Apple’s MacBook Neo announcement sent shockwaves across the hardware industry last week, and the arrival of a budget device from the tech giant couldn’t have come at a better time.

The launch of a $599 (£599 in the UK) laptop is a bold move by Apple, enabling it to tap into demographics previously excluded by the high prices associated with its flagship models.

The 14in MacBook Pro M5 comes in at $1,699 (£1,699 in the UK), while the MacBook Air M5 will set you back $1,099 (£1,099 in the UK). That’s a significant price drop.

At the very least, the MacBook Neo will force the rest of the industry to react. This isn’t so much a race to the bottom on cost, but a sharpening of the focus on giving consumers better bang for their buck.

Some, it seems, are already at panic stations over the announcement. Speaking during a recent earnings call, Asus’ chief financial officer Nick Wu said competitors will have to react swiftly or be left in the dust.

“Given Apple’s historically very premium pricing, launching such an affordable product is certainly a shock to the entire market,” he said, per reports from Seeking Alpha.

The fact this has come as such a shock to the market speaks volumes about its recent trajectory. The incessant focus on AI-powered devices, which come with a premium price tag, is an issue I’ve raised in previous columns for ITPro.

We’ve seen recurring Windows-related gripes, with users pushing back against efforts to transform the operating system into an “agentic OS”. This sentiment stacks against Apple’s competitors – even if the tech giant is itself embedding generative AI throughout its products via Apple Intelligence.

A viable option for small businesses

While Apple is primarily targeting the education sector and students with the MacBook Neo, there is certainly room here for small businesses to capitalize. IT leaders already sweating over costly device refresh programs and price hikes thanks to the RAM crisis will undoubtedly be considering the Neo.

The device will certainly offer better bang for buck. An array of comparison tests between the Neo and Windows-based alternatives already show there are glaring pros and cons.

Testing by ITPro found the Neo performs well in single-core performance, scoring a 3,287 in GeekBench 6. This puts it ahead of devices such as the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x and the Dell 14 Plus – two devices ITPro has had hands-on experience with.

It’s once you get into multi-core tasks that issues arise, particularly when running multiple programs or specialist tasks such as video rendering. Tom’s Guide noted the Neo’s performance drops off here compared to its aforementioned competitors.

Apple has framed the Neo as a viable option as a work device. Promotional materials specifically touted its potential in enterprise domains.

“From building spreadsheets to managing payroll, MacBook Neo gets the job done,” the company claims. In many ways, the Neo does punch above its weight, but knowing the limitations and making them clear is an area Apple has been candid on in recent years - take its AI approach, for example.

The company has adopted a standoff-ish approach to AI over the last three years, hedging its bets on building a more reliable integrated AI assistant and making that strategy clear. It’s a tactic that’s drawn an equal mixture of praise and criticism from industry stakeholders, but one that’s ultimately paid dividends and underlines its long-running cautious approach.

Apple isn’t rash. It’s cold, calculated, and knows exactly when to strike.

The MacBook Neo is another Apple masterclass

Apple has a long-running reputation for shaking up markets; it did it with the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad, and the MacBook Air some 20 years ago.

This latest move may be the most consequential product launch in the company’s history – and given recent memory cost concerns, the impact cannot be understated.

Skyrocketing memory costs are severely affecting the budget device market, according to recent analysis from Omdia. These surging costs mean vendors are now focusing their attention on premium range devices to absorb the financial blow.

Omdia’s research specifically noted that PC prices below $500 will be hit the hardest, with global shipments plummeting by 28% across 2026. Simply put, you can kiss goodbye to your low-budget devices over the next year.

A device roughly within this price range, from a brand such as Apple, will be a tantalizing prospect for businesses and consumers alike.

MacBook Neo performance may be an issue

Performance may be a sticking point for some. But the benchmark situation is complicated and doesn’t paint a full picture.

On the surface, the MacBook Neo doesn’t quite shape up in terms of performance compared to its flagship products, or other Windows devices out there. The device will boast just 8GB of memory, with two distinct ranges offering 256GB and 512GB of storage.

Powering the Neo is the A18 Pro chip, an ARM-based system currently used in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone Pro Max.

Apple noted in its announcement that this is 50% faster at web browsing, while boasting three-times the performance handling workloads compared to PCs with Intel Core Ultra 5 chips.

An area in which the Neo has a distinct advantage, however, is the ecosystem it inhabits. Apple designs the interlinking parts under the hood, from the CPU and hard drive to the operating system.

Apple RAM also uses a unified memory architecture, creating a shared memory pool which allows the CPU and GPU to share bandwidth. What this means is that it better utilizes memory compared to a Windows device.

Add that to the broader Apple ecosystem and compatibility just makes sense given the demographic the company is targeting: students. Having your messages, photo albums, and various files accessible just adds to the ease of use factor.

The “Mac vs. Windows” debate has been a longstanding feature of the IT landscape since Apple desktops first hit the market, solidified by the iconic “I’m a Mac” ad campaign.

Today, though, the idea of it being a binary choice is increasingly irrelevant. With the right support, enterprises can easily have multiple systems that complement rather than contradict each other.

Channel partners who can offer support to enterprises that are seeking to adapt to a world where Apple and Microsoft coexist have a powerful opportunity to expand and deliver more value to their customers.

Why Apple demand is rising in the workplace

Historically, businesses viewed Macs as a niche option for corporate endpoints, typically associated with specialist creative roles such as design or the personal choice of senior executives.

While Windows is still the king of desktop computers, claiming around 72% of the market, Apple has seen a steady increase in market share in recent years, and we expect this to continue.

There’s a clear generational shift underway. More people are now coming into the workforce having grown up with Apple, whether through using a MacBook at university, having an iPhone as their mobile device, or now paying for items via their watch. They’ve come to see Mac and the Apple ecosystem as a useful, consistent, and reliable choice, and this personal preference is influencing the workplace.

Apple’s status as the dominant mobile operator has helped things along. OS devices claim around 27% of the more diverse mobile market, and iPhones are a common choice of corporate device even when desktops are Windows. iOS mobile devices also offer a lot of flexibility – consider how common it is to see iPads as retail POS terminals, for example.

The Apple ecosystem offers a continuous experience across multiple devices, a compelling reason to bring in desktop machines alongside mobile. This is particularly well-suited for hybrid workers and BYOD programmes, enabling a seamless blend of personal and corporate.

These trends mean organizations face a growing demand for a mixed OS environment, and implementing a flexible device strategy is increasingly important for attracting and retaining the tech-savvy younger generation entering the workforce.

However, it can also be difficult to manage without the right resources. It’s a common source of friction with IT teams, who still believe that bringing in Apple will cause serious operational issues and drain resources compared to running a purely Windows environment.

Busting the myths: Why IT resistance to Mac is fading

There are some persistent myths around Macs being difficult to manage and integrate into wider non-Apple ecosystems, but these typically no longer apply in a modern IT environment.

For example, IT veterans will likely recall the earlier difficulties in binding a Mac OS device to a Windows domain to allow credential authentication through Windows Active Directory. This process was prone to breaking for no particular reason, leaving the user stranded without access and creating unnecessary headaches for the IT team.

Today, however, the shift to cloud-based authentication allows for a seamless experience across different platforms. Enterprise tools like Microsoft 365, Slack, and Zoom can be freely used across both platforms, and integration with services like Microsoft Entra ID and Okta Single Sign-On provides further support for a smooth user experience.

Some IT teams also object to the perceived additional burden of adapting management processes and skilling up personnel to support Macs. Again, though, modern management tools have drastically simplified the deployment and oversight of Mac devices to the degree that there is little need for extensive Mac-specific training. ​

How the channel can address key IT pain points

The growing demand for Apple in the workplace is a powerful opportunity for partners to step up and prove their value. MSPs that can provide unified endpoint management and technical support for mixed environments can further establish their position as trusted strategic advisors.

Most IT teams already face noisy, fragmented landscapes. They’ve got flashing lights pinging all over the place with security alerts, they have to keep up with updates and patching, and many other duties. Adding the need to support multiple operating systems will be a significant additional burden unless they’re properly supported.

Being the one to offer an accessible and affordable solution to all these issues is an easy win for the channel. Partners can really shine by serving as a source of expert guidance on how to bring in a more flexible approach to managing multiple operating systems.

On a strategic level, they can help organizations clarify how employee device choice meshes with the company's objectives and weigh up the benefits and costs. This means taking the project beyond IT to consider how other departments are affected - for example, will HR need to work on new contracts and terms?

Tactically, partners are also able to identify customer pain barriers and challenges of transitioning from a Windows-based ecosystem. This includes considering what tools will be needed and what policies must be changed or established to manage them.

It’s a great opportunity for partners to develop their own unique IP while serving their existing customers and reaching new ones. We’re seeing partners bringing us significantly more opportunities in recent months, which is a sign of how much market share is up for grabs.

There’s also been a notable shift in the way the channel approaches it. We have some partners with significant presence that didn’t care about Apple five or six years ago and have now fully embraced the opportunity. On the other hand, there are those who were previously Apple specialists and now have the opportunity to branch out into mixed ecosystems.

Partners who can offer full support for an integrated ecosystem have a chance to scoop up market share that was previously limited to specialists on either side of the fence.

Supporting choice is the future

With Apple devices becoming more commonplace in the corporate world, the choice isn’t Apple or Microsoft; it’s both.

The channel has a growing opportunity to help customers manage a mixed IT environment. End users want simplicity, security, and quality performance, regardless of what platform they are using.

Partners who embrace the reality of mixed, integrated environments today and support that flexibility will be set up for the win.

Researchers at Cisco Talos have uncovered serious vulnerabilities in Microsoft applications for the macOS operating system that could allow attackers to misuse permissions. 

The vulnerabilities can be exploited by injecting malicious libraries into Microsoft applications to gain entitlements and user-granted permissions.

These permissions control whether an app can access resources such as the microphone, camera, folders, screen recording, user input and more, allowing attackers to spy on the user or steal sensitive information.

"We identified eight vulnerabilities in various Microsoft applications for macOS, through which an attacker could bypass the operating system’s permission model by using existing app permissions without prompting the user for any additional verification,” researchers said.

“If successful, the adversary could gain any privileges already granted to the affected Microsoft applications. Microsoft considers these issues low risk, and some of their applications need to allow loading of unsigned libraries to support plugins and have declined to fix the issues."

Apple's macOS features a layered security model, including Transparency Consent and Control (TCC) – a framework developed by Apple to manage access to personal data and system privileges, requiring explicit user approval before granting access.

However, this isn’t foolproof, researchers warned. It depends on applications responsibly handling the permissions they receive. If a trusted application is compromised, it could be manipulated to abuse its permissions, allowing attackers to perform actions without user knowledge.

"For instance, if a video chat app with camera and microphone access is exploited, it could be forced to record without alerting the user," Cisco Talos said.

"This situation points to a key aspect: macOS trusts applications to self-police their permissions. A failure in this responsibility leads to a breach of the entire permission model, with applications inadvertently acting as proxies for unauthorized actions, circumventing TCC and compromising the system's security model."

As an example, Cisco Talos used Microsoft apps, each of which had hardened runtime enabled, together with the ‘com.apple.security.cs.disable-library-validation’ entitlement.

Of the eight applications it reported, four were updated by Microsoft and no longer possess the 'com.apple.security.cs.disable-library-validation' entitlement.

These included: Microsoft Teams, WebView.app (Microsoft Teams helper), com.microsoft.teams2.modulehost.app helper, now renamed Microsoft Teams ModuleHost.app, and Microsoft OneNote.

However, Microsoft Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word all remain vulnerable.

Microsoft appears to use the ‘com.apple.security.cs.disable-library-validation’ entitlement for certain apps to support certain plug-ins. According to Apple, this allows the loading of plug-ins signed by third-party developers.

Despite this, the only plug-ins available to Microsoft's macOS apps appear to be web-based and known as Office add-ins.

"If this understanding is correct, it raises questions about the necessity of disabling library validation, especially if no additional libraries are expected to be loaded. By using this entitlement, Microsoft is circumventing the safeguards offered by the hardened runtime, potentially exposing its users to unnecessary risks," Cisco Talos said.

"It's also important to mention that it’s unclear how to securely handle such plug-ins within macOS' current framework. Notarization of third-party plug-ins is an option, albeit a complex one, and it would require Microsoft or Apple to sign third-party modules after verifying their security."

The company recommends Apple should introduce a user prompt, similar to the resource permissions in TCC, enabling users to decide whether to load a specific third-party plug-in.

This, it said, would provide a more controlled means of granting access without broadly compromising security.

The world used to divide sharply into two tribes – you were a Windows person or an Apple person, and that was it. Today, that barrier has all but dissolved. Plenty of people are mixing and matching hardware, working with a mix of PCs, Macs, and mobile devices, as suits the context or task at hand. Your choice of computer has never been less important: all that really matters is that you can access and work with your data.

Even in these enlightened times, however, that isn’t something you can always take for granted. Different file formats and ways of working can trip you up as you hop between platforms.

If you’re running Windows 11 and macOS side-by-side, or working alongside someone on a different platform, here’s our run-down of recommendations for working on PCs, Macs and Linux.

Which productivity tools should you use?

The easiest way to work across platforms is to use an online office suite, such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Office or the iCloud versions of Apple’s Pages, Numbers, and Keynote applications.

That’s not your only option, however. Microsoft Office is available for both Windows and macOS (plus iPadOS), and can conveniently synchronize documents via OneDrive. As a free alternative, LibreOffice also works on the Mac, PC, and Linux, and integrates with cloud storage services like Google Drive to simplify managing and accessing your documents.

If you don’t want to entrust your data to Google, you may prefer to set up your own WebDAV server for convenient document storage and sharing. This can reside on a commercial web host or on your own hardware – an easy way to set it up is via the Nextcloud collaboration framework, which is included in the DietPi OS distribution for the Raspberry Pi and other single-board computers.

Now enter the location of your WebDAV server in the Host field (for Nextcloud this would be the address of your server). In the Root field, enter the address of your user folder, which is /nextcloud/remote.php/dav/files/USER/, replacing USER as appropriate. 

The first time you establish a remote connection, LibreOffice will ask you to create a master password to protect it. Enter this twice and make sure you remember it for future use. You should only need to enter it once per session.

How to plug the OS exclusivity gap

Things get a little trickier if you’re using applications only available on one platform – for example, Microsoft Publisher and Access are missing from Mac editions of Office. So, if you rely on either, it’s worth looking for replacements.

For desktop publishing, Adobe InDesign is the industry standard, but the monthly fee is steep for non-professionals. Affinity Publisher 2, from Serif, is a powerful and affordable solution that works seamlessly across Windows, Mac, and iPad. 

You can share your work between all three, leaving off on any one of them and picking up again on either of the other two, and it costs a very reasonable £69.99 for either Windows or Mac – less than the price of four months of InDesign. You can also buy a Universal Licence for the whole Affinity Suite, which includes the Photo and Designer tools and allows cross-installation on Windows, Mac, and iPad.

If you’re making the switch, though, be aware that Affinity Publisher 2 can’t import Microsoft Publisher files. Anything that’s been created in Publisher will need to be recreated, or exported as a PDF and edited from there.

As for Microsoft Access, the natural alternative is LibreOffice Base, which is included in the free LibreOffice suite. Although it’s not possible to directly open an Access database in LibreOffice Base, there are several ways to migrate your data.

One is to export your databases from Access in XLS format, and import them from there into new LibreOffice databases. Another is to use the Microsoft Access Runtime, which includes the Access Database Engine. This can be used to grant access to the data itself or facilitate its transfer. Alternatively, the Java-based UCanAccess driver allows JDBC database programs (including LibreOffice Base) to connect directly to Access databases. 

Synchronize files across Mac, Windows and Linux

When you’re working across multiple devices, the most fundamental requirement is retaining access to all your files. You could use a cloud provider like Box or OneDrive, but these only offer limited space unless you pay for a premium service. 

You may prefer therefore to provision your own centralized storage across your local network, by repurposing an old computer as a file server, or as a NAS using TrueNAS Core. This gives you ongoing control and oversight over your shared storage, and complete freedom to expand it over time. 

If you don’t have any hardware you can recycle, the open-source FreeFileSync tool can be set to watch specified folders and automatically synchronize them across all your different machines. It’s an excellent free alternative to paid-for cloud syncing services – but note that doesn’t keep cloud copies or older versions of your data, and it only works on Windows, macOS, and Linux, with no support for mobile phones or tablets.

Other synchronization options include Syncthing, Syncplicity and GoodSync. If you’re already paying for web hosting, you could also set up WebDAV in your web space, and make use of any spare capacity you have in your hosting account.

Share your bookmarks across Mac, Windows and Linux

Sharing bookmarks across devices is automatic if you’re using the same browser on each platform. But what if you want to use, say, Safari on the Mac and Edge on your PC?

The answer is a bookmark synchronization add-on such as xBrowserSync, which allows you to choose where your bookmarks are stored and access them from any device logged into the same account. There are synchronization servers in the UK, Canada, and Germany; for total control of your data, you can install your own xBrowserSync service from Github.

If you’ve already set up Nextcloud or a WebDAV server, you could alternatively try Floccus, which synchronizes bookmarks across devices while keeping them on your own infrastructure. You can also grab Floccus add-ons for Firefox, Edge, Chrome, iOS, and Android.

Research your backup options

The more devices you use, the more it makes sense to back up to the cloud. This ensures backups are regularly updated, without your having to bother with connecting and transporting drives between different systems.

Most online backup solutions support both Windows and macOS, so it’s up to you which you choose. Make sure though that whichever you select has sufficient space to accommodate all of your data, and allows simultaneous logins from every machine in your arsenal. See below for indicative prices and capacities for five popular options.

Sharing peripherals between operating systems

If you’re using multiple computers on the same desk, you’ll want to share peripherals where possible. This can be confusing in some cases: in particular, keyboard layouts are subtly different across Windows and macOS, with the positions of some keys, including @. 

Switching to a multiplatform keyboard like the Logitech K780 can help. This wireless keyboard has combined Start/Alt, and Alt/Cmd keys to suit different platforms, and can instantly switch between three separate Bluetooth hosts at the touch of a function key – so you can easily share it between PC, a Mac and a tablet. The Logitech M720 mouse can likewise pair with three devices and switch between them as required.

If you want to share a single display across your Mac and PC, you can simply plug two cables into different inputs at the rear of your monitor. If yours only has a single socket, a simple HDMI switch is the answer: you can buy an entry-level switch capable of supporting two 4K inputs for less than $10.

If your main computer is an iMac you won’t be able to use it as a display for a Windows laptop; likewise, many all-in-one Windows PCs don’t support external video signals. However, there are ways to work around this. If your PC is running a Professional edition of Windows 10 or 11, you can use Microsoft’s Remote Desktop tool to access it from the Mac desktop. Connect using your PC’s IP address, and your Windows username and password.

To access your Mac from Windows, open the macOS System Settings – called System Preferences on older versions of macOS – click through to the Sharing pane, and turn on the switch beside Screen Sharing. Now click the “i” followed by Computer Settings, and make sure both of the tick boxes on the following screen are ticked, and that you’ve supplied a password. You can then use a free VNC client to connect to the Mac across your network.

If these methods don’t suit you, another tool you can try is Chrome Remote Desktop, which is a free add-on for Chrome-based browsers. Install it on both devices. Once installed, you’ll be prompted to give each computer a unique name, and create a PIN of six or more digits to secure it. Now when you visit the web page on one machine, you’ll be able to access and use the other one – as long as they’re both logged into the same Google account.

Why not just switch to the web?

The complications of working across multiple platforms can be solved by simply using web apps. As we’ve mentioned, Google Workspace is a viable alternative to Microsoft Office or LibreOffice; you can also use Adobe Photoshop in a browser and lay out documents using Canva. So why do you need to go to the trouble of installing software on your local machine?

One possible answer is connectivity. Online software requires a reliable internet connection: slow or patchy broadband makes online working an unsatisfying experience at best. 

Web apps are also generally less customizable than their desktop equivalents. For example, you can’t tailor their toolbars to place your most commonly used features in prominent positions, resize interface elements to cope with visual impairments, or tweak shortcuts, to make your software work the way you want it to. Native applications may lack the convenience of cloud services, but they almost always provide a better experience.

The first recorded instance of LockBit targeting Mac users has been revealed in what appears to be a shifting approach by the infamous ransomware gang. 

Researchers at MalwareHunterTeam uncovered a ZIP archive on VirusTotal that was found to contain encryptors for devices running macOS. 

MalwareHunterTeam revealed the discovery in a series of tweets at the weekend, highlighting encryptors named ‘locker_Apple_M1_64’ alongside lockers for Linux and ARM. 

 This particular encryptor was found to target new versions of Mac devices currently running Apple Silicon. 

The VirusTotal archive examined by researchers was also found to contain encryptors for CPUs used on older Mac devices. 

In a blog post dissecting the discovery, security researcher Patrick Wardle said that the novel malware marks the first instance of a ransomware group developing a payload for Apple products. 

Following a period of initial scrutiny and skepticism, vx-underground, which compiles malware source code and samples, tweeted that the LockBit macOS ransomware “is real” and that the gang had confirmed development of the strain. 

The discovery highlights a potential shift in approach by LockBit, which has typically targeted Windows and Linux-based devices. 

LockBit has been among the most prolific ransomware gangs to ever exist, and was most recently responsible for the attack on Royal Mail which caused significant service disruption. 

It has also been the most prolific groups in terms of number of successful attacks for years now, but was overtaken in March by Cl0p following the GoAnywhere MFT breaches.

Although researchers highlighted that the disclosure of this macOS encryptor should be a cause for concern, at present there is little to no risk of users being compromised. 

“While yes it can indeed run on Apple Silicon, that is basically the extent of its impact,” Wardle wrote in his blog post. “Thus macOS users have nothing to worry about…for now.”

Wardle suggested that the strain is “far from ready for prime time”, noting that the strain is “rather buggy” and contains notable flaws that will cause it to prematurely exit when run on macOS. 

“From its lack of a valid code-signing signature to its ignorance of TCC and other macOS file-system protections, as it stands it poses no threat to macOS users,” he wrote.

The macOS variant of LockBit’s ransomware payload was also dated 17 November 2022, meaning the discovery has taken some time to unearth. 

LockBit confirmed to BleepingComputer that the strain is under active development.

Due to many organisations preferring Windows-based computers for their workforce rather than Macs or even Linux-based machines, ransomware groups have usually developed their payloads that could affect the widest pool of targets. 

LockBit’s is not the first ransomware program to be written for macOS, but such strains are certainly less common than those that target Windows. 

Regardless, Apple has been “fairly proactive” when it comes to securing its computers against ransomware, Wardle said. 

Implementing measures such as system integrity protection (SIP) and read-only system volumes offer protections that mean even if a Mac was infected with a ransomware payload, it would be difficult for it to affect OS-level files as a result.

Apple has also introduced transparency, consent, and control (TCC) protections too, which means files in protected locations either require the user’s manual approval or a vulnerability exploit in order to affect, Wardle said.

The development of LockBit’s macOS ransomware strain may still be in its infancy and riddled with bugs, but the industry will be alarmed by the discovery given the group’s standing in the cyber criminal space, perhaps indicating a new trend in ransomware.

Apple released the new macOS Ventura operating system this week bringing with it a score of new features including a fresh approach to passwords that could be significant for businesses.

There are myriad new features spanning use cases related to productivity, use of multiple devices, and general functionality improvements across apps like Mail and Messages.

After first being announced at Apple's annual WWDC 2022 event on 6 June, Ventura is available as a free software update and is the 19th major release of macOS.

Improvements specific for businesses are sometimes negligible in the annual macOS releases however the introduction of Passkeys, and other security improvements, may be transformational for businesses looking to experiment with passwordless identity and access management.

What are the key business features in macOS Ventura?

A key feature that may interest organisations is passkeys, a new method for signing in to websites and apps across all Apple devices.

Apple claims that the new passwordless approach will eliminate the possibility of breaching user accounts through data breaches since the digital passkey that replaces alphanumeric passwords are never stored on a server, only on Apple's hardware.

Passkeys function like FIDO hardware-based keys. Apple said a different passkey is generated every time a user creates an account with a website or app and is unique to both that service and the user.

Whenever users create a passkey, a unique digital key is created that stays on the device and is never stored on a web server, so hackers can’t leak them or trick users into sharing them, Apple said.

The new feature will also allow owners of Apple hardware such as an iPhone to use passkeys to log in to services on non-Apple devices using their iPhone, for example.

Although passkeys are unique to each service and user, and are stored on hardware, they work with Apple Keychain technology meaning the same passkey can be stored across multiple devices.

Passkeys also present a way to prevent phishing attacks. Phishing websites, for example, will not be able to steal passkeys because the digital key will only be registered to the legitimate domain.

Aside from passkeys, Apple is also beefing up collaboration by introducing Shared Tab Groups. This allows users to easily share websites with colleagues, family, or friends, and see what tabs others are looking at in real time.

Users are also able to build a list of bookmarks on a shared Start Page to help kickstart any group project. They’re also able to start a Messages conversation or FaceTime call with everyone in the group, in Safari.

The tech giant is also introducing Stage Manager which automatically organises apps and windows so users can concentrate on the task at hand and still see everything in a single glance.

When enabled, the current window they’re working on is displayed prominently in the centre, while other windows appear on the left so they can seamlessly switch between tasks. Users can also create groups of windows or apps when working on specific tasks or projects.

Lastly, Apple also claims that macOS security is even stronger, which organisations will be pleased to hear. The tech company said this makes the Mac more resistant to attacks with new tools like Rapid Security Response, which works between normal updates to easily keep security up to date.

What other features are in macOS Ventura?

There is a range of new features Apple is introducing with the new operating system. It has revealed Continuity Camera, where Mac users can use their iPhone as a webcam. When the device is nearby, a user’s Mac should be able to automatically recognise and use the iPhone’s camera.

Desk View taps into the Ultra Wide camera on the iPhone to simultaneously show the user’s face and an overhead view of their desk, which Apple says is useful for DIY videos, hands-on presentations, and more.

Moreover, a feature called Handoff is now available on FaceTime, so users are able to begin a FaceTime call on one Apple device and seamlessly transfer the call to another Apple device nearby. This means users can start a call on their iPhone or iPad and move the call to their Mac once they get to their home or office.

Mail now gives users the ability to schedule messages, cancel delivery of a message before it reaches a recipient’s inbox, and add links for better content previews. It can also detect if an attachment or recipient is missing and remind the sender to add them. Search in Mail has also been improved to make it easier for users to find what they’re looking for as soon as they click search.

Apple has also made improvements to Messages. Users are also able to edit or undo a recently sent message or even mark a message as unread if they’re unable to respond at the time.

Collaborating is easier as users now have the option to share a file in Messages and automatically give everyone on the thread access. Activity updates appear at the top of the thread as everyone goes in and makes edits to the shared document.

Spotlight has also been updated to include new features and an updated design. Users can now use it to find images in their photo library, the web, and across the system in apps like Messages or Notes.

Should businesses consider upgrading to macOS Ventura?

Business owners should probably upgrade to macOS Ventura purely for the new security features, especially passkeys.

Considering how cyber attacks are a constant threat to organisations, having an extra layer of security should be warmly welcomed. Additionally, the upgrade is free, so there’s no reason to complain when it comes to affordability.

Moreover, the new collaboration and organisation tools could make it easier for teams to work with each other. This includes Shared Tab Groups and Stage Manager.

Instead of having to send links constantly to each other, teams can simply work from a shared tab group and access the information they need. If they need help organising their screen layout, the Stage Manager should be a welcome addition too.

In 2020 Apple began transitioning its Mac range from using Intel processors to its own custom Arm chips, otherwise known as the Apple M1 platform. This architecture has breathed new life into the Mac series, offering much faster performance while reducing power consumption, heat and fan noise.

The 2021 iMac is the first Mac with Apple silicon to come with an entirely new look and appearance; one that takes advantage of the additional thermal headroom and internal space afforded by moving more internal components into Apple’s custom SoC.

Apple 24in iMac (Apple M1, 2021) review: Design

In a nod to the unique multi-coloured appearance of Apple’s original iMac G3, the 2021 model reintroduces a wider choice of colours to the line, replacing the brushed aluminium that has been associated with iMacs for well over a decade.

It’s now available in a choice of six two-tone colours or plain silver, with the rear of the chassis using a brighter, more saturated shade while the front “chin” below the display uses a lighter pastel variant. The display itself is surrounded by thinner bezels than its predecessor, now in white rather than the black of the previous design.

The retention of the large chin beneath the screen is likely to disappoint those who were hoping to see a bezel-free iMac, but it does serve a purpose: it houses the computing guts of the machine. The rest is screen, and with a depth of just 11.5mm and weight of 4.5kg, the new 24in iMac is no heavier or thicker than a standard PC display. It’s astonishingly light and can be moved around a tabletop quite easily.

The new design retains the solid quality and well-built feel of its predecessor in every way. It’s a radical change from the aluminium and black look, which was becoming stale after remaining unchanged for so many years. One slight design disappointment is that - as with the previous iMac - the stand tilts forward and backwards but cannot be raised and lowered. For that, you need a VESA mount, but this has to be chosen when ordering the iMac and can’t be installed after purchase.

Apple 24in iMac (Apple M1, 2021) review: Display

The Apple 2021 24in iMac gets an increase in pixel count and screen size over the 21.5in Intel iMac, to a new 4.5K Retina (4480 x 2520) screen, with a PPI of 218. Similar to recent redesigns of the iPhone, iPad and other Macs, through shrinking the bezels, Apple has increased the screen area without making the iMac any physically larger than its 21.5in predecessor.

The display quality is excellent. With the True Tone setting turned off, we measured a maximum brightness of 496 cd/m2, 100% coverage of the sRGB colour gamut, 98% DCI-P3 coverage and a DeltaE of 0.88, making it effectively perfect as far as accuracy goes. The image quality looks great, and will make an excellent choice for general photo editing, as well as colour grading in video and animation work.

Apple 24in iMac (Apple M1, 2021) review: Specs and Performance

Apple is selling its 24in iMac in three tiers, ranging from £1,249 to £1,649 inc VAT. All three use the same M1 chip found in the 2020 MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini, and now the iPad Pro. The lowest tier limits your colour choice to red, green, blue and silver, but it also has two fewer ports at the back, lacks Touch ID and the ethernet port.

Teardown videos have also revealed a few undocumented differences between the lowest tier 2021 iMac and the upper-end models. For example, the base £1,249 model has just a single fan, while the higher tiers have two - which may impact its ability to cope with strenuous workloads.

As standard you get 8GB of memory, which can only be configured up to a maximum of 16GB. Storage options, meanwhile, start at 256GB and go up to 2TB. The base model M1 has 7 GPU cores compared with 8 cores on the higher tiers, but the extra GPU core in the higher tiers only makes a marginal difference in graphics performance. The wider choice of colours opens up some new options (such as purple) that may be more appealing to some people. The ethernet port, Touch ID, additional fan and extra USB-C ports are similarly likely to appeal to more performance-hungry users, but in general the base model iMac offers a reasonable level of capability.

So is it worth opting for the higher memory allocation? The M1 chip is more accurately described as an SoC, with the GPU and LPDDR4 memory integrated into the same package as the CPU. Unlike in x86 desktop PCs, M1 uses a pool of unified memory, shared and accessible by all other components in the SoC, not copied to different locations across various buses.

Because of this, memory in M1 is more efficient than in x86 architectures, and Apple says it “dramatically improves performance and power efficiency”. It’s tricky to know for sure by directly comparing Intel and M1 Mac memory performance, but even just 8GB seems remarkably efficient in M1 Macs, handling tasks such as 4K video playback in multiple browser tabs without breaking a sweat. A limit of 8GB of RAM certainly won't ever get in the way for everyday tasks, or even for many design tasks.

But as is traditional with Apple devices, no components can be upgraded after purchase, including the system memory. Extra storage can always be added via external drives, but if you plan on holding on to your iMac for a few years, to ensure better performance with demanding software of the future, we’d recommend choosing a £200 upgrade from 8GB to 16GB over anything else, even though you won't see much difference right now in daily use.

Our test 2021 iMac was a top-end model upgraded with 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD, which we were able to compare with the most powerful Intel iMac currently available: a 2020 27in model with a 10-core 10th-generation Intel processor, 64GB of RAM and an AMD Radeon 5700XT.

This 2020 Intel-powered iMac cost around twice as much as our 24in test machine, and over three times as much as the base model. Nevertheless, in the single-core Geekbench 5 test, which is optimised for M1, the 2021 iMac trounced the Intel, delivering a very impressive score of 1,748 - roughly 40% higher. As expected though, the Intel’s dedicated graphics hardware resulted in 53,933 points in the OpenCL test, compared with 19,325 for the 2021 iMac. And with more physical CPU cores, the Intel scored 9,267 in the multi-core test, beating the 2021 iMac’s score of 7,681.

Where M1 truly shines though is in power and thermal efficiency, and significantly less fan noise. The 2021 iMac idles at 26 degrees, compared with a very warm 62 degrees for the Intel, which shoots up rapidly when under load, causing the fans to spin loudly. Even while stressed, the fans remained absolutely silent on the 2021 iMac in all but one of our tests, which was the first time we had ever heard fan noise on an M1 Mac.

Additionally, while our usual Intel-based benchmarks show highly respectable scores that can match dedicated x86 hardware, the true performance of Apple silicon is only unlocked when using applications that have been recompiled to support the new architecture, rather than emulating x86 software through Rosetta 2.

Unsurprisingly, all Apple’s own applications run directly on M1, including heavy-duty media tools such as Logic and Final Cut Pro. Popular third party software such as Microsoft Office, the Adobe suite, Da Vinci Resolve, Ableton, and browsers like Chrome and Firefox are gradually adding support through updates, and in all cases it makes a dramatic improvement to performance.

While most of our tests completed without a problem, we ran into an issue with the Heaven benchmark, which refused to run at high detail settings. The same problem arose on another M1 Mac we tested, but the same test completed without any issues on the Intel iMac.

Apple 24in iMac (Apple M1, 2021) review: Ports and Features

One further change with the new iMac design is the switch to USB-C for all its ports, mirroring the switch Apple made a few years ago with its laptops. Gone, too, is the SD card slot, so unless you already have a USB-C docking solution, you’ll likely need to invest in some dongles.

The power supply has also moved outside the iMac, supplied as an external power brick, connecting to the back of the iMac via a proprietary magnetic connector. This also houses the iMac’s Gigabit ethernet port - unless you opt for the entry-level configuration, on which it is omitted.

Two of the iMac’s USB-C ports support 40GB/sec Thunderbolt. These are all you get on the base model, with two additional USB-C ports that support USB 3.1 Gen 2 10GB/sec on the higher tiers. You may still need a dock, dongle or hub if you rely on older USB-A peripherals. Wi-Fi 6 comes as standard, and with a decent router and good wireless coverage, most people won't miss the ethernet port on the base tier 24in iMac.

The bundled Magic Mouse (or Magic Trackpad) is coloured to match the design of the iMac. Apple’s Magic Keyboard, meanwhile, has had a small upgrade with the addition of a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, that can be used for authentication in MacOS. It’s a nice, but not essential, part of the iMac package, coming as standard in the higher tiers.

Otherwise the included peripherals are unchanged from previous generations. Irritatingly, this means the mouse’s internal battery must still be recharged via a Lightning port on the underside, which makes it impossible to use while charging.

As with all M1 Macs, the 2021 iMac has a further limitation of only a single external display, connected via Thunderbolt. That means at most you can only ever have two screens. It’s unlikely to be a problem for the majority of people, but for power users who prefer triple-screen setups, this limitation may be one reason to wait for a larger iMac with an M1 Pro or M1 Max SoC.

The front-facing webcam finally offers 1080p resolution, but lacks iOS 15’s superb Center Stage feature that follows the user around a room.

The speakers are excellent quality for an all-in-one of this size, and are light years ahead of the sound quality of most standalone displays. Audiophiles may still opt for an external audio setup, but for average users this will be an auditory treat.

Apple 24in iMac (Apple M1, 2021) review: Verdict

Don’t be put off by the mid-range pricing and colourful, accessible appearance of the 2021 iMac. In all situations, it delivers serious performance that makes it suitable for serious work, including video, audio and image editing.

iMacs have traditionally been appealing as general home desktops, but also in art and design, certain education environments and some offices too. The 2021 iMac is likely to continue to remain popular in these settings. It’s everything most people will need from a Mac desktop, and a fantastic success for Apple’s new architecture.

For power users it has a few limitations - most notably a maximum 16GB of RAM and a single external display. On M1 Macs, most applications designed for Intel processors work flawlessly through Rosetta 2, and the majority of popular applications have already been updated to run natively on the M1 architecture. But as we found, there are a few exceptions where the experience may not be so smooth. Some older software and more obscure applications may cause problems.

There’s a larger iMac coming in 2022 that will probably be powered by the M1 Pro and M1 Max processors first seen in last year’s MacBook Pro models, which will raise the maximum memory capacity and support more displays. Some people are no doubt waiting for this more powerful version, but with a solid, svelte new design, excellent screen quality, all-round fantastic performance and palatable entry-level price, the latest 24in iMac is still a fantastic computer in its own right.

Apple 24in iMac (Apple M1, 2021) specifications

Google has revealed more details relating to a macOS bug that it saw used in the wild against visitors to Hong Kong media websites.

The search giant's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) identified a watering hole attack against a media outlet's website and pro-democracy labor and political group, said Google TAG researcher Eyre Hernandez in a blog post detailing the exploit.

The watering hole attack, in which the exploit infected visitors to the website, targeted iOS and macOS devices, the company said. These used two different attack frameworks.

The macOS attack used vulnerability CVE-2021-30869, which was unpatched at the time and installed a previously unreported backdoor on Mac systems. It targeted Intel-based Macs running the Catalina version of its operating system, but Apple's latest Big Sur version features generic protections, rendering the exploit useless.

The code was sophisticated, using obfuscation techniques that forced the TAG researchers to write a script that decoded it.

The attack broke out of Safari's sandbox security mechanism and ran as root, giving it full system access. It then downloaded a payload, which Hernandez called "a product of extensive software engineering," using a publish-and-subscribe service to download different attack modules.

The module TAG team saw captured user keystrokes. Other features included fingerprinting the device, capturing screenshots, and recording audio from the Mac. It also executed commands in the terminal and downloaded or uploaded files from the victim's machine.

"Based on our findings, we believe this threat actor to be a well-resourced group, likely state-backed, with access to their own software engineering team based on the quality of the payload code," Hernandez said.

TAG reported the vulnerability to Apple, which patched it in Catalina on September 23. However, TAG believes the exploit triggered over 200 infections when it found the attack.

Big tech companies have stopped processing data requests on users from Hong Kong following fears over human rights abuses and spying from China. Facebook also cancelled an undersea cable there in March.

A large number of Mac users are reporting technical issues with their machines after attempting to upgrade to the latest version of macOS.

macOS Monterey was officially released on 25 October but a swathe of users have reported issues ranging from faulty programmes such as Final Cut Pro to fully bricked machines.

Reports seem to indicate that older, Intel-based MacBooks are particularly susceptible to the issues, though some users are also reporting problems on newer models. Understandably, users are upset

Others had a mixed experience. One Twitter user saw success with a Thunderbolt migration from a 2019 MacBook Pro to a brand-new M1 Max MacBook Pro, but then upgrading to the old machine to macOS Monterey led to a full bricking of the machine. Another user reported a seamless upgrade to an older device but updating their newer Mac led to problems only a plane ticket could solve.

Some slightly luckier users have reported a successful upgrade to macOS Monterey, but other problems have occurred. Users report having to use special boot techniques to start their system as others contend with "enormous boot times" of more than 25 minutes, amid various software issues too.

IT Pro contacted Apple for comment but it did not reply at the time of publication.

Despite the issues affecting a portion of the Mac user base, the complaints are dwarfed by the positive stories of the upgrade, with users largely reporting good experiences with Monterey and all its new features.

Launched last week, macOS Monterey introduced a number of upgrades over its predecessor macOS Big Sur.

Those who use Macs for work will appreciate the productivity features that debut on the latest version of the OS. The Focus feature filters push notifications based on the apps and individuals the user wants to hear from at any given time. It's useful for situations like when in meetings, a time when distractions can disrupt the delivery and flow of presentations.

Office collaborators now also have the chance to work simultaneously in the Apple Notes app. Much in the same way workers can collaborate on Google Docs or in the Office 365 suite through Microsoft SharePoint, Apple users can now work on documents, leave comments and track changes in a designated team.

Those who own both a Mac and iPad can also now take advantage of the Universal Control feature which sees the iPad truly doubling as a second screen - users can work across both displays with a single mouse and keyboard. iPads have been compatible as a second display for Macs since 2019 as part of the Sidecar update in macOS Catalina, but the functionality was limited to screen extension or mirroring. Universal control also works over multiple Macs and iPads, should a user own multiple models of either device.

After sixteen major releases, you might think there’s not much left to be added to Parallels Desktop – and for the vast majority of Mac users who are still using Intel CPUs, there isn’t. For them, this update to the popular virtualisation software tidies up a few bugs and adds support for the latest version of the Linux kernel, but that’s largely it. Overall it’s not even consequential enough to warrant a full ticking up of the version number.

Yet arguably, this is the most significant release of Parallels Desktop since it first appeared in 2006. Just as version one unlocked the potential of Apple’s then-recent switch to the Intel architecture, this one breaks new ground by allowing you to install and run Windows 10 on Apple Silicon.

It’s an enticing prospect, but not quite as straightforward as it sounds. It would be a huge technical challenge to get a standard x86 build of Windows 10 running on Apple’s ARM-based M1 chip, and Parallels doesn’t attempt it. Rather, the focus is on Microsoft’s own port of Windows 10 for ARM processors. With Parallels Desktop, you can now run Windows on ARM (WoA) in a VM on the M1 platform – and since the OS itself includes an Intel translation layer, it opens the door to running a huge range of Windows apps on the latest Macs.

The catch is that while Parallels Desktop may be ready for WoA, the OS itself is still a work in progress. Early versions have trickled out on a handful of lightweight laptops – notably Microsoft’s own Surface Pro X – but the only way to get an installer for your Mac is via the free Windows Insider programme, which means you can expect beta-quality code with no guarantees of performance or stability.

Parallels Desktop 16.5 review: Setup

Virtualisation can be a complicated business, but Parallels makes it pretty painless. Once you’ve installed the Parallels Desktop app on an M1-powered Mac, it prompts you to pick a guest OS, with helpful links to ready-to-roll images for Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, Debian 10.7, Fedora Workstation 33-1.2, and Kali Linux 2021.1. This is a nice spread of options to have, but we doubt many people are really buying Parallels to run Linux, especially inside a host OS that’s already built on UNIX.

Happily, installing Windows is almost as easy. Microsoft provides the WoA installer in the form of a VHDX image file, which you can simply drag onto the Parallels window and boot to kick off the installation. There’s nothing to customise on the OS side; accept the default settings in Parallels and you’ll be looking at a Windows 10 desktop in no more than ten minutes.

Parallels Desktop 16.5 review: Compatibility and features

Once you’ve got past the thrill of seeing Windows boot up on your Mac desktop, the experience is pretty anticlimactic. WoA looks and feels exactly like regular Windows 10, and it works like it too: initial releases were limited to running 32-bit code, but that restriction is now gone, and we were able to install and use a whole stack of industry-standard apps and tools with zero fuss, including Chrome, Office, Photoshop, 7-Zip and Zoom. We’re not saying it necessarily makes sense to run these apps in Parallels, but they illustrate how broadly Windows on ARM can stand in for the x86 edition.

Anything in the Microsoft Store ought to work too, since WoA fully implements the UWP framework, and any other required resources should come bundled into the installation package. In fact, when we tried to set up the Dropbox client, the regular installer detected a platform error and smartly directed me to install the Store edition instead, which worked perfectly.

As usual with VMs, Windows appears as a desktop in a window, but with a click you can enable Parallels’ signature Coherence mode. This lets Windows applications float freely among your Mac windows, and puts their icons in the Dock alongside native apps. Your personal folders in Windows are mapped directly to their Mac equivalents, helping to smooth out cross-platform workflows, and you can even copy and paste text and images between Windows apps and Mac ones.

This being a virtual machine, you can also take snapshots of your Windows system whenever you like, and roll back to previous states at will. This could be useful if you just need to use Windows from time to time to accomplish a specific task, and don’t want to worry about unwanted cruft or malware accumulating over time.

Parallels Desktop 16.5 review: Hitches and hurdles

Parallels makes a good go of integrating Windows apps into the Mac environment, but some dissonance is unavoidable. For example, apps from different platforms have their window controls at opposite corners, and the modifier keys on the standard Mac keyboard are in a different order to Windows, which tends to mess with our brain. We don’t see that there’s a better solution, but it’s not ideal.

And while WoA works remarkably well with modern apps, older software is more hit and miss. For example, we normally use an ageing edition of MAGIX Sound Forge 11 for our everyday audio editing tasks; this works perfectly well on our “real” Windows 10 desktop, but it refused to install in WoA, complaining that a DLL couldn’t be registered. We tried to roll back further to version 9, but this demanded the .NET Framework 2.0, and our attempts to install it were rewarded only with error codes.

The connecting together of the Mac and Windows file systems can confuse some apps too. Macrium Reflect couldn’t handle the fact that our Desktop folder wasn’t located on a real hard disk and crashed at the very start of the installation. On that note, anything that requires bespoke hardware drivers is likely to struggle too.

This sort of thing matters, because one of the most common use cases for virtualisation is to keep alive legacy software that’s not supported on the new OS. It’s not at all surprising if apps from the XP or Windows 7 era don’t work on this whole new architecture, but it is a shame.

And don’t forget that the OS is, at present, an Insider release. This means it receives large, frequent updates, sometimes on a daily basis. It’s possible that new builds will progressively make more apps and devices work in WoA, but they may also unpredictably change and even break things.

Parallels Desktop 16.5 review: Performance

By default, Parallels Desktop allocates two of the M1’s eight processor cores to your virtual WoA machine, along with 3GB of RAM. You can raise it to a maximum of four CPU cores and 8GB of RAM – or higher if you’ve sprung for a Pro subscription – but doing so inevitably leaves fewer resources for macOS. However you slice it, it’s not exactly a recipe for peak performance.

On top of that, most of the programs you’re currently likely to want to run in Windows are going to have to go through Intel emulation, and this drags performance down enormously. We used Parallels Desktop to run our standard benchmark suite on WoA on an 8GB Mac Mini, and while we were pleased to see that the tools installed and ran without a hiccup, it was hard to be delighted about the eventual score of just 23 – a long way off the 223 achieved by the same hardware using ARM-native video tools in macOS. Even if you give Windows four cores to play with, performance only scales linearly to an overall score of 45.

Still, this doesn’t make WoA unusable at all. Performance is about on par with a lightweight Windows laptop from 2015, and while we wouldn’t want to do everything in that environment, it’s perfectly fine for the odd individual task. Since the Windows system itself is running natively on ARM, the whole caboodle feels more responsive than you’d expect anyway – and there’s surely scope to improve translation performance in future builds.

Parallels Desktop 16.5 review: Verdict

Barely six months after the M1 processor was unveiled to the world, Parallels Desktop 16.5 gives it a whole new dimension of potential. For that, it feels absurdly cheap, with the standard edition costing a flat £80. Alternatively, you can sign up for a rolling subscription, but at £70 per year it’s not an obviously great deal. As we’ve mentioned, there’s also a subscription-only Pro edition for £80 a year, which lets you virtualise up to 32 cores and 128GB of RAM as well as adding some advanced developer features, and a business edition at the same price which focuses on centralised deployment and management.

The fly in the ointment is WoA itself. It’s expressly a work-in-progress OS with unpredictable app compatibility – and so far Microsoft hasn’t made any real commitment to its future. In two years’ time it could be a thriving companion to the Intel build, or it could be an abandoned experiment.

For now, therefore, we can say only that Parallels Desktop 16.5 is an impressive proof of concept, and a fun and useful tool for tinkerers. Whether it becomes a true landmark release is down to Microsoft. Parallels deserves praise for what it’s put together, but we’d recommend you wait for the OS to at least reach a first stable public release before you invest in the idea of Windows on Apple Silicon.

Security researchers have warned they’ve spotted a new ransomware variant that targets macOS devices in the wild.

According to Varonis’s February 2021 Malware Trends Report, EvilQuest, also known as ThiefQuest and Mac.Ransom.K, is ransomware that aims to encrypt macOS devices, which are typically less affected by this type of threat.

Ben Zion Lavi, a researcher at Varonis, said another unusual detail about EvilQuest that stands out compared to other ransomware variants is it uses symmetric encryption all the way, as opposed to using an asymmetric key in at least one stage of the encryption.

“This means that the key that was used to encrypt the file can be used to decrypt it, thus making the challenge of decrypting the files a lot easier,” Lavi said.

According to researchers, the ransomware includes data exfiltration functionality that uses three external Python scripts to send out HTTP post requests. It also includes additional functionality that many ransomware variants don’t normally have.

“For example, it looks for SSH keys that might allow the attacker to interactively logon into a victim’s device. It also looks for trusted certificates, which can allow the attacker to access sites without causing security warnings,” said Lavi.

Researchers also found evidence of key-logging functionality in parts of the code. These code segments call API functions aimed at finding low-level hardware events.

“We can find evidence that the ransomware is still being developed and is not yet in its final form. The decryption functionality, for example, is not completely implemented. Because the decryption routine is not called anywhere inside the code, victims will surely not be able to decrypt their files, even if they pay the ransom,” said Lavi.

Researchers also warned that an Iranian hacking group named “Foudre” had recently resurfaced. The group dates back to as early as 2007 and exfiltrated data from organizations and VIPs.

“The APT, which was mostly but not exclusively used against targets in Europe and North America, consists of several stages. The first stage includes the victim opening a crafted document that contains macro code, which self-extracts archives with “Foudre” components,” said Lavi.

Lavi added that the malware the hackers used leverages domain generating algorithms (DGA), a technique that generates and tries to communicate with many domain names, but only one of them is the real C2 server domain name. This allows the attacker to hide their identity and maintain the C2 server’s clean reputation longer.

The Mac mini is the third M1-based Apple product we’ve reviewed since the first wave of devices was announced last year, joining the M1 MacBook Air and the M1 MacBook Pro at the vanguard of Apple’s move away from Intel.

It follows a similar template. Aside from the radical architecture revamp, Apple has made few changes to its much-loved compact PC. From the outside, the M1 Mac mini looks exactly the same as the Intel-based model we reviewed over two years ago; it’s inside where all the fireworks are happening.

Apple Mac mini (Apple M1, 2020) review: Design

Just like the Apple Silicon MacBooks, the M1 Mac mini delivers a huge amount of performance per pound. If you need a fast, small PC then it has much in its favour. However, not all software has shifted to the new architecture yet, as we’ll discuss in more detail shortly. Some of your favourite Mac apps might not run perfectly – if at all.

And that extends to older or niche hardware, with Jon Honeyball discovering that his Atto ThunderLink Thunderbolt-to-SAS adapter didn’t work on M1 silicon, and there’s no immediate prospect of a fix appearing.

If you don’t mind being a guinea pig for Apple, however, or if you’ll never venture outside Apple’s own software stack or other native applications, it’s a great choice for a minimalist desktop.

Finished in silver and measuring a mere 197 x 197 x 36mm (WDH), it’s an attractive little thing. There’s a small LED at the front on the right-hand side, the Apple logo is stencilled on the top panel and the power button is at the rear on the right side next to all the various physical connections.

Given the size of the Mac mini, there’s a fair selection here too, with a pair of USB-A 3.1 Gen 2 ports With speeds up to 10Gbits/sec), two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one HDMI 2 video output, plus a 3.5mm headphone jack and a Gigabit Ethernet socket for networking. Wireless connectivity is covered by Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.

You lose two Thunderbolt ports compared to the previous Mac mini (albeit Thunderbolt 3 rather than 4), but the big difference is that there’s no way to upgrade this computer. It’s possible to pop off the lid and get at the machine’s innards by undoing six Torx TR6 security screws, but frankly it’s not worth the effort: the RAM and SSD are soldered to the motherboard and can’t be either replaced or upgraded.

Of course, you can always add fast storage via the Thunderbolt 4 ports. Otherwise, you’ll need to carefully consider how much RAM and storage you specify at the time of purchase, and Apple has followed its usual pattern of charging a hefty fee for each step up.

Apple Mac mini (Apple M1, 2020) review: Software

Not much has changed on the software compatibility front since we reviewed the M1 MacBook Pro two months ago. Almost all of Apple’s business and creative professional applications have been converted to run natively on the M1 chip and you can run some iOS apps as well. This should cover enough bases for most people using the mini as a desktop PC to get by.

The transition to native M1 applications is already underway elsewhere. A quick straw poll of the apps we use on a daily basis sees that Adobe has now released a (feature-restricted) public beta of M1 Photoshop, while Blackmagic Design is offering a beta of its free video editor/colour-grading software, DaVinci Resolve. Google Chrome is also available as a native M1 app, as are the Microsoft Edge and Firefox browsers. The same holds true for Affinity Photo and Adobe Lightroom.

Even if you can’t get hold of a native M1 version of the application you want, you may be able to run it emulated via Apple’s Rosetta 2 runtime. Most of the software we’ve tried to run this way has worked very well and the process is simplicity itself. However, there’s a plentiful list of applications that are either buggy under Rosetta 2 or don’t work at all, so you should check before you commit to the M1 platform.

Fortunately, there are good-quality user-generated lists on the web to help with the checking process and Is Apple Silicon Ready is the best we’ve found.

Apple Mac mini (Apple M1, 2020) review: Specs and performance

Assuming the software you need works, you can expect speedy performance. The M1 Mac mini comes with identical specifications to the M1 MacBook Pro 13in we tested: it has the same actively cooled M1 processor, with an eight-core M1 GPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.

Putting the Mac mini through the same set of emulated tests as the MacBook Pro produced an almost identical result of 127 (versus 125) in our benchmarks. However, in the past two months, native versions of both Handbrake and VLC have appeared, which means our test suite is now two-thirds M1 native – and what a difference it makes, pushing the Mac mini’s score to 223. To put that in perspective, the Intel-based Mac mini we tested – which featured a Core i3-8100B – only scored 129.

With Intel inside, the Mac mini was always far away from high-end Macs. Now it’s within touching distance. For instance, an iMac Pro with a Xeon W-2140B inside scored 283 in our benchmarks, and the MacBook Pro 16in with a Core i9-9980HK managed 249. Bear in mind that the latter costs £3,789, while the iMac 27in will set you back a tidy £2,299. This once again emphasises the power and importance of the M1 processor.

In Geekbench 5, the M1 Mac mini is not only twice as fast as its Intel-based predecessor but faster than the MacBook Pro and iMac: a single-core result of 1,740 is phenomenal, as is a multicore return of 7,694.

All M1 Mac minis include the eight-core GPU (the MacBook Air features a seven-core version), and as we’ve come to expect from previous tests it stormed through the GFXBench Car Chase tests. In the onscreen test, it kept at a solid 60fps and was only held back by the refresh rate of the panel, but in the offscreen 1080p test it stormed to 179fps. That’s 4fps more than the Pro and 21fps more than the Air, but to truly understand the jump in power you should consider that the previous Mac mini averaged 27fps.

In short, you’re getting M1 MacBook Pro performance from the Mac mini for £300 less than a MacBook Air and an astonishing £3,000 less than the MacBook Pro 16in we reviewed in late 2019.

Apple Mac mini (Apple M1, 2020) review: Verdict

Windows PC fans will rightly point out that you probably won’t want to game on an M1 Mac mini, despite its proven talents. And if you can wait for HP to release a Ryzen 4000 version of the EliteDesk 705 then you can expect similar levels of performance at the expense of fan noise (and a rather less elegant design).

But our verdict on the M1 Mac mini is the same as for its stablemates, the M1 MacBook Air and the M1 MacBook Pro. In short, it’s great. If you’re looking for a fast, quiet and unobtrusive PC that will get you through your working day without fuss, this is one of the best-quality options you can buy.

Apple Mac mini (Apple M1, 2020) specifications

Microsoft has announced that it is updating its Office productivity suite to run natively on Macs powered by Apple’s new Arm-based M1 processor.

In a statement, the firm said its core flagship Office apps - Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote –- will run “faster and take full advantage of the performance improvements on new Macs”.

Notable by its absence from this line up is Microsoft Teams, although the communications app will it work in Rosetta emulation mode on Apple Silicon-powered Macs.

The updates will be universal, which means that Office will be able to run both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. The apps have also had a bit of a facelift to match the look of macOS Big Sur.

“We are working on universal app support for M1 Macs and will share more news as our work progresses,” said Microsoft.

Mac users who have automatic updates turned on will start to receive these updates now. Everyone else can go to the Mac App Store and click the Updates tab.

Outlook users not only get support for M1-based Macs, but now have added support for iCloud accounts, so they can bring together work and personal emails, contacts, and calendars together in one app. The new Outlook for Mac will also support shared calendars for customers subscribed to the Office Insider Mac Beta Channel in the first months of next year.

Microsoft also announced it will finally be bringing Microsoft Editor in Word for Mac. It plans to make these updates available to customers with access to Microsoft 365 for Insiders in early 2021.

After much rumour and anticipation, Apple has finally launched its own first-party processors, which have debuted in a range of updated macOS devices.

After launching the iPhone 12 last month, the company held another “One More Thing” event to show off the new hardware, which includes updates to the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini, all of which are powered by its all-new M1 chip.

Apple M1 chip

The Apple-built M1 chip is the first-ever personal computer chip built by the company in-house, and the announcement marks the first time since 2006 that new Macs will be powered by anything other than Intel processors.

The M1 is built on Arm architecture, and Apple says it’s the first PC chip built using 5-nanometer process technology. This eight-core chip also packs 16 billion transistors, the most ever in an Apple chip, and enhanced machine learning performance with the Apple Neural Engine.

Within the M1’s eight cores are four high-efficiency cores that save on power while still delivering "industry-leading" performance, and this comes at one-tenth of the power consumption of the current dual-core MacBook Air.

The M1 chip boasts many Apple-claimed records, including being the fastest CPU core in low-power silicon, the world’s fastest CPU per watt and the world’s fastest integrated graphics in a personal computer. Generally, personal computers require three or more chips for the CPU, I/O, security and other functions. The M1 chip can handle all these tasks itself, eliminating the need for three power-draining chips.

All this tech adds up to 3.5 times faster CPU performance, up to six times faster GPU performance, and up to 15 times faster machine learning than other personal computer chips, according to Apple. On top of the superior performance, the M1 chip also supposedly allows the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air to deliver about twice the battery life of previous-generation Macs.

The M1 chip also brings the Apple Neural Engine to the Mac lineup, supposedly accelerating the devices' machine learning (ML) capabilities by up to 15 times. This, Apple says, will enable the Mac lineup to deliver quick video analysis, voice recognition and image processing.

MacBook Air

According to Apple, the MacBook Air is the world’s best-selling 13in laptop, and the new-generation model aims to hold that title with significant improvements.

This starts with the new eight-core M1 chip, which Apple says makes it up to 3.5 times faster than the previous MacBook Air. The eight-core GPU also allegedly enhances its video performance, allowing it to process graphics five times faster for minimal lag. Machine learning should get a big boost with the Air’s M1 chip too, as the company claims it’s nine times faster than the previous MacBook Air. This will speed up a wide range of ML tasks, like facial recognition or object detection.

All told, Apple claims the MacBook Air with the M1 chip is faster than 98% of all PC laptops sold in the past year.

As we mentioned above, Apple says the M1 chip is also far more efficient. With the new chip, the MacBook Air delivers up to 15 hours of wireless internet browsing and 18 hours of video playback on a charge.

The MacBook Air promises plenty of other useful updates, including improved camera image quality with reduced noise, greater dynamic range and improved white balance; a more vibrant and true-to-life Retina display; Wi-Fi 6 connectivity; two Thunderbolt ports with USB 4 support; and a fanless design for minimal noise.

The MacBook Air comes in two base configurations - one with a 256GB SSD and a seven-core GPU, and one with an eight-core GPU and 512GB of storage. Both allocations feature 8GB of RAM as standard, which can be upgraded to a maximum of 16GB.

The 256GB configuration costs just $999 in the US and £999 in the UK. The 512GB hard drive pushes the starting price to $1,249 in the US and £1,249 in the UK. Education customers can get the MacBook Air for $899 in the US, but Apple hasn’t announced its UK educator pricing.

The MacBook Air is available for preorder now, and deliveries will begin November 17.

13in MacBook Pro

The all-new 13in MacBook Pro takes what the MacBook Air offers and kicks it up a notch to meet more specialized demand. Generally, the added functions meet the needs of graphic designers, audio and video editors or students studying in these fields.

The MacBook Pro starts with the same M1 eight-core chip as the MacBook Air which, according to Apple, makes it significantly faster than most other PCs on the market. With this new chip, Apple claims the MacBook Pro’s battery lasts 17 hours when wirelessly browsing the internet or 20 hours when watching videos.

The MacBook Pro also promises 'studio-quality' microphones for clearer audio, and improved image quality for video calls thanks to the M1's image signal processor. Like the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro features two USB 4-enabled Thunderbolt ports and a default RAM allocation of 8GB, which can be boosted to a maximum of 16GB at point of purchase.

The 13in MacBook Pro with a 256GB solid-state hard drive retails for $1,299 in the US and £1,299 in the UK. Bumping to the 512GB hard drive pushed the price to $1,499 in the US and £1,499 in the UK. For educators, the MacBook Pro starts from $1,199 in the US. UK educator prices aren’t available yet.

The MacBook Pro is available for preorder now, and deliveries will begin November 17.

Mac Mini

Folks who want laptop portability with desktop functionality may prefer the Mac Mini, a high-powered small-form-factor desktop.

The Mac Mini’s big update is the new M1 chip, and like the Air and Pro, Apple claims it's three times faster than its predecessor. This small desktop also apparently features six times improved graphics performance and 15 times improved machine learning compared to the previous Mac Mini. All this power comes in a package that’s one-tenth the size of the average desktop tower.

Other upgrades to the new-generation Mac Mini include an advanced thermal design to help it stay cool and quiet, support for dual monitors and Apple Pro Display XDR in full 6K, and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.

The Mac Mini with a 256GB solid-state hard drive runs $699 in the US and £699 in the UK. Increasing the storage to 512GB bumps the price to $899 in the US and £899 in the UK. As with the laptops above, RAM starts at 8GB but can be increased to 16GB.

This tiny desktop is available for order now, and deliveries will start November 17.

Apple launched a notarization process for all apps and software created for macOS in February to weed out malware. Recently, a college student discovered adware with a full macOS notarization, according to WIRED.

Mac computers were once impenetrable vaults, which led to few hackers attempting to infiltrate them. Those who tried would generally hit roadblocks. Today, Macs are hacked nearly as often as PCs, which lead to the February launch of Apple’s notarization process.

This notarization is required for all apps and software designed for macOS. And if the notarization doesn’t exist, a user can’t run the software without a workaround. However, college student Peter Dantini purposefully downloaded malware, fully expecting his Mac to reject the installation. To his surprise, the well-traveled Shlayer adware installed on his machine without issue.

Dantini alerted Apple of the notarized malware on Aug. 28, and Apple immediately revoked the notarization certificates. Unfortunately, two days later, the malware reappeared with a notarization from a different Apple Developer ID. Dantini again alerted Apple of the issue.

Apple addressed the issue, saying, "Malicious software constantly changes, and Apple’s notarization system helps us keep malware off the Mac and allow us to respond quickly when it’s discovered.” The company continued, "Upon learning of this adware, we revoked the identified variant, disabled the developer account, and revoked the associated certificates. We thank the researchers for their assistance in keeping our users safe."

The fact that Apple quickly addressed the situation is reassuring, but this is proof that relying on Apple’s notarization system alone isn’t enough. While it can help prevent most malware, having a strong antivirus and a critical eye for iffy apps is key.

There are three operating system instances running on my Mac – two of them are Windows 10. That noise you can hear is Steve Jobs spinning in his grave at 7,200rpm.

Why have I got two lots of Windows 10 on the MacBook? Because a Boot Camp installation and a virtual Windows 10 running in Parallels Desktop have different strengths and weaknesses, which make it worth the extra storage space sacrifice. And just to confuse matters further, you can get the best(ish) of both worlds and run your Boot Camp Windows installation using Parallels, without having to reboot the entire system.

Here, then, for anyone considering running Windows 10 on a Mac, is an explanation of the three different ways to run Windows and why you might, or might not, want to do each.

Boot Camp

Boot Camp is the Apple-endorsed way of getting Windows onto your Mac. You fire up the Boot Camp Assistant “app” from within macOS, point it at the Windows image you wish to install (which you must have previously downloaded), tell it how much disk space you want to afford the Windows partition, and let it do its thing.

Once it’s done, you’ll have a Mac that can dual-boot into either macOS or Windows – one or the other, not both at the same time, like you get with Parallels.

The key reason to do this is performance. Boot Camp Windows isn’t a virtual machine that’s running atop another OS: It has direct and exclusive access to the processor, RAM and graphics hardware while it’s running. If you’re planning to run intensive applications (Photoshop, Premiere Pro, CAD apps) or games, Boot Camp is the way to go. As much as Parallels tries hard to run the latest games, I’ve found it struggles to reach playable frame rates in Fortnite and GTA V, which run fine in Boot Camp on my 16in MacBook Pro. Boot Camp is also the way to go if you want to purely run Windows and don’t want anything to do with macOS.

Boot Camp does have drawbacks, though. The biggest is that the two OSes don’t play nicely. You can see the Boot Camp partition from within macOS and see its files listed, but you can’t open them. In Windows, you can’t even see the macOS partition without workarounds.

It’s not a complete deal breaker if you need to access files from either OS. You can store files on external storage or use a cloud service such as Dropbox or OneDrive to keep files synced between the two, but it’s awkward in a way that installing via Parallels is not.

Running Windows as a virtual machine in Parallels

There are many little Windows apps that don’t have direct macOS versions or equivalents. Paint.net and MP3 Skype Recorder to name but two. If you still want access to these and other Windows tools, without having to dive out of macOS and reboot into Windows every time you want to, say, record a Skype call, installing Windows 10 in Parallels Desktop is the way forward.

Like Boot Camp, Parallels handles the Windows installation for you – you don’t even have to have the image downloaded in advance. And although you will be asked how much disk space you want to afford the virtual Windows 10 installation, this is – unlike a Boot Camp partition – dynamic. If you need more storage, it can take it. If you find your Windows installation is gobbling too much space, you can “reclaim” it using Parallels’ control panel (provided you’ve got free disk space in the Windows virtual drive, that is).

Parallels can run in two main modes. You can choose full desktop mode, where the Windows desktop appears as a window or full screen within macOS. Or you can run Windows applications in what’s called Coherence mode, where the Windows apps are contained within their own window just like a native macOS app. The apps even get their own icon in the macOS Dock, the only difference being they are overlaid with the two red vertical lines of the Parallels logo to indicate they’re virtualised.

I have to say, Coherence mode is absolutely brilliant. The ability to mix and match apps, irrespective of which OS they’re coded for, is enormously useful. You even get access to the built-in Windows apps (a Windows app launcher is installed in the Dock, acting as a virtual Windows Start menu), so if you prefer the Windows Calendar to the macOS equivalent, you can run it without fuss.

Whether you’re running apps in full desktop or Coherence mode, one huge advantage of Parallels over Boot Camp is that you can just drag and drop files between them. If, for example, you have an image saved in your macOS folders that you want to edit in Paint.net, you simply drag and drop it from Finder into the application. Likewise, Windows apps have full read/write access to the Mac partition, so you can use their File | Open dialogs to open and save files. The Mac disks appear as Network Locations from within Windows, as if they are a NAS drive.

The convenience doesn’t stop there. Right-click on an image file on the macOS desktop, for example, and choose Open With, and Windows art applications will appear in the dropdown menu alongside the native Mac apps. You can even set Windows apps to be the default application for certain file formats.

Accessing a Boot Camp partition from Parallels

Then we come to that best of both worlds solution: accessing your Boot Camp partition from Parallels.

First, you have to get your ducks in a row. You have to install the Boot Camp partition first and then point Parallels at it – you can’t set this up using Parallel’s wizards.

There are key differences between accessing your Boot Camp partition from Parallels and a straight Windows 10 virtual machine too. While you can run your Boot Camp Windows 10 in a window or full screen, it acts like an isolated OS – there’s no dragging and dropping between Windows and macOS, no Coherence mode. The two OSes don’t really talk to one another, much like they don’t in Boot Camp.

There are other restrictions. The VM can’t be paused, you can’t save snapshots of a Boot Camp Windows, it can’t run in Safe Mode and it can’t be compressed to save storage. If you just need quick access to a Windows app inside your Boot Camp partition, it’s fine. But it’s very different from installing Windows in Parallels itself and nowhere near as flexible.

Finally, running your Boot Camp partition from within macOS is not the same as running Windows natively in Boot Camp – you won’t get the same performance from games or demanding 3D apps as you would if you booted into Boot Camp, because macOS is still running underneath. That hardware is dealing with two OSes, not one, and performance suffers accordingly.

That’s why I’ve ended up with both. Windows 10 in a Parallels VM for running day-to-day Windows apps, and Windows 10 in Boot Camp when I need the full system performance for games or big Photoshop jobs. Finding the mix that works for you is the key.

Latest news

27/09/18: Mojave 'still full of security holes' despite promises of tougher protections

Researchers have found a litany privacy and security holes in Apple's newly-released macOS Majove despite claims it goes "further than ever" to protect users.

The new operating system, rolled out on 24 September, claims to offer a host of features that bolster its security and privacy credentials. These include a stronger permissions regime, enhanced tracking prevention, and automatically-generated passwords on Safari.

But an explosion of dialog boxes and approval messages could lead to the unintended consequence of "dialogue fatigue", according to Malwarebytes' head of Mac and mobile Thomas Reed.

"The idea is that people get tired of being hassled when they're trying to get work done, and will just do whatever is needed to click past a warning dialog without actually reading it," he wrote in a blog post.

"Dialog fatigue similar to security fatigue is real, and after having upgraded to Mojave, I can attest to the fact that it has a tendency to display a lot of these dialogs in the beginning. I had to approve access to data for quite a few of my apps.

"Chances are, the average person will get tired of doing so, and will simply approve each one without paying attention."

Among the most concerning observations are that dialog boxes present users an "ok" option instead of "allow", alongside "don't allow", which could lead to mistakes being made. The blog also highlights an issue with background processes not triggering user approval, which could lead to those apps breaking.

These privacy concerns, however, pale when compared against two independent security holes found within 24 hours of macOS Mojave's release showing that Apple's user protections can be bypassed.

SentinalOne demonstrated that it's possible for a remote user to gain unauthorised access to protected data through secure shell (ssh) - a programme that allows a user to establish a remote connection to another computer and send through Unix commands.

The security firm's macOS team also highlighted that whitelisting for Full Disk Access presents a security issue.

The way Apple has implemented the approval mechanism is such that requesting access for one user's photo may lead to the app being whitelisted for all users universally. This means it could potentially read browser history, emails, and chat messages, among other data points, for every user.

Meanwhile, Patrick Wardle, chief research officer at Digita Security, discovered a zero-day bug that could allow an attacker to bypass authorisation prompts entirely and access a users' personal data through an unprivileged app.

In a video, Wardle demonstrated how he could bypass permission requirements by running a few lines of code that simulates a malicious app known as "breakMojave".

The clip showed the ex-NSA hacker initially denied access to address book data, before running the script and later copying this data to the desktop.

IT Pro approached Apple for comment but did not get a response at the time of writing.

12/09/18: New OS will launch on 24 September

macOS Mojave, Apple's latest operating system will officially launch on 24 September, according to CEO Tim Cook who used its 'Gather round' event on 12 September to confirm the news.

Back in June, Apple said its latest software had been "inspired by professionals but designed for everyone".

Messy desktops can be quickly and easily organised with a new Stacks feature, grouping relating items together neatly. There's also a revamped Finder with additional enhancements such as a Galleries view to help users find what they need quickly.

Dark Mode overhauls the aesthetics for users and developers (when using Xcode), helping to place the content that matters most to them at the centre of their software experience, with controls moving to the background.

"MacOS Mojave is a major update that introduces powerful new features for a wide range of Mac users, from consumers to pros," said Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering. "Dark Mode brings a dramatic new look to macOS that puts your content front and centre, familiar iOS apps come to the Mac for the first time and the redesigned Mac App Store makes finding new apps easier and more enjoyable than ever."

FaceTime group call capability and a revamped Mac App Store, featuring content and apps from the likes of Adobe, Microsoft and more, were also confirmed during the WWDC keynote.

Even more excitingly for users, popular iOS apps such as News, Stocks, Home and Voice Memos also make their way to the desktop OS, prompting Federighi to once again rebuff claims that Apple may merge iOS and macOS together.

Apple was keen to stress that the updated OS also kept security and privacy front of mind, with intelligent features stopping users from being tracked and 'fingerprinted' without their consent.

"One of the reasons people choice Apple products is because of our commitment to security and privacy," Federighi said.

macOS Mojave: Release date & availability

MacOS Mojave was first unveiled at Apple's 2018 WWDC conference in early June, with its first build releasing immediately to developers through the Apple Developer Programme.

macOS Mojave will become generally available on 24 September. This will arrive as a free upgrade for those users running Macs built in mid-2012 or later, as well as 2010 and 2012 Mac Pro models using Metal-capable graphics cards.

macOS Mojave: Name

Since 2013, Apple has chosen to name new iterations of its flagship operating system after locations in California, and since 2014 these names have been associated with rock formations or mountain ranges - the most recent being macOS High Sierra.

With the moniker 'Mojave', the operating system will be the first in four years to be named after something other than a mountain range, instead referring to the desert that spans primarily southeastern California and southern Nevada.

macOS Mojave: Features

Dark Mode

As the name suggests, users can switch their desktop to a dark colour scheme at will, something that's become a staple in most applications and software today. Not only do the colours change, but greater emphasis is placed on the content a user is interacting with, pushing controls to the background.

Apple has confirmed that built-in apps such as Mail, Messages, Calendar and Photos have been given redesigns to support darker colour schemes. An API is also being made available for developers wishing to create apps that support the new Dark Mode.

Stacks & navigation

The new Stacks feature aims to declutter desktops by automatically grouping folders together based on similar file types. Users can customise these stacks to display content based on date or time stamps, and an updated gallery view in Finder provides the option to skim through stacks using a visual slider. The Preview Pane has also been updated to display the metadata of files, making it much easier for users to get detailed information on media files at a glance.

A number of 'quality of life' shortcuts have also been added, including Quick Actions which gives more options from within the Finder pane, such as creating password-protected PDFs. Quick Look also provides a means of manipulating files at a glance without opening an app, such as cropping photos or making notes on a PDF.

News, Stocks, Home, Facetime

Mojave also brings a host of new apps to the macOS platform for the first time, specifically News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home.

News is a fairly straight-forward aggregator application that pulls together articles, images and videos from a user's favourite publications and displays them in a single app. Home is all about Apple's smart home tech, allowing users to control their HomeKit-enabled devices from their Mac.

Voice Memos acts as a voice recording app for personal notes or meetings, the files of which can then be accessed through an iPhone or iPad, while Stocks provides the latest market news, as well as interactive charts and watchlists.

Apple's video messaging platform Facetime has also been updated, which now supports group chats.

App Store

Apple has also taken the opportunity to revamp its App Store. With Mojave, the store's discover tab will now highlight new and updated apps, and Create, Work, Play and Develop tabs should make it easier to sift through apps based on type.

Apple also confirmed a handful of high profile applications will soon be available through the store, including Microsoft Office and Adobe Lightroom CC.

macOS Mojave: Security

Apple was also keen to stress the importance of security in its software, and has introduced a number of nifty safeguards that aim to stop users from having their data collected without their consent.

Safari's Tracking Prevention feature blocks functions such as 'likes' or 'shares' from automatically tracking users without permission, while also hiding detailed user metadata when they visit websites. Safari now also automatically creates and stores strong passwords when users create accounts, and issues warnings when passwords are reused.

Changes under GDPR also mean that apps will be required to obtain permission from users before they access the Mac camera or microphone.

Designed for hassle-free printing from macOS and iOS devices, Apple's AirPrint is great for those that want to print on a whim. A major drawback for businesses though, is its lack of access security as once enabled on a compliant printer, anyone on the same network can use it.

The primos from SEH Technology looks like a great security solution for SMB,s as this little slab of black plastic takes over AirPrint duties, enforces access permissions, encrypts communications and logs print jobs. It discovers AirPrint-enabled printers on your network, creates new print queues for them and can apply local or Active Directory (AD) authentication.

The primos is simple to set up; we plugged it into the lab's network and used the SEH Windows app to discover it. Double-clicking on the device entry took us straight to its Control Center web interface and after logging in, we were presented with a quick start printer discovery wizard.

For testing, we used Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4720 inkjet and Brother MFC-L8900CDW laser AirPrint-enabled colour MFPs. To highlight the AirPrint security issues, on both these printers we could enable and disable the service but neither offer any access controls.

Discovery only took a few seconds, where the primos spotted both printers and created separate job queues for them. For easier identification, the primos takes the printer's AirPrint name and prepends it with a global identifier which can be customised to suit.

There is one more task you must carry out to lock down security which, surprisingly, isn't mentioned in the primos user manual. Once your queues are configured, you must disable the printer's AirPrint service, otherwise users can simply sidestep the primos and go direct to the printer.

And this is where the fun starts, as each printer vendor has different methods of handling AirPrint. On our Brother printer, we simply disabled AirPrint from the web interface but kept the mDNS service enabled to allow Bonjour to continue running.

Epson proved more problematic as you can disable AirPrint by turning off its Bonjour service but this will stop the primos seeing it. Bizarrely, the only way to achieve this was to turn off the 'Paper Setup Auto Display' option at the printer's LCD panel which disabled AirPrint, left Bonjour running but stopped the primos displaying the printer's consumables status.

We also suggest you stop users installing iOS apps that provide direct network access to the printer as these will circumvent the primos. For our test printers, this meant blocking Brother's iPrint&Scan and Epson's iPrint apps.

The primos defaults to allowing unfettered access to its AirPrint print queues and we found it easy to lock this down. For local authentication, you create users and groups on the primos, add them to the respective print queue and decide whether to allow or deny access.

When we accessed the AirPrint queue from our iPad, the device showed a padlock symbol next to it and requested a username and password which our users only had to enter once. For more centralized management, the primos can link up with AD and LDAP servers.

Another issue with Bonjour is it isn't designed to be routed across different networks so users on one subnet can't see AirPrint devices on another. The primos solves this with its Wide-Area AirPrint feature and to use it, you reconfigure your DNS server, create a new subdomain and add it to your iOS devices as a Wi-Fi search domain.

Access security is a major problem for AirPrint users and Apple had done little to remedy it. There are some third-party solutions available such as Xerox' AltaLink printers and Canon's uniFlow software, but these are aimed at enterprises and far too expensive for SMBs.

Although we had some issues with our Epson printer, the primos offers valuable access controls for AirPrint use in SMBs. It's easy to install, will work with any AirPrint-enabled printer and costing only 210, is a snip.

Verdict

Although we had some issues with our Epson printer, the primos offers valuable access controls for AirPrint use in SMBs. It's easy to install, will work with any AirPrint-enabled printer and costing only £210, is a snip.

Desktop unit

10/100 Ethernet

USB 2 (future use)

External PSU, SEH primos Windows app

Web browser management

108 x 108 x 33mm (WDH)

5 year hardware warranty

Let's not beat around the bush: the Apple MacBook Air was and still is one of the most lightweight, powerful notebooks around, offering that beautiful Apple style and functionality. It was first released more than ten years ago and although at the time many didn't think it was possible to integrate the same features into a super-slim laptop as the company packed into its desktops and other laptops, they were soon proven wrong.

A decade on and the MacBook Air is still a firm favourite. The exterior hasn't changed much as all, with a super-slim aluminium casing. But the internals really have changed with the times and that definitely comes with a warm welcome.

Design and build

We're glad Apple hasn't changed the design of the MacBook Air too much. Although it could be considered a plain Jane by some (because it doesn't come with the same colour selection as the more expensive and bulkier MacBooks), the silver aluminium casing really is fine. It looks good, feels good when you run your hand over it and who doesn't love than ultra-thin style?

2017's MacBook Air is just as slimline as its predecessors, with a profile of just 17mm at its thickest point. It's also still incredibly lightweight at just 1.35kg and that's with a whole lot of power packed in under the hood.

The backlit keyboard, which hasn't been given the "butterfly" switches treatment given to the new 12in MacBook Retina, has excellent tactile feedback although is perhaps just a little rattly, but the keypress action is nonetheless pleasing and there's enough travel to make it comfortable to type on for long periods.

The touchpad works exceptionally well, with no Windows-based laptop able to match the precise feel of Apple's design. Taps and clicks are effortless while gestures such as two-fingered scrolling, back and forward browser commands and two-fingered "right-clicks" are reliable, accurate and instantaneous. It makes navigating the macOS Sierra operating system incredibly easy.

Connectivity and Thunderbolt 2

There are two USB3 ports - one on the left and one on the right - as well as a 3.5mm headset jack, an SDXC card reader and a Thunderbolt 2 port. This is the first notable upgrade to the MacBook Air, which was previously equipped with a Thunderbolt connector.

The difference between the two is purely a speed upgrade: connected devices now have 20Gbps of bandwidth to play with instead of 10Gbps. The peripherals you can connect are the same: high-speed storage (such as RAID arrays) and high-resolution monitors (with Thunderbolt or DisplayPort inputs). But with this new, improved performance, huge files such as ultra-HD/4K video will be easier to handle when streaming to your MacBook Air and simultaneously writing it to another drive. Up to six devices can be connected over Thunderbolt (using an external hub) simultaneously.

Thunderbolt 2 will be of particular importance to business that use external storage for large files, such as media companies and firms with reams of data on external hard disc that needs to be sifted through at high speed.

Elsewhere, you still get 802.11ac wi-fi connectivity, great for connecting to the latest networks with better coverage and higher speeds than 802.11n. There's no gigabit ethernet connector but you can buy a Thunderbolt to gigabit ethernet connector direct from Apple for 29, or a bit cheaper elsewhere on the web.

Screen

We were disappointed to see that Apple hasn't boosted the resolution of the Air's 13.3in screen. The 1,440 x 900-pixel resolution is still perfectly usable and items on screen look reasonably sharp. But they lack the detail and crispness you get on higher quality displays such as those in use on the MacBook Pro and Dell XPS 13.

Colour coverage remains an issue, with just 70% of the sRGB gamut served by the TFT panel. This lack of colour performance is offset slightly by a very bright backlight and matt screen that makes this laptop suitable for use outside and in bright office conditions. Viewing angles are sub-par, though, particularly when adjusting the screen vertically. It would have been nice to have a higher quality or higher resolution panel in the Air, and at this price it's starting to look a little bit lacklustre.

Performance, storage and battery life

As you might expect from what is now effectively the entry-level device for the MacBook range, the Air doesn't have the top-of-the-line specifications featured in the MacBook Pro or new MacBooks. For example, it still has a fifth-generation 'Broadwell' line dual-core Intel Core i5-5250U chip, whereas the newer notebooks have Intel's seventh-generation 'Kaby Lake' CPUs. You can upgrade the Core i5 chip to a Core i7, though.

It runs at a base clock speed of 1.8GHz up from 2015's 1.6GHz and you can also use Turbo Boost, a new feature from Apple that effectively allows you to overclock the processor while still running at a safe temperature. The device comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB or 256GB storage as standard. If you need an extra oomph, though and you have 150 going spare you can upgrade this to 512GB.

Operating system

At the time of writing, the 13in MacBook Air runs macOS Sierra out of the box. This is likely to change towards the end of September, however, when Apple finally releases macOS High Sierra.

High Sierra was demoed at WWDC 2017 but is still currently in beta testing. You can read more about what to expect from the new operating system here, but for the time being, let's dig into macOS Sierra.

Sierra was released in June 2016, with Apple ditching the 'OS X' moniker at the same time. It brought Siri, Apple's virtual assistant, into the dock and allowed the software to perform complex file queries in natural language.

You can also use your Apple Watch (assuming you have one) to unlock your computer and there's also support for Apple Pay as well as a Universal Clipboard function, which works across Apple devices.

For full details of macOS Sierra's specs, click here.

Conclusions

The 2017 upgrades to the MacBook Air are minor, so if you're looking for Apple to completely overhaul this device you may be a little disappointed. While the rest of the recipe is great, we're still underwhelmed by the screen and it's an area that could definitely do with a bit of attention.

This is concerning since the MacBook Pro continues to improve: the cheapest model with a Retina Display is 1,249 and has a more powerful processor. This may push some buyers to go for the Pro, although it is 300g heavier than the Air and the battery life is slightly shorter.

Update: Apple also boosted the 13in Air configuration to 8GB of RAM as standard. This is a very welcome, although long overdue, addition. It is enough to keep the Air ticking over, but we would love to see a bigger update with new Skylake processors, Thunderbolt 3 and a higher quality screen.

Verdict

Performance and storage upgrades keep the already superb MacBook Air ticking over, but the iffy quality screen is starting to hold it back

Processor: Intel Core i5-5250U 1.6GHZ

GPU: Intel HD Graphics 6000

Memory: 8GB LPDDR3 SDRAM

Storage: 256GB SSD

Connectivity: Dual-band 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0

Ports: 2 x USB 3, Thunderbolt, SDXC Card slot, 3.5mm headset jack

Dimensions: (WxDxH): 325mm x 227mm x 170mm

Weight: 1.35kg

Apple unveiled its thirteenth major desktop operating system, Sierra, at WWDC in June 2016, surprising some by ditching the OS X naming convention in favour of a return to Mac OS, or, rather macOS as it is now.

The OS was made generally available as a free upgrade in September 2016.

Here you can find out everything you need to know about the new operating system and its latest updates.

macOS Sierra: latest news

23/03/2017: Night Shift mode has made in appearance on Macs in macOS Sierra 10.12.4 beta 8, which has started rolling out to developers and public beta users.

Night Shift mode, which first appeared on iOS 9.3 reduces the blue light coming from Macs, which means your sleep will hopefully not be disturbed by the blue spectrums radiating from your device.

"Night Shift adjusts the color of your display after sunset," Apple's Night Shift blurb explained. "Many studies show that exposure to bright-blue light in the evening can affect your circadian rhythms and make it harder to fall asleep. After sunset, Night Shift will shift your display colors to the warmer end of the spectrum, making the display easier on your eyes. In the morning, your display returns to its regular settings."

Those testing out Apple's newest OS can enable Night Shift mode by heading to the Display settings from Preferences. If you don't want to enable it forevermore, but just for the time being, you can do this from the Notifications Centre or Siri.

Other new features in the beta include updates to Siri, with a wider range of sports updates such as Indian Premier League or the International Cricket Council.

MacRumors also revealed Apple has released new languages to its dictation tool, better support for PDFs with its PDFKit API and iCloud Analytics options.

macOS Sierra: name

It was widely rumoured beforehand, and those rumours proved accurate - Apple has changed the naming convention of its desktop operating system. Ditching the 'OS X' label, the company has instead reverted back to the name used in its first products: macOS.

This brings the desktop software back into line with the rest of Apple's 'xOS' family, such as iOS, tvOS and watchOS. However, Apple is still naming the different iterations after areas of California, with the first edition of the new macOS labelled 'macOS Sierra'.

macOS Sierra: features

MacOS Sierra introduces a raft of new features for desktop users, including new functionality through Siri. Apple's virtual assistant now lives in an icon in the app dock and can also be launched via keyboard shortcut.

As expected, Siri can perform all the functions available to iOS users, such as web searching and messaging. This will also include any functionality introduced by developers making use of the new open Siri SDK.

In addition, users can take advantage of Siri to perform complex file queries, including multiple criteria, all using conversational language.

There are also numerous productivity features introduced in macOS Sierra too. Macs now support automatic unlocking, using your Apple Watch to verify your identity and unlock your Mac.

The Universal Clipboard function is cross-device compatible, meaning that users can access data they've copied on any of their Apple devices. iCloud Drive also lets users access all their files from any of their Mac devices, including files stored on the desktop.

Optimised storage allows users to free up space on a hard drive by moving older or less used files to iCloud.

The OS also supports Apple Pay, although you will need to have a paired iPhone or Apple Watch to actually authorise the payment. Apple Pay buttons will appear on supported sites and will prompt you to authorise purchases by scanning your fingerprint on your connected device, or on the touchbar of the new MacBook Pro.

There is also a picture-in-picture mode that will display a small window running a video that stays on top of the screen and is open at all times. Picture-in-picture works with web vide and Apple will provide an API to developers to make this feature available to visitors.

Finally, third-party apps and programs will now support browser-style tabs, allowing you to group multiple instances of the same program into one window.

macOS Sierra: price & release date

For the past several years, the latest version of Mac OS X has been available as a free upgrade to users of the previous version of the operating system and the latest macOS release isn't any different.

MacOS Sierra arrived to Apple users on 20 September 2016. Prior to this, Apple released a public beta available to anyone on 7 July. The golden master version for developers - approximately the same OS that released on 20 September, was released on 9 September.

macOS Sierra: previous news

17/02/2017: Microsoft has added support for the MacBook Pro's Touch Bar to its Office for Mac software, allowing users to take advantage of touch-based shortcuts.

In Word, the Touch Bar hosts a variety of shortcuts, including the ability to change paragraph and text formatting, insert objects and hyperlinks, and copy and paste. It can also launch 'Word Focus Mode', a new mode that makes your document full-screen and removes all ribbons and toolbars.

In Excel, users can access the most recently used functions via the Touch Bar, as well as borders, cell colours and recommended charts, for easy formatting and layout.

The new shortcuts for PowerPoint users are built predominantly around managing the graphical elements of a presentation, including the ability to reorder and rotate objects. When in presentation mode, the Touch Bar can also be used to control your slides, and features a timer to make sure you stay on schedule.

Finally, Outlook has been updated to feature the most frequently-used email and calendar commands. Not only that, but it will also display a list of recent documents when composing an email, allowing you to include them as an attachment or link. The Touch Bar will display your daily schedule too, from where you can join a Skype for Business meeting.

The update adds a greater level of business functionality to the Touch Bar, increasing the utility of a feature that was initially in danger of being little more than a gimmick.

21/09/2016: MacOS Sierra is finally available to Mac users via the Mac App Store.

The update brings with it a slew of iOS-like features. Among the highlights are Auto Unlock with Apple Watch, Universal Clipboard, Desktop and Documents Sync, Picture in Picture mode, a customised version of Siri (voice assistant) for Mac and many others.

The update also brings Apple Pay to the Mac. You will still need an iPhone or iPad with Touch ID to complete a transaction but it now means that websites can offer the payment method for online shopping via the Safari browser.

The Photos app also gets new search and highlights options to match updates in iOS 10. iMessage on the Mac also gets larger emojis and web page previews.

The latest version of Apple's desktop operating system is the firm's first rebrand of operating system since Mac OS 9.

The following Macs will be able to download and install MacOS Sierra: MacBook (late 2009 and later), iMac (late 2009 and later), MacBook Air (2010 and later), MacBook Pro (2010 and later), Mac Mini (2010 and later) and Mac Pro (2010 and later).

The update is available from the Mac App Store.

Apple is expected to hold its next Special Event on 7 September, with the launch of the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, Apple Watch 2, new MacPro, new iPod Touch, MacMini and new MacBook all possibly making an appearance.

Here we round up all the latest news and rumours about Apple's 7 September Special Event. Be sure to come back from 5.30pm UK time, when we will be running a live blog of the main announcements right here.

Please manually refresh this page for the latest on our live blog of Apple's Special Event

Apple September Event at a glance

• The Apple event starts tonight, 7 September, at 6.00pm UK time
• iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch 2 all expected to launch
• iOS 10, macOS Sierra and WatchOS3 all expected to release
• Live blog available here from 5.30pm with all the news from the event

Apple Special Event live blog

20:20: That's all, folks

So just to wrap up - we have two new iPhones, the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, boasting battery, camera and memory upgrades.

We also have an Apple Watch 2 that will soon have Pokmon Go and Super Mario Run to play on it.

The devices will use iOS 10 and WatchOS 3respectively - check out our hubs in these links to get more details on each of these!

Thanks for staying with us, and enjoy the rest of your day!

20:00:iPhone 7 price and release date

Here it is, what we've all been waiting for - how much is it and when can we buy it? First of all, both the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are available in three sizes - 32GB, 128GB and 256GB.

Both models are available for pre-order from 9 September, and widely available from 16 September in the below countries (UK and US included):

The 7 and 7 Plus are available in Silver, Gold, Rose Gold, Black and Jet Black. The US price for the 7 is $649, and the 7 Plus will cost $769.

In the UK, the iPhone 7 will cost 599, and the 7 Plus will cost 719. So far both Vodafone and Three have confirmed they can offer the flagship iPhones.

19:53: Battery specs

The iPhone 7's new battery stats aren't bad at all, but the 7 Plus's are better. At 60 hours, it's the longest battery life ever on an iPhone, the tech giant boasts. We'll have to put those claims to the test in our review, of course, but that's two more hours than the 6s and one hour more than the 6s Plus.

19:50: iPhone 7's revolutionary A10 chip

The iPhone is running on a new A10 chip, which Apple claims is 40% faster than the 6s's A9 processor, boasting four cores and 3.3 billion transistors. It's also twice as fast as the A8.

19:31: iPhone AirPods and EarPods: Apple confirms it's killed the headphone jack

Apple finally comes clean and confesses it's done away with the beloved headphone jack. It's gone, wave goodbye.

It's replacing the jack - as expected - with the Lightning port, and will ship Lightning EarPods with every copy of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. For people who have headphones they love, don't worry - Apple will also ship an adaptor that will connect your headphones to the Lightning Port.

However, you can also use Apple's AirPods to listen to your music wirelessly. These headphones run on a new W1 chip that uses infra-red to detect when they are in your ears, and will only play when they're snug inside your lugs.

You can also access Siri with a quick double tap on the AirPods - something very reminiscent of AI movie Her.

19:25:iPhone 7 and 7 Plus display

Apple show us the iPhone 7's display - it's 25% brighter than the 6s, rendering it to a "cinema standard" of quality. It also boasts 3D Touch, which has surpassed the Force Touch technology on previous models.

With 3D Touch, the iPhone 7 can register a wider range of pressure, and Apple says iOS 10 will introduce new features (and, most likely, apps) that take advantage of this improved sensor.

19:15:The iPhone 7's camera looks fantastic - really impressive. Apple reckons it has three-times longer exposure, and the lens receives 50% more light onto the sensor. Its high speed, 12 megapixel sensor is 60% faster than the 6s's, too.

The camera's brains is an image signal processor, which identifies people and objects in a photo (relying on machine learning to do so), sets the white balance and also records wide colour - meaning the range of colours it can replicate is much vaster.

Onto the iPhone 7 Plus's camera: It actually has two. One is a wide-angle megapixel camera, and the other a telephoto megapixel camera. This means the 7 Plus can zoom up to 10x and still retain a high level of focus and image quality.

19:05: It's time for the iPhone 7! Here's what it looks like:

Importantly, designer Jony Ive confirms the antenna bands on the phone are now hidden within the casing, effectively making them disappear - this will be very popular.

Apple also introduces two new colours - Jet Black and Black - and the new model is now water and dust resistant.

Taptic engine

Apple's taptic engine is more responsive than ever, distinguishing between various notifications to vibrate differently:

18:54:It's confirmed - Apple Watch 2 is available for pre-orders from 9 September. It'll hit the shops on 16 September. Watch OS3, its operating system, is available from 13 September for download. A special Nike version of the Watch 2 will come out in October.

18:42:Now to the Apple Watch 2 - Apple's confirmed the device has built-in GPS, meaning you can go for a run without taking your iPhone. This is a big feature that should make the Watch 2 much more attractive as a sports wearable.

A new app, ViewRanger, will be the first app (for hiking) to take advantage of the GPS.

Onto ranges - the Watch 2 comes in aluminium, stainless steel, and erm, ceramic. This is what it looks like.

The others are a bit more normal:

18:39:The Watch version one was splash proof, but the new one is swim-proof - Apple's tested Watches by attaching them to a revolving arm that simulates strokes for hours every day, and says they still work just fine. Mind you, you might not want to put that to the test after you've coughed up a few hundred quid for a Watch 2.

Watch 2's display is twice as bright as any previous display, Apple also claims.

18:22: Now Apple's talking about the Apple Watch. It's the top selling smartwatch, and the second-best selling watch, after Rolex, Cook boasts.

But watchOS 3 is really impressive - your favourite apps launch instantly, you can add them to the Dock, and even just swipe to change your Watch face. You can jot custom replies with Scribble and a Breathe app reminds you daily about deep breathing exercises.

But the big news is that Pokmon Go is available on the Apple Watch! It'll be available before the end of 2016. Here's what it looks like:

Interestingly, Go developer Niantic's CEO, John Hanke, comes on stage and refers to Pokmon Go Plus, a "heads-up display" that helps you see Pokmon in front of you - rather than staring at your iPhone. That's all the detail we have on that for now, though.

18:06:Tim Cook starts the Special Event by doing carpool karaoke with James Corden. Yes, you read that right. Here's them in action:

Now Tim Cook's on stage with an update about Apple Music - it now has 17 million subscribers.

Another update on the App Store, Cook says it's changed software and our lives, but momentum now has never been greater, with 140 billion apps now downloaded. "In the last two months we've seen growth rates of over 100% year-on-year," boasts Cook. It's also garnered twice the revenue of its closest competitor, and 500,000 gaming apps (pictured).

But the biggest early news is... Mario is coming to iOS! Super Mario Run is in action below, and will come out in time for Christmas 2016.

17:50:But what else can we look forward to?

Picture courtesy of sister site Alphr

Well, quite a few things, actually. The Apple Watch 2 is heavily rumoured to get an airing tonight, and promises some major upgrades on the first model.

For one thing, it could have its own GPS system, meaning you won't need to tie it to your iPhone anymore. It should also come with a boosted battery life too, making it a much more independent device than its predecessor.

There's also iOS 10. The latest mobile operating system will run on the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, and one major advantage of this is it's not susceptible to the devastating hack discovered earlier this month, where cybercriminals can spy on all your messages. Apple's already patched the issue, but not everyone downloaded the fix. With iOS 10, you won't need to.

Here's what else the team at IT Pro would like to see Apple announce tonight, but stay tuned and refresh this page every 10 minutes to find out all the latest coming from the tech giant's San Francisco event.

We're now just 10 minutes away from the start...

17:30:Welcome to our Apple Special Event live blog!

It promises to be quite a show tonight. Thanks to Apple's Hong Kong store accidentally listing them on its website, we know for certain the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will make an appearance this evening.

The big question is will the new flagship iPhone be good enough to turn around Apple's fortunes?

The tech giant has come under plenty of pressure recently, battling a 13 billion tax bill in Ireland, but also combatting falling revenues and profits.

After record success thanks to the iPhone 6, Apple has been on a downward slope. Analysts call it peak iPhone', where the device has reached saturation point, and new versions don't improve enough on their predecessors to warrant an upgrade, leading to a 27% dent in profits.

However, it could all change with the iPhone 7. One survey suggests half of iPhone owners plan to upgrade to the new smartphone, and Apple will certainly look to capitalise on Samsung's disastrous Note 7 release, with reports of the device exploding forcing Apple's rival to officially recall and exchange devices.

07/09/2016:Apple has just given the game away about the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus in the most embarrassing way possible.

Reddit user Jasper Greenham spotted both the 7 and 7 Plus online in Apple's Hong Kong store today, virtually confirming their appearance at tonight's Special Event.

Greenham's screenshot, below, also confirmed that the headphone jack on both devices is definitely dead.

As has been much-rumoured ahead of the iPhone 7's launch, neither of the latest devices will feature a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Instead, the store shows a variety of headphones you can buy for the iPhone, and lists the connection types as Bluetooth, wireless, and AirPlay only.

The iPhone 7 is expected to launch this Friday after its official unveiling this evening, in storage versions of 32GB, 128GB and 256GB.

When is the Apple Special Event?

Apple has confirmed its 2016 Special Event will be taking place on 7 September. In past years, the Special Event keynote has been used to launch the lates flagship iPhone, which this year is expected to be the iPhone 7. It has also previously featured the launch of the new Apple Watch, new MacBook and new iPads.

Reliable leaker Evan Blass has stated the iPhone 7, which is widely expected to be the flagship launch of the autumn event, will be on sale in shops on 16 September, one week after the 7 September Special Event.

This would more or less fit in with the known timeline now that the date of the Special Event has been confirmed. Typically, Apple's launch event for the new iPhone has occured one week before the device becomes available for pre-order and about two weeks before it hits the shelves.

If Blass's information is correct, this would mean Apple has condensed its timetable by a week or more. Alternatively, his source is mistaken and it is preorders that will open on 16 September, rather than general retail sales.

How to watch the Apple Special Event

Apple likes people who like Apple, which is why its live streams have always been largely focused on adressing those who have already bought into the brand. Historically, only Apple device users have been able to watch the live stream, but this year Windows 10 users can watch it too. Here's all the different ways you can watch:

How to watch the Apple Event on a laptop or desktop PC

If you have an iMac or a MacBook, you can watch the event live by following this link to Apple's dedicated page, but you must be using the computer's built-in Safari browser. Other browsers will not work.

On Windows 10 laptops and PCs, you can follow the same link and watch live, but you must be using the built in Edge browser. Once again, other browsers will not work.

How to watch the Apple Event on a smartphone or tablet

If you have an iPhone, iPad or, indeed, iPod running iOS 7 or higher, you can watch the live stream on Safari by following this link.

Unfortunately, there's no way for Android devices (or any other non-iOS device for that matter) to access the live stream.

How to watch the Apple Event on TV

If you have an Apple TV, you can watch Cook and Co's presentations on the big screen. Make sure your Apple TV is on TVOS 6.2 or newer (fourth generation Apple TVs will work automatically) and navigate to the "Apple Events" icon on the home screen. Please note that the icon may not show up until later this evening, closer to the 6.00pm start time.

If you can't do any of the above, don't fret!IT Pro's deputy editor, Joe Curtis, will be on hand right here with a live blog of all the evening's key announcements, while features editor Jane McCallion will be live tweetingtoo. Be sure to tune in from 5.30pm tonight!

Apple September Special Event: iPhone 7

The iPhone 7 launch is the most likely thing to happen at the Special Event. This year, there could be up to three handsets launched, although the smart money seems to be on two for now, with more colour options available and all of them featuring a more powerful camera.

Aside from tradition, another indicator that the iPhone 7 will be coming this September is the beta release of iOS 10, with the general release promised in autumn this year. Typically the new version of the mobile operating system is released alongside - and preloaded on - the next generation iPhone.

Click here to visit our dedicated iPhone 7 page.

Apple September Special Event: Apple Watch 2

The Apple Watch 2 is also expected to launch at the special event, with up to five versions going on sale.

While the release of the original Apple Watch took place in April 2015, the latest release of a new model - the Apple Watch Herms - took place in September 2015, with only new bands having made an appearance so far this year, in March, at the same time as the iPhone SE was revealed.

Another indicator that Apple Watch 2 will launch at the Special Event is the arrival of watchOS 3 at WWDC in June, which is currently in private beta, with Apple saying it will become generally available in the autumn. This is normally the pattern for iOS and iPhone as well, with the OS becoming available as a beta at WWDC and general release coming alongside the release of the flagship phone (see above).

The final hint that the Apple Watch 2 may make an appearance is the event invitation itself, which could be interpreted as being made up of several of the Apple Watch's circular home screen icons (at least that's what some of us atIT Pro see...)

Click here to visit our dedicated Apple Watch 2 page

Apple September Special Event: iMacs and MacPro

There hasn't been a new version of the powerful Mac Pro, Apple's cylindrical stand-alone computer, since it launched in December 2013 - more than 900 days ago. This is double the average period between refreshes, according to MacRumors - 449 days - although this has been steadily lengthening over time. While this isn't bulletproof evidence of a new Mac Pro being released this year, it has almost got to a now-or-never stage.

Apple September Special Event: MacBooks

There are two devices that can be ruled out almost immediately with regard to this year's potential new Apple laptops: the MacBook and the MacBook Air.

The reason we doubt there will be a new MacBook at the September event is that the latest refresh only occurred in April this year, making the earliest date Apple is likely to release a third generation device April 2017.

As for the MacBook Air, its standout feature - the fact it weighs so little - has been surpassed by the MacBook, which weighs 0.92kg compared to the smallest Air, which weighs 1.08kg. Therefore, while nothing official has been said, we suspect the MacBook Air has, in fact, been retired.

The MacBook Pro, however, is due for an update, so, unlike the other two, may make an appearance in September.

Apple September Special Event: iPads and iPods

When it comes to iPads, there's one perennial question - will the iPad Air 3 ever make an appearance? Or has it been superseded by the iPad Pro?

While you can never say never, it does seem likely that the latter is correct. While the original 12.9in iPad Pro was significantly heavier (and generally bigger) than the iPad Air 2, the 9.7in iPad Pro has exactly the same dimensions and weight.

As for the iPad Mini, it normally receives some kind of refresh each autumn, so it is possible an iPad Mini 5 may arrive at the September Special Event, as may a new iPod Touch, which has an annual autumn refresh too.