to popularize 3D printing - began to face increasingly stiff competition as new printer makers, T. REX SKULL This two-part T. rex skull from MakerBot is brilliant fun, and is a great example of something that you can print to enjoy with your children Printing in two parts, you can fit the skull together and the jaws can be moved up and down, and if you mix a bit of dark paint and water - as long as you're printing with a white filame can apply aw will make it look pretty authentic. Grab it here: isted conical fan shape. It's Eninglverse;com/’ how a 3D printer | up. thing:373367. This spiral vase has a a great design for s 46 | SEP 2015| macifecom such as Ultimaker, MakerGear, Lulzbot, Beeverycreative, and many more, continued to build on the work done by the RepRap Project. But despite all of this, 3D printing was still on the periphery. Then someone printed a gun. “For nearly three hundred years anyone has been able to own a lathe. Worldwide, millions of private individuals do, including me,” says RepRap’s Adrian Bowyer. “And lathes are really good at making guns - much better than 3D printers - and they always have been. No one has worried about this. Ever!” Like Bowyer, many 3D printing enthusiasts were angered by the story, which positioned 3D printing in a negative way, but it came at a time when guns, and gun control, were grabbing headlines around the world. The story broke in March 2013, and just two months later the number of models available to Thingiverse had quadrupled to 100,000. For better or worse, it played a pivotal role in pushing 3D printing into the public’s consciousness, and it hasn’t been out of the news since. Whether it’s stories of printed cars, spanners in space, or synthetic humans, we’re increasingly aware of what 3D printing is capable of. Desktop printers are now affordable, easy to use, and have widespread Mac support. NEW TECH TECHNOLOGY, TESTED "CHANNEL! The best just got better! Still showcasing the best news, reviews and features but now optimised for every screen and your satisfaction. L« tech? Then visit... www.techradar.com (¥) twitter.com/techradar () facebook.com/techradar >>> Featur HOW UNDERSTANDING FILE TYPES One of the things that confuses many people about 3D printing file formats. With no one-size-fits: all format, the question of what to use is one that every newcomer will ask. “Depending on the printed output type (s lor, full color, plastic, resin, etc) there can be a preference for the model input format,” explains Richard Curtis, principal solutions consultant at Ad most likely an STL file, or for full “If it's a single color, it's or, it could be OBJ or VRML..” When creating a file you must t it's going to IT WORKS Confused? Let's shed a bit more light on the dark art of 3D printing epending on what you’re producing, and the amount you're willing to spend on a3D printer, there are a variety of ways to print a 3D model. Some techniques involve lasers cutting through material, some fire UV beams at resin, but the most common technique is called FDM (fused deposition modelling). FDM involves pushing heated filament (plastic, in most cases) through a tiny nozzle, building up thin layers/slices as it goes along. The more detail, the longer governed by its geometry. If you create your own files, especially from scans, it’s rarely a question of simply clicking “print.” “All 3D prepared for printing - a pro model fixi says. “Model fixing is a quality inspection process, intended to ensure obje and the geom: cting polygor g the wrong w or simple tasks such as cr nporary printing supports for over-hanging elements. it takes, as the printer needs to lay down more layers (measured in microns). In most cases, the filament used for FDM printers is either PLA or ABS, which are categorized as thermoplastics; this means they can be easily heated to a soft state, and then cooled to a solid. And you can buy these filaments from companies such as colorFabb (colorfabb.com) and 3d-filaments (3d-filaments.com). ABS filament requires a heated bed, otherwise it tends to curl, but it has a better strength and flexibility than PLA. PLA can provide more detail, warps less, comes in funkier colors, and gives off less noticeable fumes. PLA is plant-based; ABS is petroleum-based plastic. You can create models in a CAD or 3D app (such as AutoCAD 360 or 3ds Max). Or, if you don’t want to learn a pro app, Autodesk has an amazing suite of free, 3D tools available at 123dapp.com. If you don’t want to make your own model, thousands of ready-made models can be found via repositories such as Thingiverse.com (owned by MakerBot), Shapeways, i.materialise, Sketchfab and YouMagine. com (Ultimaker’s 3D print community). If you do design your own model, you will need to ensure it’s exported as a 3D-printer friendly model format, either an STL or an OBJ file (all the printers we’ve featured support these formats). But there’s one last thing you need to do. Because 3D printers work in different ways, and have their own idiosyncrasies, you need to convert your OBJ or STL file via an app called a “slicer” (many printers come with their own slicing software, such as Ultimaker’s Cura). What this does, and the clue’s in the name, is take your model, and - based on the parameters set - create a file that transforms your model into a series of layers. This is called G-code. And G-code makes the magic happen. Get into 3D printing MAKING A 3D PRINT Here we show you how to print your first 3D model FIND A MODEL Here we're using the Ultimaker 2, which is a great machine for newcomers. However, despite Ultimaker's own model repository, YouMagine.com, being a great place to find free models, MakerBot's Thingiverse.com has a much broader selection. We've chosen this slim vase (thingiverse.com/thing:481259), and we'll be printing it using colorFabb's fluorescent green filament (colorfabb.com/fluorescent-green). ©080 DOWNLOAD THE FILE To download 3D files on the Thingiverse website you need to first click the icon titled Thing Files, that sits on each model page, and then select Download All Files. Once you've got your files stored on your Mac, you need to open your slicer software (for us it'll be Ultimaker's Cura app) and open the STL file you downloaded from Thingiverse Typically, 3D print files are actually quite small - just a few megabytes. OPEN YOUR STL FILE Now you need to open your STL file in your slicer app (as mentioned, we're using Cura). You will see your model, rendered virtually, within a three dimensional canvas. You can zoom in on your model, change scale, or pan round to check detail. Our default view enables us to choose pre-selected settings for four quality levels. Notice that you'll get an accurate time for printing the model at the top of Cura interface. a] CHECK SCALE The first thing we're going to do is reduce the scale of the vase a little. An Thour print is a bit much for our first foray into the world of 3D printing, so we're going to scale things down to 70% (though this still results in a seven-hour print). To do this, you first click on your model, and then select the Scale icon at the bottom of the Cura interface. In the window that pops up you need to type "0.7" in the X, Y and Z scale options. FINE-TUNE SETTINGS Now let's jump into expert view, by selecting Expert > Switch to full settings from the menu. You'll now see more settings on the left-hand side of the window. At the top, under Quality, is “Layer height,” which is the most important setting to know (as it determines the overall quality of your print). The Ultimaker 2 can print from 0.06mm to 0.25mm, but, generally speaking, 0.1mm is fine for most prints. SAVE AND PRINT You can leave other settings as the defaults (though experimenting is part of the fun), but make sure “support type” is set to “Touching buildplate" (this means you'll get a 3D print version of scaffolding around your model, for areas that overhang). Once done, go to File > Save GCode and - for use in an Ultimaker - save it to an SD card, which you insert into your printer. Depending on the object it can take several hours to complete. maclifecom|SEP 2015| 49 >>> Feature 50 |SEP 2015| maclfe.com MakerBot ——— eeptociac iil Mini MAKERBOT REPLICATOR MINI Manufacturer Requires 0S x The full-size Replicat ordable opti: more a THE MAKERBOT itor Min s plenty ttract newcon printers, with a 200 on layer resolution, anda sr of 100x10! aller print area 0x120mm. The prints (though it's fairly Maker jow esolution). And yo and Thingiver: n send files to easy to use, e witbox WITBOX Manufacturer bq, bg.com Requires Cura If you're looking for a prints and won't break the bank > COMPARED TO THE Ultin aker and (full-size) Replicator this a cheaper printer, bu thin it you wouldn't ok at the h layers of up to 50 ns, a print area of 210x297x200mm, and jn uring an interlocking a fully enc are fully compat with OS X at features that has gre this could be it. door, it’s hard not to b impressed. Rather t use its own custom also has a filament feed pipe built into the printer unlike the Ultimaker 2 ULTIMAKER 2 Manufacturer U/timaker, ultimakercom Requires Cura software fully compatible with OS X The Ultimaker 2 is re d for anyone that's happy to pay a bit more for a home 3D printe! area of 223x20! DESPITE SITTING AT he more expensive end The Ultimaket slicer apps available a 20 micron layer Calibrating simple, and ‘ored on and n, can print at prints are id has a print BEETHEFIRST EVERYCREATIVE, beeverycr later f you’ ith a bit m the BEETHEFIRST could be the one for y oking for a 3D printer > WE'RE NOT SURE perspective, and portab! microns, and you get printer that could fit into thout this is m-developed BEESOFT edit prints an office spac standing out. However, to maclifecom|SEP 2015 | 51 >>> Feature MAINTAINING YOUR PRINTER 3D printers require some light maintenance to operate at their best - here are the pro tips to ensure longevity 113D printers will have their own guides for keeping them. well maintained, but there are certain upkeep tips that ring true with most of the home 3D printers you can buy today. First up, and possibly the most important tip of all, is to ensure that you use quality filament in your 3D printer, and ensure it’s the right diameter for your machine. If you put sub-standard filament 52 |SEP 2015| maciitecom in your machine, you’re going to experience a number of problems. You'll see uneven prints, poor surface finish and quality, and in the worst case scenarios your printer will get damaged. So ensure you read product reviews before you buy, and try to establish where the filament you’re buying originates. “There are many different standards in terms of quality for both 3D printers as well as the materials” explains Sander IS THIS STUFF LEGAL? It's hard to know where to start with copyright infringement and legal ramifications... Whether it's infringing on a rights holder's image, copying another person's model, or mashing up existing work, it's easy to see examples on the leading model repositories. Anyone with a claim can send a takedown notice to the likes of Thingiverse et al, which will be acted on (and it's these sites, and their users, that are likely to be liable, rather than the printer makers). Most online communities police themselves, though, and attribution is often enough to satisfy a fellow model maker. And as for major rights holders? Well, judging by all the Star Wars models around, there seems to be a watching brief... But that could change at a moment's notice, STORMTROOPER HELMET You may have heard that there's a new Star Wars movie coming out, and there's renewed interest in Lucas’ franchise (if your interest ever went). You may be surprised at what you can find online to print, like this brilliant Stormtrooper helmet thingiverse.com/ thing:362947 WHAT'S NEXT Strijbos, from leading filament provider colorFabb. “All printers treat different materials differently, so there is a learning curve to be made by the user when starting to print.” FILAMENT FUNDAMENTALS Once you have the right filament you must ensure your printer is correctly calibrated. Because 3D printers use heads, which are precision controlled through three axes, a small misalignment can cause poor results and printing errors. You’ll often spot the result of a problem around the printhead, but the issue is more likely to lie elsewhere, such as misalignment or a feed jam. As most 3D printers use a metal axes, it’s good to keep them lubricated, though how you do this may vary depending on each machine. As a rule of thumb, though, you can apply a drop or two of sewing machine oil to the x axis and y axis every week or two. The z axis, which raises and lowers your print bed, may require a lube rather than an oil, so make sure you’re IN 3D PRINTING? From human body parts to edible sugar work, 3D printing is only just beginning to fulfil its potential “EVENTUALLY 3D PRINTING will print people. I'm not saying | agree with it, I'm just saying what's fact based on plausible growth in technology,” music artist Will..am recently said in an interview. “If you can print a liver or a kidney, god dang it, you're going to be able to print a whole freaking person." 3D printing has captured the public's imagination. And the breadth of applications make it such a fascinating topic. Get into 3D printing A SMALL MISALIGNMENT IN THE HEADS CAN CAUSE POOR RESULTS AND PRINTING ERRORS using the right lubricant for the job. And check belt tensions periodically, too. The last thing to consider is your build plate. This is the platform that your printer lays plastic onto, and to ensure adhesion ~ and in some cases to prevent warping — some printer manufacturers will suggest putting a thin layer of craft glue on your plate before printing. If you do this, you should give your plate a clean when you start to notice a glue build up, or when prints start to suffer as a result. majority of 3D printers work with plastic, which has its limitations," RepRap's Adrian Bowyer tells us. “People are adding electrical conductors, which means printable electronics embedded in plastic “Lives can be saved or made easier with the help of 3D printing,” says Andreas Langfeld, general manager at MakerBot Europe. “This always fascinates me. In the end, it all depends on the variety of materials that can be used. The mor