Update 08/06/2020: After the startup Owl Cameras Inc. shut down abruptly, users were stuck with expensive dash cams and no support. But there's hope! Xirgo Technologies, the company that acquired Owl Cameras Inc.'s intellectual property, has partnered with CallPass to take over the consumer service. Read more about the rehatching of Owlcam, and stay tuned for a review of the new product promised for later this year. 

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Longtime Mac users will remember that the Mac used to “chime” when you powered it up. Apple removed the chime in 2016, but with macOS 10.15 Catalina, users could reinstate the chime through a command in the Terminal.

The chime is back by default in macOS 11 Big Sur. In the short video clip below, you can hear what the chime sounds like on my (beat-up) 2014 MacBook Pro running the Big Sur beta.

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At the WWDC20 keynote, Apple took the wraps off of macOS Big Sur, the next version of the Macintosh operating system. Big Sur will replace macOS 10.15 Catalina this fall.

Big Sur is a major upgrade with several features that users can take advantage of. Here are the features that Apple highlighted during its WWDC20 keynote presentation. We’ll follow up with more details on these features as they are revealed.

The latest: Public beta now available 

Apple now has a public beta of macOS Big Sur available for download. If you're interested in trying out the next major revision to the Mac operating system, you need to join Apple's Beta Software Program. Get the details.

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We’ve told you about the many big changes and new features in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, including an awesome new redesign of the home screen with Widgets and the App Library. For the last several years, Apple has made its operating systems available in a public beta, so you can kick the tires and help find bugs before its release in the fall.

If you’re interested in running the iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 public beta, here’s how you get it.

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As expected, Apple announced the next major revision to its phone operating system at its WWDC 2020 virtual developer conference. And as usual, the new iOS is full of features big and small. 

This story will be periodically updated, and we will break down everything you need to know about iOS 14: the significant features and changes, the beta test, the release date, and how to install the beta. Here is what awaits you when you update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS this fall.

Update 08/06/20: Apple has released Beta 4 of iOS 14 to public beta testers. It adds a TV app widget, support for the contact tracing API, improved on-device search, and restores 3D touch.

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The next version of the Mac operating system, macOS 11 Big Sur, will be officially released this fall. But you can install and run Big Sur now by joining Apple’s Public Beta program.

Interested? Here’s what you need to know about the Public Beta.

Sign up for the program and install the macOS Big Sur Public Beta

Before you can install the new operating system, you must be enrolled in the Public Beta program. You can do this through Apple’s Public Beta program website. In the Get Started section of the website, click on the “enroll your Mac” link.

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Whenever Samsung launches a new phone, Apple fans tend to notice. It’s not just that Samsung is one of the biggest Android phone makers or even that its designs tend to be among the closest to Apple’s, it’s that Samsung’s flagship Galaxy phones are really, really good. They have the latest processors, displays, and cameras, and the innovative trends that we see in the latest Galaxy S or Note phone generally make their way to the iPhone.

So it is only natural to compare them. The Galaxy Note 20 that was revealed earlier this week costs the same as the iPhone 11 Pro (a dollar more, to be exact), so you’d think it would trounce it, right? Not so much. Samsung has cut corners and sacrificed features to keep the Note 20 “affordable” compared to the $1,299 Galaxy Note S20 Ultra, so even an 11-month-old iPhone can hold its own. But which one should an unbiased consumer buy?

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When you first upgrade to iOS 14, either in beta or when it releases in the fall, you’ll be treated to some big obvious improvements. The new, more customizable home screen with widgets and the App Library will make an immediate difference in how you use your iPhone. You’ll discover the usefulness of picture-in-picture video right away.

But some of iOS 14’s best features aren’t the ones Apple pops up tutorial cards for; they’re buried layers deep in Settings or hidden behind interface actions you don’t make every day. Some of the best stuff in iOS 14 you wouldn’t know about if someone didn’t point it out.

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Sabrent’s new $70 HB-SIMC Thunderbolt 3 port hub alleviates a frustration that hits every iMac owner now and again: the lack of easily accessible ports. Don’t get me wrong, I—and just about everyone else I know—love the uncluttered styling and elegant long-term cabling solution iMacs provide.

But geez, Louise, feeling around for a free USB port just to plug in a thumb drive can get old after a while. Especially if you do it a lot. Of course, you can always use standard docks, hubs, extension cables, but then it’s generally bye-bye clean and uncluttered. To the rescue...

Design and features

Sabrent’s Multi-Port USB Type-C Hub with Front Access USB Ports marries to a Thunderbolt 3 port on the back of the iMac, with the body of the port hub flush with the face and bottom of the iMac.

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Every day, Macworld brings you the essential daily news and other info about all things Apple. But staying on top of that torrent of information can be a constant challenge. One solution: the Macworld digital magazine. 

In the August issue

The August issue is all about WWDC, from our 15-page preview of iOS 14 to the top 5 features of macOS Big Sur. We have all the details. Plus, see the features in iOS 14 that were heavily inspired by Android.

Also in this month’s issue:

• MacUser: Why you shouldn't buy a new Mac right now. Plus, Apple updates 16-inch MacBook Pro graphics with AMD Radeon Pro 5600M GPU with integrated HBM2 memory

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The whole system of web browsing and web servers was designed to be “stateless”: each page load is disconnected from each other. Cookies were invented in the very early days to serve as a kind of breadcrumb (or cookie crumb). When you log in to a website, the primary method of preserving state—of keeping an active session in which you’re remembered from page to page—is dropping a cookie to your browser that your browser in turn sends back every time it requests a page. Thus is the web crudely knit together. (With web apps, even though you’re on what appears to be a single page, all the behind-the-scenes interaction still sends cookies.)

One Macworld reader finds themselves constantly prompted in Safari to log in again when they visit any site, and they’re unclear why. I suspect an excess of privacy—or maybe just the right amount—is bedeviling them. One of the following scenarios is likely.

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With Tuesday’s announcement of the new 27-inch iMac, Apple seems to be clearing out some of the final major Intel Mac releases in its product pipeline.

The big question is, what’s next for the iMac? While this new revision makes the current iMac a bit faster and a bit nicer, it’s a fairly modest upgrade. With the move to Apple silicon on the horizon, it’s worth pondering where the iMac goes from here—and how soon we might see truly big changes when it comes to Apple’s most popular desktop computer.

Big iMac: Resetting the clock

The 27-inch iMac’s update this week has bought Apple some time. With this update, it feels like Apple could wait somewhere between 12 and 18 months before needing to update the larger of the two iMac models.

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After more than 30 years at Apple, Phil Schiller is transitioning his role from Senior VP of Worldwide Marketing to Apple Fellow. Greg Joswiak will be promoted to fill that position.

Phil Schiller has been a mainstay of Apple events for as long as anyone can remember. Apple’s press release quotes him as saying: “I first started at Apple when I was 27, this year I turned 60 and it is time for some planned changes in my life. I’ll keep working here as long as they will have me, I bleed six colors, but I also want to make some time in the years ahead for my family, friends, and a few personal projects I care deeply about.”

Schiller’s words make it sound as though he is getting ready to retire, or at least “semi-retire,” and is transitioning away from most of his duties at Apple. While Apple is framing Schiller’s new role as an advancement—and indeed he will attain a position of high esteem within the company—it is a clear reduction in his role and influence. Schiller will continue to report directly to Tim Cook, and will continue to lead the App Store and Apple Events.

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If you’ve been holding out for a brand new 27-inch iMac, the big day has arrived. While you’ll need to wait a little longer for that rumored Pro Display XDR-inspired redesign and Apple silicon inside, Apple has announced a “major update” to the 27-inch iMac, and it is more than just a summer speed bump. It changes just about everything about Apple’s all-in-one desktop computer and brings several compelling reasons to upgrade. Here are five reasons why you might want to take the plunge now and delay a switch to Apple silicon.

They’re crazy fast

The iMac has always been underrated for its speed, but the latest update brings a major boost over the previous model. The Intel 8th-gen processors have been replaced with 10th-gen chips that max out at an insane 10-core 3.6GHz Core i9 processor with Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz, and the graphics have been boosted from the Radeon Pro 570X and 580X to the Radeon Pro 5300, 5500XT, and 5700 XT with up to 16GB of memory. Simply put, this machine will get you through the transition and then some, and it’s hard to imagine the first batch of Apple’s own chips being much faster.

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The iMac is a direct descendant of the very first Mac, and it’s often the computer that longtime users think about when they think about the Macintosh. The iMac’s all-in-one design is popular and iconic.

The iMac is great for both novices and demanding users. It can handle general-purpose and heavy-duty tasks equally well. It’s ideal for someone who needs to buy a complete computer setup (keyboard, mouse or trackpad, and display) and wants to maximize workspace efficiency.

If you’re in the market for an iMac, this guide will help you make the right choice. Apple has three versions of the iMac: the standard iMac, the iMac with Retina display, and the iMac Pro.

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The iPhone SE might be Apple's unexpected hit of 2020, but there's a new competitor in town: the Google Pixel 4a. But Google’s newest mid-range handset is going to need a lot more than a low price to take on Apple’s mighty budget blockbuster. Here’s how the two phones measure up.

Google Pixel 4a vs iPhone SE: Design

I never thought I’d see the day when Google designs a nicer phone than Apple, but it is hard to deny the Pixel 4a’s good looks. It has relatively slim and uniform bezels all around thanks to its hole-punch camera, an extremely compact and light frame, and a classy all-black exterior. Even with a far-bigger display, the Pixel 4a has very similar dimensions and weight as the SE:

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Apple announced stellar results last week, setting a new record for the quarter amid a global pandemic. This is great news for the company and sent its stock soaring again. Apple has now even passed Saudi Aramco to become the world’s most valuable company.

By all measures, Apple looks practically unstoppable. In fact, that’s one of the things the Macalope covers because many pundits inexplicably still like to think of the company as being as “beleaguered” as it was in the mid-1990s.

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Among the TV shows, magazines, and games services unveiled at Apple’s “Show time” event was a surprise entry into a category that couldn’t be further outside Apple’s wheelhouse: a credit card. Dubbed Apple Card, it’s not a traditional plastic credit card that gives you points on things you buy. Rather, it’s a whole new way to shop online and offline. Here’s everything you need to know about it.

Updated 08/03/20: Panera Bread has announced that it now offers 3% cash back with Apple Card purchases, either in-restaurant or online.

Apple finally launches a website for Apple Card management

Apple Card customers can head to card.apple.com and log in with their Apple ID to view their balance and terms, download past statements in PDF format, and change their payment schedule and associated bank accounts. Get the details.

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Apple is planting its own flag in the streaming wars with Apple TV+, its in-house streaming service that focuses almost entirely on original programming rather than an extensive library of existing TV shows or movies.

Though the service has been available less than a year and and doesn’t yet have a lot of shows or films available, there’s a lot in the works. This is a list of all the Apple TV+ content we know of so far, along with details about prominent stars, directors, producers, and release dates.

Updated 08/03/20: Apple has unveiled a new unscripted series Long Way Up, wherein Ewan McGregor and friend Charlie Boorman ride electric Harley-Davidson Livewire motorcycles around the world.

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If there’s a segment of Apple’s business that seems to fly in the face of the company’s philosophy—not just in terms of making a product that is substandard or lackluster—but in terms of actually being at odds with the way it otherwise does business, you couldn't put forth a more prominent example than the App Store.

The discussion, always at a constant simmer in the Apple community, bubbled up once again last week even as Apple CEO Tim Cook was grilled by lawmakers over antitrust concerns. Developers, regularly dissatisfied with the company’s lack of transparency and equality over rules, took the opportunity to renew criticism of not only that, but the hefty 30-percent cut of proceeds.

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I have two desktop Mac setups, one at home and one at the Macworld office (ah, going to the office, those were the days). Both those setups have Logitech mice. My work setup has the Performance Mouse MX that I’ve been using for over ten(!) years. At home, I have the original MX Master, which I’ve been using for four years. Suffice to say, I love these mice. They have a similar design that fits my hand beautifully, they feel great and are highly functional.

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Apple today announced a major change to its gift card offerings. Instead of separate cards for iTunes and Apple Store purchase, Apple is now selling a single car for “everything Apple” that can be used online and in stores to purchase “products, accessories, apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, iCloud, and more.”

While the new cards will make it easier to buy things, they could also mean the end of the standard iTunes gift card deals that regularly pop up. Best Buy, PayPal, and others often offer 15- or 20-percent off $50 or $100 cards, but those deals rarely surface for Apple Store cards. It’s unclear when or if these new cards will make their way to retailers.

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