Macworld February 2015 AU

7 #, / www.macworld.com.au : Mac /sPHONE PAD : ~\ ae AUSTR oe a pn TING READY FOK TH The technology, apps and accessories to get you ready for the new study year. REVIEWS | HELP GUIDES | APP REVIEWS | iSNAP Demand Pro-Grade OWC Storage Video and Audio | Photography | Graphics | Backup Created for Mac enthusiasts and backed by award-winning U.S. based customer support. Exceptional Quality, Reliability, and Performance! Expand your storage capabilities whether you're looking for the perfect portable, an expansive desktop drive, ora multi-drive RAID. 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Design + Innovation + Quality Exceptional upgrades with expert support for over 25 years. www.macsales.com | +1-815-338-8685 | Free 24/7 expert support * GE VG‘ & READY FOR THE SCHOOL Feature 18 GETTING READY FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR As summer draws to a close, the new school year arriv And with that, the questions ai technology do the stude! h apps will help them stay on top of their workload? ANTHONY CARUANA, takes a look. GLO? AUWNYS4 ne“woo"pjomoeu MMM ea ae NOSE! Regulars 08 MAIL 10 HOT STUFF 14 iSNAP 16 GUEST COLUMN: 5 Apple Watch and Android Wear Reviews same destination, different paths 26 MAC GEMS 60 Tile 28 BUSINESS 61 Nikon D3300 34 GADGET GUIDE 62 Logitech Keys-to-Go 36 APP GUIDE 38 SECRETS 63 D-Link mydllink Network Video Recorder 54 HELP 64 = The Last Tinker: City of Colors 58 GROUP TEST: 65 = This War of Mine Music adapters 66 Sony PlayStation Play 6 EDITORIAL 2015’s second biggest product? he Apple Watch will be the T biggest product out of Cupertino in 2015. In true Apple style, the company waited to canvass the wearable market before showing off a product that combines fitness, design and connectivity in a variety of personal styles. But until the wearable launches next month in the US, and hopefully Australia, and the media coverage leaves everything else on the backburner, the rumours surrounding a new Apple product have piqued my interest. Many rumours remain just that, ideas, whether born from fact or hope- filled reporting, that do not realise into products. And a 12in MacBook Air sounds like another that could easy slip into that category, but | think it will come to pass. Apple already sells 11in and 13in MacBook Air models and that makes it seem odd that the company would release a model straight down the middle, especially as the rumours claim Apple will do away with full-sized USB ports, MagSafe connectors and SD card slots in order to accommodate a thinner body. Apple has made these dramatic jumps before. The iMac G3’s launch in 1998 drew criticism for its lack of the, then standard, floppy drive. FEBRUARY 2015 / ISSUE NO. 2 nathan stewart om au @Stowart JL ‘Subeditor Madleine Swain madoleine swain@niche.com au @MadeleineSn Business Development Manager Ty arty yan mecarthy@nieh MACWORLD AU PRODUCTION: Art Director Kec NICHE MEDIA: Managing Director Commercial D subscription But with the rise of cloud storage and Bluetooth accessories, the end of the USB is on its way. It won't be tomorrow, or even within a decade like the floppy drive, but technology moves forward and Apple has been willing to take the criticism in the past. Apple has taken a lead with the removal of the optical drive from most of its lineup and the non-Retina MacBook Pro will likely disappear in the coming months without much public protest. The Air is designed for the road, tucked up in bed or in a classroom, locations where USB keyboards and mice don’t boost productivity. Our iOS devices, besides the headphone port, only feature a Lightning connector and we don’t have any issues transferring data to and from them. It is wireless and often hassle free. A Thunderbolt port to connect to an external display, on the other hand, would have to feature. If Apple does launch a redesigned MacBook Air aligned with the rumours, it will be a step forward for Apple and the second biggest launch of 2015. nau +6 a4 Production Manager Sonia Salva sonia saleva@niche com au Design and Digital Prepress i I Director Joanne Da weld. com aulsubserib Content Director Civis Rennie. Financial Controller Sonia Jr STAFF PICKS Favourite product unveiled at CES 2015? JONATHAN STEWART MADELEINE SWAIN TYNAN McCARTHY MONIQUE BLAIR ii FLY, facebook.com/ausmacworld ‘twitter.com/macworldau niche:) @ Future proof your facility with advanced 4K SD, HD and Ultra HD mini converters! 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Broadcast Quality Mini Converters Mini Converter SDI to HDMI 4K $395 Mini Converter HDMI to SDI 4K. $395 Mini Converter SDI to Analog 4K. $395 Mini Converter Analog to SDI $395 Mini Converter SDI to Audio 4K. $395 Mini Converter Audio to SDI 4K. $395 Mini Converter Optical Fiber 4K $655 Mini Converter SDI Multiplex 4K. $655 Mini Converter SDI Distribution 4K..... $395 Mini Converter Sync Generator. $395 Blackmagic DEPENDS ON THE WATCH Benjamin With regards to Marg B's letter, ‘The Direction Apple Is Taking’ (November 2014), | have to agree entirely. |, too, have expressed similar sentiments in previous letters. | also only use iCloud minimally for syncing Contacts, Mail, Calendar and Find my Phone/Mac. All my data is on my Macs and my local backups, including an off-site SuperDuper clone. | have been a Mac user since 1998 and the current OS is the least Mac like yet, the last ‘proper’ Mac OS was Snow Leopard. | was most disappointed when Apple even dropped the word ‘Mac’ from OS X! | also feel that the same thing could be said about most ‘Mac’ magazines. | think they should change their name to ‘Appleworld’, why not dump the name Mac altogether? | have been a reader and subscriber to Macworld for many years and find that for those of us without an avid interest in iDevices, iOS, apps and watches, it is becoming less and less attractive... Ken iTUNES FRUSTRATION I'd like to join the crowd that is frustrated with the new iTunes 12. Here’s my simple test: * import an audio file into iTunes, and * sync it to your iPhone. I've been an iTunes user for years and gave up. Why do they not first check to see if customers can do basic tasks before they release upgrades? | always suggest to software makers that they sit behind users trying to carry out basic tasks, but with tape over their mouths and hands tied behind their backs so they cannot assist, to discover if their software changes are, in fact, user friendly. Jamie H THIN TECHNOLOGY In regards to Macworld Australia’s online article, ‘Why it's (finally) time to embrace thin client technology’ (bit.ly/1FUlCbm), I’ve lived through several thin client revolutions so I’m not holding my breath. While much of the technology is in place, there is the perennial problem of inadequate bandwidth. My home is. in Perth, Western Australia and, while some places have fast reliable service, most of the city doesn't. It is even worse in rural areas. Thin client systems can be implemented on a site-by-site basis, but that negates some of the advantages. I'll get excited when | can do real work over the public network but | don’t think we're there yet. Udi WORD FOR i0S | have tried the Microsoft Office apps for iOS on my iPad Air. They are highly-featured and enhance the iPad content creation experience. However my organisation (university) provides a site-licence for MS Office and my MacBook Pro computer, but not OneDrive or Office for iOS, thus any subscription that | pay for Office 365 is for software that is partly already provided. Microsoft needs to talk to site licence holders regarding a licence that enables staff to do their work on computer and iPad. Robert 12IN MACBOOK AIR In reference to the online piece ‘Apple's next MacBook could be a 12in MacBook Air’ (bit.ly/17yAREA), no. MagSafe? No way. If the new USB port can charge, how does one use other USB devices or charge an iPhone if the laptop is charging? Unless the charger doubles as a USB hub, but that seems like a lot of cabling all over the place | also can’t see Apple selling an 11in, 12in and 13in Air plus a 13in and 15in Pro. Either the 11in or the 13in Air is going or both. However, | can see the Thunderbolt being only used on the high-end laptops like FireWire did previously. But if they ditch Thunderbolt there's going to be some annoyed people out there that just dropped a lot of money on Thunderbolt drives. JB = = - § Letters should be emailed to editor@macworld.com.au with a subject header of ‘Letter to the Editor’ or by post to: Macworld Australia Mailbox, 142 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne, Victoria, 3205. Please include your full name and address, including state or territory. 1 Comments on stories or Forum posts on www.macworld.com.au are also eligible for the prize. 1 We reserve the right to edit letters and probably will. @ Letters of fewer than 200 words are given preference. This month’s prize to the Macworld Australia reader who has submitted what we think is the most interesting letter is an Apotop APT- DW21 Wi-Copy Wireless Smart Device, worth $129, from Anyware. The Apotop Wi-Copy allows users to wirelessly connect SD cards and USB flash drives with their smartphones and tablets, enabling them to transfer and store photos, music and documents without their laptop. The Apotop, which sports a 14-hour battery life, can also convert an internet cable into a Wi-Fi hotspot, letting multiple devices connect to the web. Www.anyware.com.au ‘TERMS AND CONDITIONS. Lettr of he month 1. Instructions on how to enter form pa ot these coriiens of erry 2. o enter send ips or quails to ector@macwesidcomau witha header o Letter othe Ector”. Eris wil be judged by the eon sa ot Macworld ala. The judges’ decsion 1 relasonto ay aspect ofthe competition is nal and incng every person who eras. Ne corerpandence wil be entered ho. Chance plays no part determining the winner), Each ew ein judged based on ts degree of nee 41 Employees, heir mmedato families and agencies assocated wih this competion ae net armited to enter. 5. The Promote accepts no responsibly fr ate or misaocte ents. 5. The bos ertyontis as determined by tho judges wilwe the pr2es). 7. The Prmesar = nother responsibe ra lable or ay change inthe value ofthe pez occuring between the publeh date andthe date the prize) lame. 8. The prize rol anata and we rot be exchanged tr cash 9. The winne() wil be roti by eral. 10, Al enties become the propery ofthe Promoter. 1. The eolacton, use and dclosre of personal oration provided in correction with this competion is governed by he Privacy Notice 12. The Promoter is Niche Meda Ply Lid of 142 Dore Set, South Melbaume, Victoria 3205, Pr 03 9048 4900, (ABN 18068613 52). GLOe AUWNYS4 hne“woo"pjjomseu MMM uy NEWS | OT ST U FF Aselection of Apple, Mac and iOS news from Macworld.com.au iOS 8 RUNNING ON 68 PERCENT OF iPHONES AND iPADS Apple shared its latest data on iOS 8 adoption in January, showing that 68 percent of iPhones, iPads and iPod touches were running the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system. Apple tracks iOS adoption by looking at devices that access the App Store, and marking which version of iOS is running on each of those devices. The latest App Store Distribution data was collected on 5 January. Besides iOS 8 data, it shows that 29 percent of devices are still running iOS 7 and four percent are still clutching on for dear life to iOS 6 or earlier. Apple’s last iOS adoption data was from November 2014, which showed 60 percent of devices had upgraded to iOS 8. An eight percent uptick in two months time is pretty slow, especially considering the sales boost that Apple must have seen during the holiday season. We've noted before that iOS 8 has had a particularly rough time getting off the ground compared to older versions of iOS. iOS 8 saw sky-high installations when it first launched — it hit 46 percent of devices just six days after it launched back in September 2014 — but then downloads steadily tapered off. By comparison, iOS 7 hit 74 percent of devices just three months after launch and it quickly became Apple's fastest growing mobile operating system iOS 8 lost that race. There are several theories on why iOS. 8 installations are lagging. Bugs plagued early releases — remember when iOS 8.0.1 made some iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models basically unusable? — and it continues to have little problems here and there, which could contribute to users’ hesitation. Many of the perks of iOS 8 can only be accessed on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and some older devices may not be equipped to handle the update even if they are technically compatible. Or, it could be the size of the install itself. iPHONE 6 SALES BOOST APPLE’S SMARTPHONE OS MARKET SHARE The launch of the iPhone 6 helped Apple increase its share of the smartphone OS market in eight countries, according to a report from research firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. For the three months ending in November 2014, iOS’s market share grew in Australia, the US, Germany, the UK, China, France, Italy and Spain. Sales were weaker in only one of the surveyed countries, Japan, where Apple's share fell by 15.3 percentage points. The decrease wasn't due to a lack of interest in the iPhone 6, which went on sale globally last September. Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo began carrying the iPhone in 2013, a move that gave iPhone sales a special boost that year, Kantar says. Android remained the dominant mobile OS globally, buoyed by the ecosystem’s variety of devices and prices, but its market share decreased in the US and some European countries compared with the same period in 2013. Sales in the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy, Europe's five biggest economies, were collectively down by 3.2 percentage points. Even with this decline, Android was still the leading mobile OS in those five nations, holding a 69.9 percent market share. APPLE BLOCKS TOOL THAT BRUTE-FORCES iCLOUD PASSWORDS Apple has fixed an issue that could have allowed attackers to launch brute-force attacks against iCloud users in order to guess their passwords. The problem came to light after a proof- of-concept attack tool called iDict was released on GitHub in early January. Developed by a user who uses the online alias PrOx13, the tool was described as “100% Working iCloud Apple ID Dictionary attack that bypasses Account Lockout restrictions and Secondary Authentication on any account” It worked by trying out a large number of passwords for the targeted Apple IDs. By default the tool came with a file — also called a dictionary — containing 500 commonly used passwords, but the list could have easily been extended. Online services like iCloud typically limit the number of failed log-in attempts per account in order to prevent brute-force attacks, but Pr0x13 allegedly found a way to bypass those protections. Pr0x13 claims that he made iDict public in order to draw attention to the problem and force Apple to fix it. “This bug is painfully obvious and was only a matter of time before it was privately used for malicious or nefarious activities,” he said in the tool's description. Apple was relatively quick to act and started enforcing rate limiting for log-in attempts done with iDict a day after the tool became available. APPLE’S BEATS UNIT SUED BY MONSTER OVER HEADPHONE DEAL Apple's Beats Electronics and its co-founders have been sued in a US court for allegedly easing out headphones developer Monster from a partnership ahead of the 2014 acquisition by the iPhone maker. Describing a 2011 investment by HTC in Beats as a “sham transaction”, Monster and its founder Noel Lee have alleged that the deal was used by Beats to invoke a clause in its contract with Monster to end the partnership while retaining all rights to the headphone technology. HTC, which has also been named as a co-defendant in the complaint filed in the Superior Court of California, acquired a majority stake in Beats for about US$300 million, with the plan to use the headphones technology with its mobile phones. By July 2012, Beat’s founders bought back half that equity from HTC, making the earlier ending of the partnership with Monster by invoking a change of control provision a “complete sham”, according to the complaint, which cites as evidence a conversation in May last year between Monster executives and a board member of HTC. By September, 2013 Beats had bought back the remaining equity held by HTC. Apple declined to comment on the suit. HTC could not be immediately reached for comment. Beats’ co-founders Jimmy lovine and Andre Young, popularly known as Dr. Dre, entered into a partnership with Monster in January 2008 to develop and promote Monster's ‘Beats By Dr. Dre’ product line, a licensed marketing label for a line of Monster headphones, according to the complaint. Monster claims it handled all design, engineering, manufacturing, production, marketing and distribution of the headphones in return for a licence to the Beats brand and celebrity marketing by lovine and Dre. “Simply put, Monster did all the work, financed the entire effort, and paid lovine and Dre a royalty for their marketing efforts,” according to the complaint. By 2009, Beats Electronics had been added to the licence and promotion agreement as a party and Lee was offered a five percent stake in Beats’ equity to cement ties between the two companies. Citing the change of control provision in the agreement after the HTC investment, NEWS Beats acquired Monster's ‘Beats By Dr. Dre’ product line, including all development, engineering, manufacturing, marketing, distributing and retail rights. If the partnership had expired on its own terms some months later, this transfer would not have happened, according to the complaint, which holds that, as a result, Monster and Lee lost millions of dollars. Lee had also sold most of his five percent stake in Beats in September 2012, after HTC sold back half its stake to Beats, as he “was concerned that he was being kept in the dark by Beats about material aspects of the business". He was later persuaded to offload the remaining 1.25 percent share to Beats, resulting in a total loss of over US$100 million if he was still a five percent stakeholder after the Apple acquisition was announced, according to the complaint. Monster has asked for damages including punitive damages, and a jury trial for all relevant issues. fq. GLOe AUWNYS4 ne“woo"pjjomoeu MMM | OT STU FF Aselection of Apple, Mac and iOS news from Macworld.com.au APP STORE BROKE ITS SALES RECORD ON NEW YEAR’S DAY Apple has announced that 1 January 2015 was “the single biggest day ever in App Store sales history”, with customers. spending nearly half a million US dollars on both apps and in-app purchases on that | day alone. | Apple's press release went on to boast | of record-breaking sales in 2014 as well. | App Store sales rose 50 percent in 2014 —and that’s just in paid apps and in-app purchases, not including free apps and upgrades — and generated more than US$10 billion in revenue for developers. The launch of iOS 8 could have had something to do with this highly successful year. iOS 8 introduced Apple’s Swift | programming language and the Metal graphics technology to developers, giving | them different tools to create rich, robust | | apps more efficiently. Other campaigns could have contributed to this success, too, like Apple's year-end (RED) initiative where all proceeds from specific apps purchased went to the Global Fund to fight AIDS. Apple also introduced app bundles to the App Store in 2014, which lets developers package their apps together for users to purchase at a lower price than if bought individually. “We're so proud of the creativity and innovation developers bring to the apps they create for iOS users and that the developer community has now earned over $25 billion,” said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, in the press release. APPLE RAKED IN OVER US$4.3 BILLION FROM APP STORE IN 2014 Apple reported in January that gross revenue from its iOS App Store for 2014 was up 50 percent from 2013, although according to the numbers, sales were up only slightly from the 12 months prior to June 2014, when it last hinted at revenue. In a press release the company said that the iPhone and iPad App Store “generated over US$10 billion in revenue for developers”. Apple typically couches its publicly disclosed numbers with enough wiggle room that can be difficult to parse its financials. That's the case here. On one hand, because Apple skims 30 percent off the top, US$10 billion to developers would represent a total of US$14.3 billion in gross revenue, with Apple retaining US$4.3 billion However, a year ago, Apple said App Store sales were “over US$10 billion”, implying that US$7 billion went to developers and it kept US$3 billion. So its contention that “billings rose 50 percent” from 2013 would mean revenue climbed to US$15 billion, putting Apple's slice of the pie at US$4.5 billion with developers receiving the remaining US$10.5 billion. Analysts tried to figure out what Apple's numbers meant, and whether they showed significant growth in the second half of 2014. “Apple has effectively stated trailing 12m app store rev was $10bn in both June 2014 and December 2014,” tweeted Benedict Evans of Andreessen Horowitz. “Slowing growth or too much rounding?” Evans was referring to comments Apple made during its earnings conference call for the quarter that ended 30 June, when CFO (chief financial officer) Luca Maestri said, “Our developers have now earned over $20 billion for sales of their apps through the App Store, nearly half of which has been earned in the past 12 months.” Jan Dawson, principal analyst at Jackdaw Research, interprets the June 2014 and January 2015 statements — each saying that developers got approximately $10 billion in the preceding 12 months — as indicating a slowing of growth. “The App Store number does seem to be slowing somewhat at around $2.5 billion per quarter to developers each of the last four quarters,” Dawson says. Apple's $4.3 billion to $4.5 billion take may have been real money — more than its total revenue for the 2005 fiscal year, Evans observes — but it represented just over two. percent of the company’s total revenue for fiscal 2014. APPLE PATENT REVEALS PLANS FORA GOPRO COMPETITOR GoPro shareholders began panicking in January after Apple’s patent application for a wearable camera was approved. One look at Apple’s plans shows why — the application details a GoPro-like wearable perfect for action shots and underwater recording. Apple even takes aim at GoPro in the patent filing. Apple may not ever make a wearable camera, but if it does, it'll be a GoPro on steroids. The patent covers a camera that can be mounted to bike helmets and scuba masks or fastened to motorcycles and surfboards. The patent also details plans for waterproofing so an iPhone could be used to take underwater snapshots. Apple critiqued GoPro’s action cameras in the filing, specifically the HD Hero2 camera sold as part of an ‘Outdoor edition bundle. In a copy of the filing obtained by PatentlyApple (bit.ly/14Ugcde), Apple said the Hero2’s single image capture system causes “excessive wind resistance” and has a large profile that sticks out from the camera, making it “more susceptible to damage.” Apple aims to create a camera that can be used in a conventional hand- held mode and a mounted mode with high-quality results both ways. The patent covers an image sensor, optical system and a remote control to capture images that would enter energy-saving mode to conserve power. Apple criticised existing remote control accessories for their short battery life. A figure of the remote control accessory included with the filing and published by PatentlyApple shows a remote control camera button on a watch. If Apple follows through on its patent, you may one day control your AppleCam with Apple Watch GoPro shares dropped more than 12 percent in the wake of the news. INTEL, GOOGLE, APPLE TRY AGAIN TO SETTLE EMPLOYEE ANTITRUST LAWSUIT Intel and three other tech companies, accused of conspiring to prevent the poaching of each other's employees reached a new settlement with the workers. in January, Judge Lucy Koh of the US District, last year rejected a proposed settlement of = mn = wn Pe =o £2 Fes Sz 58 aa 8 US$324.5 million with the tech workersas_ 3 2 she found it was too low. Google, Apple, Adobe Systems and Intel appealed her decision in September. The tech workers who filed the suit alleged that Google, Apple, Intel, Adobe, Intuit, Lucasfilm and Pixar put each other's employees off-limits to the other companies by introducing measures such as ‘do-not-cold-call' lists. The tech workers alleged an ‘overarching conspiracy’ to fix and suppress employee compensation and to restrict employee mobility The companies had earlier settled similar charges in 2010 with the US Department of Justice but admitted no wrongdoing They agreed not to ban cold calling and enter into any agreements that prevent competition for employees. The employees said that the government was unable to compensate the victims of the conspiracy, which was the reason they were filing a suit. Intuit, Lucasfilm and Pixar have previously settled with the workers for about US$20 million A cout! filing in May 2013 in the case has led to more class action lawsuits that allege secret no-poaching deals among tech companies to keep salaries low. The new suits against Microsoft, Oracle and Ask.com appear to refer to a memo that names a large number of companies said to have arrived at special arrangements with Google to prevent poaching of staff. Oracle and Microsoft said in their defence that the DOJ (Department of Justice) had not seen fit to prosecute them before 2010. The new settlement would require the approval of the court. & = 14 And now son we walt... Damien Witham has sent in this month's winning picture, starring two St Andrew's Cross spiders Snapped in the gardens surrounding Damien's house, these two St Andrew's Cross spiders were busy putting the finishing touches on their distinctive cross web when Damien took his shot. Re-mulching at the time, Damien snapped his photo on an iPhone 6 around 15cm away from the pair without any zoom and it turned out really well. “I've taken a few photos of these spiders and others over the years, but this is the first time I've seen two on the same web, and they appear to be mother and son. Being a parent myself, | couldn't resist getting a closer look,” Damien says. In iSnap we're on the lookout for some of the best photographs being taken with iOS devices. Submit your favourites to macworld@macworld.com.au for your chance to be featured in the online iSnap gallery (www.macworld.com.au/isnap). Each month's winner will win a prize and appear on this page! This month’s prize is a Monopod ($34.99) and a Shutter Remote ($54.99) from iStabilizer. The iStabilizer Monopod is an extendable, handheld mount for smartphones and POV cameras including GoPro, Countour, Drift and light camcorders. The Shutter Remote offers control over your device via Bluetooth. The remote allows users to capture photos, change music tracks and volume, play and pause movies on an iOS device or Mac, activate Siri www.istabilizer.com and initiate navigation. After often seeing the amazing spiders when gardening, Damien did a little research and now can't seem to stop seeing them all over the place. “They are unmistakable. Once you know about them, you kind of see them everywhere. What sets them apart is the way they use their legs and their web to form a cross that resembles the Scottish flag. They make a cross on the web, then align their legs to create the illusion that they are a lot bigger than they really are. “Although the reason they do [this] is still a mystery. The cross creates a shine in the sunlight, so is it to attract flying insects? Or is to deter birds from flying through it? Or is it simply to strengthen the web? Whatever the reason, | think the St Andrew's Cross is amazing.” Using Apple's Camera app, Damien has been a long-time iPhone photographer. “Ll carry my phone in my pocket everywhere. I've had an iPhone for over six years and the quality has been getting better and better. | love the fact that if | see something, like an interesting insect, | can very quickly get a photo of it so | can then research and find out what it is. | do this all the time. I'm always yelling out to the kids, ‘Hey, come and take a look at this!"" * Zi Macworld AUSTRALIA REUNION COLLECTORS’ EDITION Celebrating our 30th birthday, ‘Macworld: Australia is going back through:the' years to relive the best times. From: product launches'to unforgettable moments; this book showcases the history of Apple in Australia and is a must- have companion for all fans. Also hear from the founding-editorand the key Macworld people who have been: part-of this 30-year journey. Available by pre-order only. Guarantee your copy by calling 1800 804 160 BET) cuest cowMw... By JARED NEWMAN Apple Watch and Android Wear. same destination, different paths he more we learn about the T Apple Watch, the less it seems like a revolutionary departure from the existing wearable market. In particular, it has a lot of overlap with Android Wear, Google's own wearable platform. That much became clear when Apple released its design guidelines for third-party apps. Parsing the guidelines alongside those for Android Wear reveals two like-minded approaches quick, contextual interactions are paired with data collection from sensors. The two companies even use similar language at times: “A Watch app complements your iOS app; it does not replace it,” Apple writes. “If you measure interactions with your iOS app in minutes, you can expect interactions with your Watch app to be measured in seconds So interactions need to be brief and interfaces need to be simple.” ‘A classic wrist watch is designed to let you see the time in a split second and get on with what you were doing,” Google writes. “Designing for Android Wear is no different. The less time it takes to use your software, the more time the user can be present in whatever they are doing. Android wear is fast, sharp and immediate.” This isn't to say Android Wear and the Apple Watch are exactly the same Even if they're trying to arrive at the same place, they manage to head down diverging paths along the way. GLANCES AND NOTIFICATIONS On a basic level, the Apple Watch and Android Wear are both driven by actionable notifications — such as the ability to delete an email or respond to a message straight from the watch — as well as information cards that you can quickly glance at. The primary difference appears to be in the way everything's laid out. Android Wear's interface is like a big spinal cord, with glanceable cards, actionable notifications and even music playback controls mashed up into a single, vertical menu. Swiping to the right of any notification brings up potential actions (such as delete and reply buttons for email). In some cases you can launch a proper watch app from its corresponding notification The Apple Watch takes a more tentacled approach. Instead of combining glances and notifications into a single column, the two are distinct entities. When you want a quick hit of simple information, such as a current stock price or sports score, you swipe up to the Glances section, then swipe across to the info card you're looking for. Tapping on a Glance leads to its corresponding app if you want to do more. Notifications on the Apple Watch are more fleeting, popping up with only minimal information at first. If you tap the screen or keep your wrist raised, more information and possible actions appear. Otherwise, the notification disappears. There are pros and cons to both approaches. Android Wear’s single stack of cards seems simpler to navigate, and it allows apps to push out glanceable information only when, it's going to be helpful (such as when a sports score changes). On the other hand, Apple gives users more control over what they're looking at and more privacy for incoming notifications. Apple's interface also prevents users from having a big pile up of unaddressed notifications to wade through. Both systems tackle the same overarching concepts in slightly different ways. LAUNCHING APPS: INCIDENTAL VERSUS INTENTIONAL The two platforms diverge even more dramatically in the way you're asked to launch deeper apps, such as to-do lists, music players and fitness trackers. The Apple Watch has a traditional home screen for this purpose, accessed by tapping the ‘Digital Crown’ on the right side the watch. Android Wear has an app launcher as well, but it’s obfuscated by design To access it, you have to tap the screen from the main watch face, then swipe all the way down to the bottom of a list of options. It's possible to launch apps with a voice command, but Google’s guidelines make it clear that most apps should jump into the notification stack automatically, presenting themselves at just the right moment based on context signals such as time, location or physical activity. Apps on Android Wear and the Apple Watch will also have a more fundamental difference, at least at launch. On the Apple Watch, third-party apps will require a paired smartphone to operate until Apple allows for fully native apps later in 2015. (It’s not clear which of Apple's own apps, if any, will be subject to these restrictions.) By offloading computational tasks and storage to the phone, Apple Watch Visualised. Android Wear and Apple Watch interface flows. apps can run more smoothly with less drain on battery life. Android Wear apps can be loaded directly on the watch, and while most apps require a phone connection to be useful, the system already allows for the independent operation of basic utilities (such as calculators and checklists) and offline music playback. Android Wear watches with GPS on board can also keep track of your location, speed and distance travelled without a paired smartphone. It seems likely that the differences in these approaches will become less pronounced over time. A future update for Android Wear is rumoured to make launching apps easier, and Apple Watch apps may not need to rely so much on a paired phone as Apple's hardware becomes more efficient. HARDWARE DEPARTURES Several other factors set Android Wear and Apple Watch apart. The most obvious difference is the hardware itself, with Apple focusing on a single device (in two sizes) and Google working with hardware partners on GUEST COLUMN a wide variety of shapes, sizes and prices. By controlling the hardware, Apple is placing a bigger bet on new interaction models, such as the Digital Crown for non-touch controls and Force Touch for pressure-sensitive touch commands. The Apple Watch also has the advantage in mobile payments through its support for Apple Pay, which is already gaining traction among iPhone users in the US. Google has its own mobile wallet service, but hasn't announced Android Wear support, and no current watches have the necessary NFC (near field communication) capabilities built-in. But despite all these differences, the Apple Watch and Android Wear don’t seem fundamentally different. They both, in essence, try to save us the trouble of using our phones by delivering quick bursts of information, and acting as collectors of data (fitness data in particular) to help us live richer lives. In doing so, they ensure that the Apple-Google rivalry will be just as fierce on wearables as it has been on smartphones. ti, > i Sean ies + a ® Berri cance ep] ciance + + _ _| Apple Watch = a GLOe AUWNYS4 ne“woo"pjomoeu MMM et? Nis GETTING & READY FOR *- THE SCHOOL YEAR Sop As summer draws to a close, the new school year arrives. And with that, the questions arise: what technology do the.students need? Which apps will help them stay on top of their workload? Do they require accessories to aid their gadgets? And can you answer those questions while saving money? ANTHONY CARUANA takes a look. t's that time of the year ~ when the fatigue of keeping the kids entertained over the summer is almost overwhelming and you've got a to-do list that’s longer than your arm as you get everything together for the start of another school year. There are books to buy, apps to download, school bags and lunch boxes to find from last year ~ hopefully without a leftover banana or sandwich from December buried inside - and a million other tasks to get through. While we can’t help you with six-week- old mouldy food, we can offer some advice on getting ready for school in a few other ways. SAVING SOME MONEY One of the most difficult parts of the back to school period is dealing with the significant start-up cost of the school year. The worst case scenario is needing a new Mac or iPad, as well as the associated accessories and software. If you're buying from Apple’s App Stores for i0S or OS X you can use iTunes gift cards to load up your account. Shop around for gift cards, as many retailers offer them at significant discounts. The best we've managed to get our hands on was a short online sale through a reputable Save on cards. Apple gift cards on sale offer great value when looking to purchase apps. FEATURE GLO2 AdvNuaad ne"woo"pjoMaeUMMM Portable. MacBook Airs are a lightweight solution with batteries lasting nine hours or longer. retailer that sold a limited quantity of $10 gift cards at $2.99 each. However, you'll find many large retailers and department stores routinely offer discounts of between 25 percent and 30 percent. Check out www.giftcardsonsale.com.au for current discounts on iTunes and other gift cards. Shopping around for Apple hardware is also worthwhile. We're fans of shopping around and then finding a retailer that has a policy of undercutting any advertised price. We've made some significant savings that way on many occasions. Apple's retail stores will often price match if you ask. When buying new hardware, unless you absolutely must have the latest and greatest, there are some real bargains to be found if you consider refurbished equipment. Apple's online store has a link to its refurbished products site where you can find some good deals. All the products sold there include a one-year warranty that can be boosted with Apple Care as well as free shipping. There are also other used computer dealers, such as mResell, that offer great service and prices. Just make sure you do your research before handing over your hard-earned cash. WHAT NOTEBOOK SHOULD YOU BUY? A few years ago, the government funded the purchase of computers for many schools. That arrangement funded the supply of many thousands of computers in schools, but now, a few years later, those computers are no longer in use. As a result, many schools are now moving to a BYOD model where students supply their own computers. With the focus on students, there are probably only two screen sizes that will be on your radar for the computers they will be carrying between school and home. There's the 11in MacBook Air, 13in MacBook Air or 13in MacBook Pro. Although the 15in MacBook Pro is a great machine, the extra cost, size and weight don’t make it an ideal choice for students. Once you choose between the larger and smaller displays, the decision comes to a balancing act between specifications and budget. Our advice is pretty simple. Don't skimp on memory - if your budget can handle it, make sure you get a model with 8GB. Then, get the most storage capacity you can afford. In our view, the CPU is the third priority. Modern processors can handle pretty much anything most apps can throw at them. We tend to run out of memory and space before the processor constrains our activities. For the majority of students, a 13in MacBook Air with 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage will cost around $1500. While that sounds like a lot, it's less than $10 per week if your student uses it for three full years. A similarly equipped 11in MacBook Air will cost about $100 less. WHAT ABOUT AN iPAD? Many schools jumped onto the iPad bandwagon and fully embraced Apple’s market-defining tablet. If you look at Apple's market strategy with the iPad and iPad mini, it takes a three-tiered approach. Older models are kept in the market, proving a low-cost entry point. The most recent previous release is kept as a mid-level entry point with the latest model, equipped with the latest bells and whistles filling in the top end of the market, It's a ‘good, better, best’ approach. Once you decide whether a full-sized iPad or an iPad mini is the best fit for your student, we'd then suggest avoiding the less expensive entry-level devices. While they are good value, Apple has limited them to lower storage capacities and they are the most likely to be left behind when a new version of i0S is released. Assuming you're looking at the most recent or prior release models, it comes down to a balancing act between capacity and budget. Students are likely to be creating lots of interesting content on their iPads. For this reason, we'd suggest 32GB as a minimum capacity, but if your budget can stretch to 64GB, then we'd suggest getting that. SOFTWARE AND APPS Having chosen the hardware that will support your child's education, it’s time to consider the software. Regardless of whether you've chosen a Mac, an iPad or both, Apple does give you a head-start. All new Macs and iPads come with free copies of Pages, Numbers and Keynote, so students can hit the ground running with their new gear. Reminders at a glance. BusyCal combines your reminders and calendar information in a clean interface. If the students have access to an iCloud account, then they can easily share work between devices if they save their work to Apple's cloud. The reality is that Microsoft Office is the de facto standard when it comes to document sharing. The good news is that Microsoft Office for iOS devices is free, so students can use those applications to create content for school. Our other must-have app for students is Evernote. Evernote makes it easy to collect research, take pictures, create simple presentations, make notes, clip entire web pages and share what you've discovered. As it's multi-platform, a student can collect information using their iPad or iPhone while on a field trip and then use that research on their Mac or PC when they're back at school or home. As far as other apps go, there are hundreds of apps in the education sections of the i0S and OS X App Stores. Many are extremely well-presented and deliver information to students and teachers in very stimulating ways. However, don't get tempted to buy every well-presented app. In many cases, the same content can be found online at no cost. Perhaps the most underemphasised app category for students is organisation. Students have a lot to balance between classes, assignments, regular homework and extracurricular activities like part-time jobs, sports and social lives. Finding a tool that works well for students can take some trial and error. While we're able to manage our work using Apple's Reminders and Calendar apps with iOS and OS X, the one thing we really miss is a single view where tasks and appointments are all displayed in one simple screen. iOS covers this to some degree with the Notification screen that can be accessed by swiping down from the top edge of the display. OS X has a similar function, which is act sed by clicking on the icon in the top right corner of the OS X menu bar. However, getting all that information into a single app ~ so you can look ahead and see what homework tasks, a ignments and classes can be viewed from a single place ~ can be useful. BusyCal is one app that we've tried and think will fit the bill. The monthly and weekly views combine the Calendar and Reminders information so that you can, at a glance, see what the coming days and weeks are going to look like. At $65 from the App Store, this isn’t a cheap app, but it's just US$50 through the BusyMac website. RESOURCES TO SUPPORT LEARNING No two students learn in the same way. One model for learning suggests that students have three learning modes - visual, auditory and kinaesthetic. For this reason, it's important to find interesting ways to engage students that appeal to their different learning styles. Over recent years, the trend towards gamification (the use of gaming paradigms to enhance engagement in applications) has taken hold and it can be a very effective tool to make learning more engaging and interesting. Great learning games are fun for students and reinforce positive learning outcomes. For example, there are lots of educational games where students have to react quickly by responding to visual and auditory cues in order to achieve certain bonus levels or other incentives. These cover maths, languages, spelling, design, problem solving - almost every learning area covered in schools from kindergarten all the way to Year 12 and beyond. If more formal learning tools are a better match for you or the students you're responsible for, there’s the iTunes U. iTunes U is a collection of lectures and learning materials published by OWC Mercury Elite Pro Dual Dual Bay Thunderbolt + USB 3.0 Drive The perfect solution for any backup, audio/video, photography, or data management needs. Up to 12.0TB from $249.00 == OWC Thunderbolt 2 Dock Expand Yor Features: Ethernet port, from $249.00 K resolutions OWC Memory = Faster Mac Lifetime Advanced Replacement Certified to meet/exceed manufacturer specifications Rigorously in-house tested to ensure superior qua Free online step-by-step installation videos Up to 128GB from $29.99 OWC ThunderBay 4 mini o Dual Thunderbolt 2 Ports (6) USB 3.0 ports, (2) Thunderbolt 2 ports, Miniin size, but not in performance. It's the perfect (1) FireWire 800 port, (1) HDMI port, (1) Gigabit size to utilize four 2.5" SSDs or hard drives, while idio jack, and (1) headphone jack. providing performance up to 1336MB/s. Up to 8.0TB from $379.00 Supports RAID 5 Edition also available ightning fast | erface OWC Helios and Helios 2 OWC ThunderBay 4 hunderbolt 2 assis Thunderbolt 2 Drive with 4-b Utilize up to two PCle cards. Perfect for AW’ Utilize each of the four internal drives independently, editing, networking, storage, and more. or select the software RAID of your choice. from $299.00 Up to 24.0TB from $449.00 OWC Hard Drive Upgrade Kits for iMac Add up to 6.0TB in rent iM Thermal monitor lets you upgrade without hacks or software. Fully Apple diagnostic compatible, Custom SMC reporting. from $45.00 URBAN. PLANNING Free and mobile. iTunes U is a library of learning resources trom institutions around the world hundreds of the most respected teachers and universities across the world. You can freely download and watch classes in subjects ranging from software development to ancient history, languages and physics ~ if you can think of a subject, there are probably a few different classes you can download and follow. iTunes U content is accessed via iTunes on a Mac or by using the free apps available for the iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, so you can work through a subject while offline - a handy idea if you're easily distracted. When looking for apps to support learning, don’t limit your search to the education section of the different app stores. You'll find great apps in the games, medical and entertainment areas as well, although it may take a little more effort to find suitable apps. It’s also worth doing some online sleuthing to find what apps are recommended by different education departments and schools. Many schools have blogs where they list the apps they use and even blog about their suitability for different students or whether they're effective tools. CHARGING AND MANAGEMENT Many schools choose to deploy iPads as a shared classroom resource ~ much like a tub of books in the old days. The challenge is keeping those iPads charged, up-to-date with the latest apps and ready for the next class. The Bretford PowerSync Tray for iPad with Lightning Connector ($1500 from Apple Store) can hold up to 10 iPads. If your school is using Apple's free iPad Configurator, you can use the PowerSync Tray for iPad to update and deploy apps to all of the iPads housed on the tray simultaneously. Bretford also offers carts that can hold as many as 40 iPads. In addition, it has an app, PowerSync+, which allows you to manage each of the iPads in some of its tray systems so you can check on the charging status of each iPad, as well as the status of any Configurator workflows that are in progress. Local manufacturer PC Locs (www.pelocs.com.au) has been making notebook and tablet storage trolleys for several years. It has a series of different carts, such as the Aero and Carrier ranges. These securely store and charge as many as 60 iPads at one time ~ ideal for school libraries and labs. It also offers the iQ Sync Charge Boxes. These are devices that provide 16 2.1amp USB ports for charging and syncing iPads. iPAD CASES A walk through any shopping centre will reveal a multitude of different iPad cases appealing to almost every taste and preference. For student use, we highly recommend looking at cases for their protective capability rather than aesthetic value. 8a 0 @ 6s Protect it. The STM Studio, available in light orange, black and purple, features a front cover that can double as a stand. Look for cases that offer solid protection at the corners - if an iPad hits the ground on a corner, this can shatter a screen. The Griffin Survivor All-Terrain Case ($80, www.griffintechnology.com) is a good example, albeit possibly a little extreme for most students. The Survivor is built to the US military's MIL-STD- 810F ruggedness standard. It's made of shatter-resistant polycarbonate with shock-resistant silicone cladding and there's a built-in screen protector that seals the iPad’s display from the environment. There's also a kickstand on the back, so that students can easily prop their iPad up while watching video or reading. We've got an OtterBox case for our iPhone that we use when bike riding or at the beach, and can vouch for its protective capability. OtterBox's iPad Defender Case ($90, www.otterbox.com) is made of high-impact polycarbonate and includes a foam interior that delivers added shock absorption and protects the back of your iPad from scratches. Despite not being waterproof - there are other cases in OtterBox's range if you need that capability ~ it should fit the bill for most students. If your needs are a little less extreme, there are many other options to consider. For example, the Belkin Stripe Cover for iPad ($50, www.belkin.com/au) is an elegant case with solid corners and protection for the screen and back when the iPad is stuffed into a school bag. Similarly, the STM Studio ($60, www.stmbags.com.au) is popular with schools as the cases come in several colours and offer solid protection. Like Apple's Smart Case, the STM Studio's front cover can fold and act as a stand, so that the iPad can be used for viewing content or to provide a more comfortable typing angle. BUY AND SELL APPLE . PRODUCTS WITH MACWORLD'S — MRESELL ease Macworld rs oe mResell ie : GREAT PRICES, SAFE, SECURE AND UNDER WARRANTY CHECK OUT MACWORLD'S MRESELL TODAY MACWORLD.COM.AU/MRESELL BEY) ccature iPAD KEYBOARDS Keyboards are very personal things. Finding one that works well and is comfortable can take some trial and error. We'd suggest trying a few out in a store before committing to a purchase. We've tried some inexpensive units in the past and found the keys to be very spongy, with small keys that meant we spent a lot of time fixing errors. For our money, Logitech's Ultrathin Keyboard Cover ($99, www.logitech.com/ en-au) is simply excellent. It clips onto the iPad’s magnetic edge and acts as a protective cover for the iPad’s display. There’s a channel about two-thirds of the way back, just beyond the row of shortcut keys that your iPads sits in, so you can type with the screen propped up at a confortable angle. The Zagg Backlit Key Folio ($139, www.zagg.com) is also a great option, as it allows you to adjust the iPad’s viewing angle over a 135-degree range. As the iPad sits right at the back of the Key Folio it also provides a larger typing area than many other keyboards. In fact, when being used, the Key Folio makes your iPad look like a smaller MacBook Air. MAC CASES. Carrying a computer back and forth between home and school requires a decent bag that won't leave your student with a sore back and protects the computer. It's tempting to just put the MacBook Pro or MacBook Air in a sleeve and shove it in the bag among the books. But, having seen students and how they treat their school bags, we suggest a more rigorous approach. It’s also worth noting that a decent backpack is likely to set you back a little more than you may expect. But a well- made unit will see your student through most of their school life and possibly the years beyond. So, think of it as a long- term investment. Look for a bag that has a well-padded base. Students often drop their bags. This can result in percussive forces hitting the computer, causing damage. Many satchels and backpacks have specific compartments, with extra padding, for safely housing portable computers. For example, the Thule 15in Stravan Backpack ($130, www.thule.com.au) can safely house a MacBook Pro in a well- padded pocket that zips separately from the backpack’s main compartment. As it's made for larger devices, there's plenty of room for books and the other bits and pieces students carry between home and school. It also boasts a storm cover, so that it can be waterproofed for walks home in the rain. Different angles. The Zagg Backlit Key Folio can be adjusted over a 135-degree range and boasts a sizeable keyboard Ifa school insists that students use a standard issue bag as it's part of the school uniform, then we'd suggest looking at shell cases and slip cases. Speck makes shell cases in a variety of different colours and sizes to match all of Apple's different notebooks. They retail for around $60 (www.speckproducts.com). While there are hundreds of different slip cases and shells available, we really like the Twelve South 13in BookBook for MacBook Air ($90, www.twelvesouth. com). It offers solid protection for the notebook computer without looking like a regular case. Twelve South has fashioned an accessory that looks like an old book, camouflaging the MacBook Air. The MacBook Air can be used while in the BookBook, making it both protective and functional. GADGETS One of the great things about modern computers is the ability to connect all sorts of different devices over USB. While some can be a lot of fun (USB Nerf Missile Launcher, anyone?), there are also some serious educational tools that can be connected to your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. USB microscopes can be great tools for inquisitive minds. When purchasing a USB microscope, what you're really getting is a USB camera with some fancy lenses. However, one of the hidden challenges is that many of these devices require extra software to work with your Mac. We suggest reading the fine print and doing some research before buying. For the aspiring artist, there's the Instant Transmitting Paper to iPad Pen FEATURE QE ($170, www.hammacher.com). This special pen and transmitter (pictured above) lets you draw on regular paper. You attach a small transmitter to the top of the page you're working on and the output from the pen is sent to your iOS device. The transmitter can hold up to 100 pages of text. Many teachers and parents will lament how students can lose concentration or come up with a thousand excuses for cutting a study session short. The Study Ball ($115) may just be the cure. This 9kg ball is ‘chained’ to a student's ankle with a timer. The parent sets the timer for a defined period of time. Once that time elapses, the chain is released. If you've been looking for a way to tether a student to their desk, this may be the answer. GLOz Advnuaad BED srrucations > MAC G E M S) NEW SOFTWARE FROM THE MAC APP STORE —_—— GAMES Amplitude Studios US$34.99 For years, every 4X game we've come across has met with the same exact tesponse: “Yeah, yeah, it's good, but it's no Civilization.” Until now. Endless Legend is a fantasy-themed 4X game that plays out fundamentally similar to Civilization V, which is to say it plays out fundamentally similar to every other modern 4X game. However, Endless Legend makes key tweaks to factions, combat, tech hubs and methods of expansion that dramatically change how the game plays, and mostly for the better. Endless Legend's art style, which combines pastel colours with a tilt-shift effect, makes the whole thing look like an exceedingly complicated board game. It’s gorgeous. Endless Legend isn't perfect, but it's the strongest Civilization competitor in years. Available via www.steampowered.com. 3] | ESSENTIAL ANATOMY DOWNCAST =}| MEDICAL NEWS 3D4Medical Jamawkinaw Enterprises $42.99 $12.99 A great tool for medical students Jamawkinaw Enterprises’ and professionals — and for Downcast brings the company’s those curious about the human popular podcast software, previously only available on iOS, to your Mac. The app body — Essential Anatomy 5 offers an interactive look at what goes under a person’s skin. The app, Offers everything you need to which comes with both male and listen to your favourite shows, female models, offers high-quality graphics, easy navigation and location from automatic podcast downloads via password protected feeds to of important features, and a number of advanced features that can be creating smart playlists, and can sync to its siblings via iCloud or using unlocked using in-app purchases. Jamawkinaw’s own services. Boinx Software's Mouseposé adds a number of on-screen visual effects associated with keyboard and mouse events. The app, ideal for presentations and webcasts, can highlight the location of your cursor, play a special animation when you click your mouse button and even display each key you press in big, bold letters on the screen. Space MOUSEPOSE NIFTY SAVINGS GOAL UTILITIES FINANCE Boinx Software The Blue Plum Software $12.99 $2.49 If your aim is to save a bit of dough, Blue Plum Software's $2.49 Nifty Savings Goal wants to be the tool that helps you achieve your objective. The app can tell you how long it will take you to reach a particular goal and help you budget for periods of any length. APPLICATIONS PARTICULARS CALCTAPE UTILITIES FINANCE Glencode SFR Software $2.49 $7.49 Wondering what's going on SFR Software's CalcTape inside your Mac? Glencode's combines a word processor os app conveniently displays a with a calculator in a unique and powerful package. The app allows you to combine text content number of technical details about your machine right on your desktop or Today panel. The app can show information with calculations in a single about your network connection, hardware status and storage media; a document and supports a convenient pop-up menu makes copying specific details — like, say, your variety of convenient mathematical operations — including the ability to Mac's serial number — a quick point-and-click affair. set your own ‘live’ variables. SNAPSELECT PET DOC PHOTOGRAPHY GAMES Macphun Runesoft $18.99 $18.99 Runesoft’s Pet Doc We all have large photo libraries but storage space is a premium gives you a chance to on our Macs. Macphun is taking try your hand at playing on the headache with its new veterinarian. This quirky app, Snapselect. If you have game simulates a busy disk space issues and a sizeable vet's office, with customers photo library — either scattered showing up alongside their throughout your Mac or interrupted by duplicates and unwanted images pets in need of care for —or simply a large library in need of a cleanout, Snapselect is an easy-to- various kinds of ailments. As your practice grows, you can expand to new use utility that will improve your photo management. locations, offer more services and build a thriving business. WALTR UTILITIES Softorino US$29.95 iPhones and iPads are limited in the media file formats they can play. Plenty of third-party apps will let you circumvent the restrictions manually but Waltr takes a different approach. Relieving you of the hassle of converting files, Waltr does it for you, and copies the files to your iOS devices. Drag files onto Waltr's window, and it will convert and copy files in most any media format. There are no settings and no preferences, just a window onto which you drag items. And when Waltr copies the files, you don’t need to use a third-party app to play them — you can access them from Apple's Music and Videos apps, just as you do with files you've synced from iTunes or downloaded from the iTunes Store Available via www.softorino.com. ny a GlOz AdvNYaad newoo'pjOMoeU MMM BES) cusiness APPLE AND IBM REVEAL 10 iOS APPS THAT AIM TO CHANGE THE WAY YOU WORK BY CAITLIN MCGARRY The way banks, airlines, wireless carriers and even governments do business could soon change if Apple and IBM have anything to say about it. The two companies released 10 apps in December designed to streamline business operations behind the scenes, which may lead to better service for the rest of us. The new apps are the first wave in a lineup that's expected to include up to 100 iOS apps for business. IBM is firmly entrenched in enterprise, while Apple’s presence in the halls of giant corporations has been largely unofficial, in the form of employees using their personal iPhones to send company emails. So the two companies partnered up in July last year to bring their complementary strengths to businesses on iOS. One app called Incident Aware will give police a real-time look at maps and video from crime scenes, as well as information about victims and suspects, and better backup request capabilities. Another, Sales Assist, is designed to help retail employees offer better service to shoppers by giving them access to customer profiles with past purchase history for improved recommendations. The app also helps staffers manage inventory. Apple and IBM produced a pair of apps for airlines: Plan Flight for pilots offers a look at flight schedules, flight plans and crew manifests and the ability to report in-flight problems to crew on the ground. The other, Passenger+, gives flight crews information about passengers so they can tailor special offers to them. Apple is offering AppleCare for Enterprise, a 24-hour customer service line, while IBM takes care of on-site issues. The two companies will continue to release apps throughout 2015. A BRIEF LOOK AT THE FIRST 10 Plan Flight (Travel and Transportation). Addresses the major expense of all airlines - fuel - permitting pilots to view flight schedules, flight plans and crew manifests ahead of time, report issues in-flight to ground crews and make more informed decisions about discretionary fuel. Passenger+ (Travel and Transportation). Empowers flight crews to offer an unmatched level of personalised services to passengers in-flight - including special offers, re-booking and baggage information. Advise & Grow (Banking and Financial Markets). Puts bankers on premise with their small business clients, with secure authorisation to access client profiles and competitive analyses, gather analytics- driven insights to make personalised recommendations and complete secure transactions. Trusted Advice (Banking and Financial Markets). Allows advisors to access and manage client portfolios, gain insight from powerful predictive analytics - in the client's kitchen or at the local coffee shop, rather than the adviser's office - with full ability to test recommendations with sophisticated modelling tools all the way to complete, secure transactions. Retention (Insurance). Empowers agents with access to customers’ profiles and history, including an analytics-driven retention risk score as well as smart alerts, reminders and recommendations on next best steps and facilitation of key transactions like collection of e-signatures and premiums. Case Advice (Government). Addresses the issue of workload and support among caseworkers who are making critical decisions, one family or situation at a time, on the go. The solution adjusts case priorities based on real-time analytics- driven insights and assesses risk based on predictive analysis. Incident Aware (Government). Converts an iPhone into a vital crime prevention asset, presenting law enforcement officers with real-time access to maps and video- feeds of incident locations; information about victim status, escalation risk and crime history; and improved ability to call for back-up and supporting services. Sales Assist (Retail). Enables associates to connect with customer profiles, make suggestions based on previous purchases and current selections, check inventory, locate items in-store and ship out-of-store items. Pick & Pack (Retail). Combines proximity-based technology with back-end inventory systems for transformed order fulfilment. Expert Tech (Telecommunications). Taps into native iOS capabilities including FaceTime for easy access to expertise and location services for route optimisation to deliver superior on-site service, more effective issue resolution and productivity as well as improved customer satisfaction. acebook. FACEBOOK TAKES ON THE ENTERPRISE WITH NEW SOCIAL NETWORK BY SHARON GAUDIN Facebook, the world’s largest social network, is making its first move into the enterprise. The company has confirmed that it is beginning a pilot test of a desktop service and mobile app for what's being dubbed Facebook at Work, an enterprise-level social and collaborative network for the workplace. “Facebook at Work is a separate experience that gives employees the ability to connect and collaborate efficiently using Facebook tools ~ many that they're likely already using, such as News Feed, Groups, messages and events,” a Facebook spokeswoman wrote in an email. “Co- workers can stay in touch with each other in the same way they stay in touch with friends and family via Facebook.” She noted that while Facebook at Work is designed to give users the look and functions they're familiar with on their social network, this service will be separate. Employees’ documents or information shared on Facebook at Work will not be connected to their personal Facebook pages. “The info shared among employees is only accessible to people in the company,” the spokeswoman added. Facebook is testing the new service with a few partners. “The enterprise market is an important one to virtually every single major software company,” says Patrick Moorhead, an analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy. “As the enterprise market is generally seen as a more profitable one, this will give Facebook an opportunity to drive up their profitability. With its success in social media, Facebook should have plenty to offer a company that wants to help workers collaborate. “Consider what Facebook brings to the table for the enterprise customer,” says Dan Olds, an analyst with the Gabriel Consulting Group. “First, Facebook absolutely knows how to run a social network from a technical standpoint. They know how to make it reliable, secure and how to scale it. BUSINESS They also know the feature mix and content that gets people engaged with the network and coming back for more.” The enterprise could be a big new lucrative market for Facebook. “It will be very interesting to see the business model underpinning this effort,” adds Olds, “Will it be a purely pay-to- play, where a corporation essentially rents a Facebook instance for use by their employees alone? Or will there be an option where advertising from outsiders could be used to defray the cost of the corporate service? How much do you think a luxury car manufacturer or a large multinational bank would pay to have a sidebar ad on the company Facebook site?” Of course, there is the risk that effort could fail if companies don’t trust Facebook, which has had a history of privacy issues with users’ information. “I don’t think Facebook is trusted enough to pull this off,” Olds says. “There are far more concerns about privacy with business services, and folks don’t believe Facebook is focused enough on security. Facebook's brand just isn’t a business but a consumer brand.” On the other hand, Zeus Kerravala, an analyst with ZK Research, says Facebook is onto a great idea. “Think about it. Fifteen years ago, the first thing we did when we woke up was check voice mail,” he says. “Five years ago the first thing we did was check email. Today, we check our social feed. Now with Facebook at Work, we can check our work feeds. We can organise ourselves by projects instead of social groups. Instead of sending co-workers email, we'll message them.” Using a network to collaborate in the office - especially one that so many people are familiar with - is a better way to work, according to Kerravala. However, if Facebook at Work fails, it could be a big stumble for the company. “Well it’s a revenue path they don’t have right now, so if they fail, it’s a short- term blip,” he says. “Long-term it could be a bigger problem because it could limit their growth. And I will say that serving consumers and businesses is very difficult. Very few companies can do both.” GLOZ AUWNUE34 ne“woo"pjomoeu MMM ove Tasks dene Fae ance ae Bone een sare ane peers Caw sare are Pd Go nanan seas meee panssonse * 8 " . ae FOUR TEXT SKILLS EVERY MAC USER SHOULD HAVE BY JOE KISSELL The new year is well underway. Although I'm not much for resolutions, if you're aiming to boost your productivity, I'd like to suggest learning (or brushing up on) four key skills. They all involve working with text and each of them will benefit almost any Mac user (and, for that matter, almost any computer user, period). WRITE IN MARKDOWN If your work involves writing of almost any kind ~ blog posts, articles, books or even academic papers ~ a couple of hours spent learning the basics of Markdown will pay huge dividends. Many major publications and blogging platforms (including WordPress) support this powerful yet lightweight method of text formatting. You mark up plain text files using simple tags (which are much friendlier and more readable than HTML) and then a behind-the-scenes converter can render that text as a fully formatted document in HTML, PDF, EPUB or other format. For example, if you wanted to insert a clickable link using raw HTML, you'd have to do it like this: <a href="http://www.macworld.com. au/">Macworld Australia</a> But in Markdown, it's much simpler: [Macworld Australia] (http://www.macworld.com.au/) In all likelihood you'll quickly get the gist of Markdown just by looking at Markdown creator John Gruber's Markdown page (www.daringfireball.net/ projects/markdown), but you may find it more fun to use the interactive Markdown Tutorial website (www.markdowntutorial. com) instead. The beauty of Markdown is that because it’s based on plain text, you can = Welcome ¥ Va Welcome to Editorial QwERTYUIOP ASDFGHJKL # ZXCVBNM (| | Oo Simple style. Ecitorial for iOS features syntax styling, Markdown shortcuts and a built-in preview pane for Markdown documents. use virtually any word processor or text editor, on any platform, to write and edit ~ without sacrificing the richness of full formatting in the final product. I generally work in unadorned Markdown using BBEdit or Nisus Writer Pro, but if you want extra bells and whistles ~ such as a live preview of the formatted output, shortcuts for adding tags or syntax colouring - you can find innumerable Markdown editors and utilities in the Mac or iOS App Store. A few examples of highly-rated Markdown apps are Brett Terpstra’s Marked 2, Information Architects’ iA Writer for OS X and iOS, and omz:software's Editorial. You're bound to encounter numerous variants of John Gruber's original Markdown specification that add features not supported in the original (such as tables, footnotes and definition lists) or follow stricter interpretation rules. But the core features are pretty much the same in every implementation and once you know the basics, you can easily adapt to alternative versions if the need arises. USE REGULAR EXPRESSIONS On countless occasions you've undoubtedly used Spotlight to search for a file on your Mac or your word processor's Find and Replace feature to locate or change text. But sometimes a simple search doesn’t cut it, even with the addition of simple wildcards like ? for any single character or * for multiple characters. For example, what if I want to find every instance of a caption in a book I'm working on - something like “Figure 42: Blah blah blah” and make just the figure number (and the trailing colon) bold - but not touch any references to those figures (like “see Figure 42") in the body text? In cases like these, which I encounter ona daily basis, I use a regular expression (or ‘regex’ for short), which is a sort of formula, based on a flexible system of wildcards, that lets me identify nearly any sort of textual pattern. (A regex for the word Figure, followed by a space, one or more digits, and a colon - but only if it appears at the beginning of a line - is “Figure [0-9]+\:.) Ew 3 2 Ey = ¢ \2 os 3 8 -- a TS ee ‘et Aven igo Pen orth AS ° Ware: Ente Fie J Using: PowerFind Pro (egen) Fd what: “Figure (0-9}+\:) e- 5 s a G ignore Case Attribute Sensitive - = Whole Word Fas. Replace wits | eran 1 Replace = wo Match Case Feplace Atites == Eee Ready CER Faster Damaged Apple iPhones. LEARN HOW Damaged hard disk drives. WE RECOVER Damaged SSD. DATA FROM: @ Lost or deleted data on hard disk drives and iPhones. @ We will teach you how to fix a ‘clicking hard drive’. DATA RECOVERY TRAINING WHENIIS THE © Every month on the ist Monday FOR APPLE EMPLOYEES! TRAINING? raining ta Gratiot se evadaine EF CHARGE! Provided by Australia's biggest, oldest -HARGE and best data recover: i See our super lab in North Sydney with our class-100 clean room company specialising PAYAM : in data recovery —_— and training room dedicated to training worldwide law enforcement and government agencies computer forensic teams. Come along Tom Appa aeiices Recovery for a free tour. Apple employee ID required to gain access SSE | TO REGISTER: g See: WWW.payam.com. BED susiness = GMail - Wendy ~ Netflix - wendyappleseed@gmail.com SHOW CREDIT CARD {& Wendy's Business Visa Strong security. AgileBits' 1 Password offers ease of use but at a price. The best implementation of regex I've ever seen is in Nisus Software's Nisus Writer Pro (a less powerful version is found in Nisus Writer Express). Other apps that support regex include Bare Bones Software's TextWrangler and BBEdit, Peter Borg’s Smultron and Nikolai Krill’s Patterns. You can also employ regular expressions to find files on your Mac using the grep command-line utility in Terminal. A great way to teach yourself the ins and outs of regex is to use an interactive website that shows you matching text in real time as you change your input. Sites that do this include regexpal (regexpal. com), RegexOne (www.regexpal.com) and RegExr (www.regexr.com). USE BOOLEAN EXPRESSIONS Continuing the theme of identifying patterns, sometimes it’s not a sequence of characters or words you're looking for but rather a logical combination of terms within a file. For example, I may want to find any email message that contains the word ‘apple’ but only if it also has a term that suggests a dessert, such as ‘pie; ‘cobbler’ or ‘whipped cream! Whenever you're looking for a file, message, contact “Y FileMaker. An Apple Subsidiary or other item that contains this or that, this and that, or some other logical combination such as “(this or that) and the other thing but not something else”, you want a Boolean expression. ‘A Boolean expression uses the logical terms AND, OR and NOT (often along with parentheses and quotation marks) to come up with a ‘true’ or ‘false’ statement. Search for “sticks OR stones” and you'll match anything that has either term; search for “sticks AND stones” and you'll match only items that contain both. For the most part, it’s that simple. You can use Boolean expressions in Spotlight, Mail rules, Calendar searches and many third-party apps. Unfortunately, Boolean logic isn’t currently supported in Contacts, iTunes or the App Store. CREATE A SECURE PASSWORD A good password ~ one that will resist almost any attempt at cracking ~ should be long and unguessable, with a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, digits and punctuation, But when we're asked to create such passwords, many of us encounter a mental block. You often hear mnemonic tips like “Make a long sentence and then your password becomes the first letter of each word (and that can include capitalisation and punctuation.” That wouldn’t be terrible advice if you had only one or two passwords to remember. But you probably have dozens, or maybe even hundreds. (I have well over 700 unique passwords.) One of the worst security mistakes you can make is reusing the same password in multiple places ~ if one password were stolen, leaked or cracked, an attacker could access all the accounts that use the same password. Keeping every password unique contains the damage. The sane way to create and remember lots of long, random passwords is to use software that does all the work for you, syncs your passwords securely across all your devices and automatically fills them in when needed. If you use Safari on OS X and iS, iCloud Keychain can do all this for you. If you want to use multiple browsers or non-Apple operating systems, if you want longer and stronger passwords or if you'd like additional features such as storing software licences and other personal data, you may prefer a third-party app such as AgileBits’ 1Password, Dashlane Premium or LastPass. (i PROUDLY SUPPORTING MAC IN BUSINESS The home for business-minded Apple users on macworld.com.au While many Mac, iPhone and iPad owners use their devices for purely personal pursuits, there are those who document, record and share as part of the their day to day work. What are the most efficient and effective hardware and software options for your needs? How can you start using it immediately to drive sales, connect with colleagues, create powerful presentations, reduce communication charges? We examine the latest technology for enterprise users to help you make the best use of your time and resources for your business. Jonathan Stewart - Editor of Macworld Australia We started this section as we appreciate that technology is a critical foundation for the success of your business. macworld.com.au Soffio MacBook Sleeve Backpack The MacBook Sleeve Backpack is handmade in Italy from 100 percent natural leather. The Soffio backpack features a main sleeve capable of holding a 15in laptop and the front sleeve is big enough to fit an iPad mini and assorted other objects such as a charger, iPhone, earphones, etc. It can be worn as a backpack, shoulder bag or carried as a briefcase or sleeve. Soffio €210 + shipping www.soffioitaly.com The Pars 6 protects your handset with a sleeve made. from a combination of paper pulp and corn-based bioplastics. Tear- and water-resistant, the sleeve features an antistatic wool felt for extra padding, a pull-strap to quickly access your iPhone and a magnetic lock to keep everything secure when you're not using your iPhone. Papernomad US$30 + shipping Twelve South BookArc for Mac Pro The Twelve South BookArc for Mac Pro is a chrome metal stand for the latest generation Mac Pro, holding the tubular computer horizontally and teducing its operating height requirement. Soft silicone-lined inserts cushion the computer, and padded feet protect the desktop surface beneath the stand. It even comes with a polishing cloth! Twelve South / US$59.99 + shipping / www.twelvesouth.com Mujjo Leather Wallet Case for iPhone 6 Mujjo’s Leather Wallet Case for the iPhone 6 is designed to hold two or three cards in a slim package. Crafted from high quality vegetable- tanned leather, the case features a cutout for your smartphone’s camera and provides access to all buttons and ports. Available in black or tan, the leather case also has a suede-lined interior. Mujjo $49.90 + shipping Wwww.mujjo.com Satechi F3 Smart Monitor Stand Ever wished you could raise your desktop display and have access to more USB ports? This stand could be the answer. Satechi’s F3 Smart Monitor Stand features four USB 3.0 ports, as well as headphone and microphone extension ports. Measuring 55.1 x 23.1 x 2.5cm, the stand has two height presets and is tecommended for displays under 10kg. Satechi US$59.99 + shipping www.satechi.net At US$99.99 each, Moment’s Wide Lens and Tele Lens are for serious iPhone shutterbugs. Born on Kickstarter, they snap onto a little accessory mount that you attach to your phone with (nonpermanent) adhesive. The Wide Lens is the equivalent of 18mm and the Tele Lens is 60mm, and they're both specially designed to avoid distortion. Moment US$99.99 + shipping momentlens.co PRODUCTS Pad & Quill Author for iPad mini 3 The Author turns your tablet into a stylish book with completely customisable looks from the inside out. Made of hand-finished wood, the case features precise cutouts for your ports and buttons, includes a proprietary ‘bookmark’ for easy removal and is compatible with the iPad mini 3's magnetic sleep/ wake feature. As an option, a pocket can be added to store documents while you're on the go. Pad & Quill US$69.99 + shipping www.padandquill.com STM Harbour for iPhone 6 The Harbour sports a dual-layer construction designed to prevent damage from drops and scratches. Made of thermo polyurethane, the GLO? AUWNYSI4 ne"woo"pjomaeurMmMm iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus cases precisely fit your handset for minimal bulk, provides easy access to all ports and buttons, and come in green, charcoal dark red or black. The bottom of the cases feature a hinge to ease docking STM / $29.95 / www.stmbags.com.au BED sPruications AP P G U | D E Cool software for the iPad, iPhone & iPod touch. WORKFLOW PRODUCTIVITY DeskConnect iPHONE & iPAD $3.99 The first true automator for iOS, Workflow takes full advantage of Apple's looser restrictions on sharing to bring new levels of interactivity and multitasking to our handheld devices. More versatile than the situational IFTTT and more powerful than even Launch Center Pro’s slick system of shortcuts, Workflow’s endlessly customisable actions integrate seamlessly into the apps you already use to help you work smarter, faster and just plain better. Workflow works with a decent cross-section of third-party apps like Tweetbot, Things, Uber and Evernote, as well as tapping into iCloud Drive's file system for uploading, but | get the impression that it will be evolving rather quickly. But even if it never sees another update, Workflow doesn’t disappoint. BASECAMP BUSINESS Basecamp iPHONE & iPAD FREE This collaborative workspace app has been updated in both its free iPhone and iPad versions. In both cases, it’s now easier to create and assign ‘To-Dos’ and both apps are more easily searched. The iPhone version lets you see the day's tasks directly from the widget screen. Best of all: if you finish using Basecamp on one device, you can pick it up from another device. MUSIC CENTER MUSIC Akhil Tolani iPHONE & iPAD FREE This free app does one thing: it creates a widget that lets you view and play your entire music library from the Notification Center's Today view ‘on your iPhone's lock screen or from within another app. Users can scroll through their favourite tunes via a list or tile view and play, pause, shuffle, repeat and move back or forward through tracks via music controls. KITCHENBOWL FOOD & DRINK Apphat = iPHONE F FREE Kitchenbowl is a free iPhone app that aims to be a social community for foodies, who can use the app to share and discover step-by-step photo recipes. Users can follow others, interact with each other by sharing comments and liking posts, bookmark recipes of interest and even create their own step- by-step recipes to share on their social networks. MICROMON GAMES Pocket Trend iPHONE & iPAD $1.29 Ifyou love Pokémon, you'll also love Pocket Trend’s Micromon — because it's practically the same game. Micromon is an adventure game in which you use Micromons to battle other characters and players. You — a newly minted Micromon tamer — travel throughout the world of Pixekai catching Micromons, training them and battling leaders. Plus, for the game’s entry price, you get hours of gameplay. APPLICATIONS GLO2 AdvNuaad ne‘woo"pjoMaeUMMM iPHONE & iPAD FREE WTHR COMPLETE CENTRALLO WEATHER sb PRODUCTIVITY r8app Centrallo Here's another get-things-done app for iOS that lets you make to-do lists and to-do lists within to-do lists, but Centrallo lets you add videos, photos, voice notes, The beautifully designed Wthr Complete offers a variety of weather information in the one location including the current conditions, an eight-day forecast, air quality, UV, sunrise/sunset, moon phase, the day's average over the last four years and hourly temperatures for yesterday, today and links and more to items, letting tomorrow. The app has information from over one you create a robust universe of million locations and an on-screen clock shows information to guide you as you go about your daily routine. Users can the local time. even set due dates in your calendar. WIRE BEAN DREAMS LW SOCIAL NETWORKING GAMES Zeta Project Swiss Kumobius iPHONE & iPAD FREE iPHONE & iPAD $3.79 In Bean Dreams you play as a sombrero-wearing jumping bean in an adorable platformer world. Beyond that, there’s not much to get —and that's part of the charm of this instant classic game. With 48 unlockable stages, a rare degree of flexibility in a player's approach to a level, clever level design and an exceptionally fun, bright aesthetic, Bean Dreams is a quality game. Wire is a bit like Skype for messaging and audio chats, only a bit more versatile. The iOS app lets you integrate pictures, links, SoundCloud music and YouTube videos into the conversation. It's available with a companion app for OS X, so you can converse however you're online. CROSSY ROAD GAMES Hipster Whale =a iPHONE & iPAD FREE It's only been out a few months but Crossy Road is one of the top time-absorbing iOS games on the App Store. Built on the same premise as Frogger, Crossy Road is a straightforward game of timing and reflexes, but that doesn’t stop it from being a difficult game to really excel in. Here, there’s no goal at the end of the stage, along with no set pattern of roads and rivers. Everything is randomly generated, which means you'll face a new challenge every time. Crossy Road is charming, with vivid block-based artwork that surely owes some debt to Minecraft. Whether or not you have a soft spot for Frogger, by which it is inspired, Crossy Road is one of the top time sinks available on the App Store today. BES) secrers The paranoid person's guide to a complete Mac backup BY ROB GRIFFITHS backing up my data files. And by ‘somewhat paranoid’, | mean ‘petrified’. If you're not of a similar mindset, you should be. Consider what it would mean to lose some irreplaceable photos, for instance. Or the please-let-me-keep-my-job presentation that you've been pulling together for months. Or your financial data. Being paranoid in every waking hour isn’t a great way to get through life, but when it comes to backing up your data it’s nearly impossible to go too far. Here’s the multi-level plan | use to keep my paranoia at bay. | ’m somewhat paranoid about So where does everything else reside? On an external RAID setup, complete with a spare drive in a drawer (in the event of a drive failure). This strategy protects my files well enough while I'm working. But, as you'll often hear, RAID is not a backup solution. So how then do | back up my files? | use a multi-drive, multi-location backup strategy, with the goal of ensuring that | won't ever lose a critical file due to equipment failure or natural disaster. (It's still quite possible to lose data via user stupidity; even the best backup plan isn't completely foolproof in that regard. But | take steps to minimise that risk as well.) LEVEL 1: TIME MACHINE Time Machine is my first line of defence, and the only aspect of my strategy that includes support for older versions of files. It’s the first place | go if I've accidentally deleted a file (user stupidity) or need an older version of something. In order to keep the deepest version history possible, | skip a fair number of file types from my backups. You can have Time Machine skip certain files or folders by clicking the Options button in the Time Machine system preferences panel, then clicking the plus sign to adding those files you'd like Time Machine to skip. Tip. If you add an OS X-owned folder LEVEL 0: SYSTEM SETUP. —such as the top-level System folder My backup plan begins with my basic system setup, which may be different from yours. | keep very little data on the internal boot drive. My user's folder is on that drive, along with my most used applications. But that’s it - everything else is saved elsewhere. | even go so far as to use aliases (or symbolic links, if necessary) to move large data files off the boot drive for programs that don't let me specify a storage location. As a result, my boot drive is typically fairly empty — I'm using just 75GB of the 256GB SSD in my Retina iMac, for example. (0 fre Tee Maen ne tar om Leave them out. | exclude a lot of files and folders from Time Machine, including all system-related files and stock OS X applications. The plan. My boot clone is created using Carbon Copy Cloner 4 here you can see it's set to run when the clone disk is attached to my iMac. —Time Machine will ask you if you'd like to skip all system files. | reply yes, because Level Two of my strategy takes care of my system files. When you say yes, Time Machine shows “System Files and Applications’ as being excluded from the backup. In addition to the system files and applications, what other types of things do | skip? | don't back up any ripped DVD or Blu-ray movies, again because there's no need for versioning, and they're backed up at other levels of my strategy. | also exclude any Parallels or Fusion virtual machines as both apps include their own snapshot features for versioning, and | back up the full virtual machines elsewhere. By not using Time Machine for these types of files, I've freed up hundreds of gigabytes of space that can be used for multiple versions of my data files. | do, however, have Time Machine back up my iPhoto and iTunes libraries, along with all my work and personal data files. These are files that | want to be able to get back quickly, or access older versions with a minimum of hassle. LEVEL 2: BOOT CLONE A boot clone is not a perfect copy of your favourite pair of boots. Rather it's a perfect copy of the hard drive that boots your Mac. Having a clone is critical — if your boot drive ever has a fatal error, you can connect the clone drive and reboot, and be back where you were with a minimum of 4 (CCC4). Creating a clone with CCC4 is a simple point-and-click operation. As | don’t like leaving a clone drive connected all the time, | have a bare drive that | insert into a Sabrent 3 drive dock on a regular schedule. | update my clone about three times a week. Because the vast majority of my files live on the RAID, it's not critical that the clone is current to the minute. Using CCC4, | created aclone task that’s set to run on disk mount. Updating the clone is as easy as dropping the bare drive into the drive dock; CCC4 sees the drive mount and starts updating the clone. Typically the whole task takes about five minutes, as only changed files are updated. (The initial clone takes much longer, of course.) When the clone is complete, | remove the drive from the drive dock and put it back in its storage box for a couple of days. If my boot drive ever fails, | know | can get back up and running in a hurry, and probably not be missing anything other than some modified preference files. LEVEL 3: PARANOID BACKUP | call this level my paranoid backup, because | always think something can go wrong with my backups. My paranoid backup is another full backup of my files, to supplement both Level 1 and Level 4 backups. | use the Sabrent drive dock and CCC4 for this backup as well; when | insert AFTER TASK RUNS Run » Shel Script: Choose Organised. This section of Carbon Copy Cloner 4 allows one backup task to run when the current task finishes. This makes it simple to chain together tasks that back up files on different disks, for instance. disruption. There are many ways to make a boot clone. | use Carbon Copy Cloner SECRETS the Paranoid disk, CCC4 fires off the backup task. One very useful feature in CCC4 for the paranoid backup is the ability to ‘chain’ backup tasks. Because this is a full backup with files from both the RAID and internal hard drive, | have four separate backup tasks in CCC4. The first task is set to run on disk mount. The following tasks are set to run when the prior task completes. So my paranoid backup is just as simple to run as my boot clone: linsert the Paranoid disk, and the magic just happens. When it’s done, | remove the drive and return it to its storage location. | usually do this once a day, though sometimes twice if I'm creating a lot of new files. I'm so paranoid that | even back up my cloud services’ files here, even though they reside on every Mac and in the cloud. So yes, I'm paranoid about backups! LEVEL 4: OFF-SITE BACKUP The best backup strategy in the world is no good if all of the backups are stored with the computer. You need to keep a set of files in a separate location in case your primary location is visited by fire, flood, theft or other disaster. In my case, that means sending a backup disk to my wife’s office. Our off-site backup is also done on a bare disk, inserted into the Sabrent drive dock. As with the Paranoid backup, it runs via CCC4 on drive mount, and chains together a number of separate tasks to perform a full backup. My wife brings the drive home once a week, | update the backup that evening, and it goes back in the morning. So yes, we have one night's exposure to a disaster while the disk is home. But | keep the disk elsewhere that night, so at least it’s nowhere near the computer. To remind my wife to bring the drive home, | rely on the simple AppleScript application pictured on the next page. GlOz AuvNuaa4 ne-woo"pyomoewmMMm BED) secrets Set thetccount to “ovtgoinghent edéress” Set Va_notlto te “reclptenttenat i cadress™ ell epelicotion “Mail ‘activate Set Unis message to mule new outgoing message with propertion (sender:thedccount, visible:true, mebject: "Please bring the drive hone”, content: ("As the subject