Improve Privacy by Removing Metadata from Office Documents and PDFs

When we share data with others, we do so intentionally—a law firm sending a client legal documents, for instance. But those documents shouldn’t include ancillary information that might reveal other, more sensitive details. Because all digital files contain metadata—additional information about the file or its contents—it’s worth knowing what you could share inadvertently and learning how to avoid doing so. 

Much metadata is innocuous, like file type and file size. However, some common file types contain additional metadata that can reveal information that you might not want to share. In this situation, the most common file types are Microsoft Office documents and PDF files. Let’s look at each and how you can see what metadata is there and remove it before sharing.

Cleaning Metadata from Microsoft Office Documents

Metadata that you might want to remove from Microsoft Office documents falls into two broad categories: reviewer information, like comments and tracked changes, and document properties.

The first thing to do when removing metadata is to use File > Save As to make a copy of your file and work on the copy. This automatically removes or resets some metadata and allows you to delete other metadata without worrying about losing it from your original.

If you use change tracking in Word or comments in any Office app, you may want to remove those before sharing a document to prevent recipients from seeing internal conversations or information about who worked on the document.

To remove change tracking and comments in Word, click Review in the toolbar. Next, click the arrow next to the Delete button in the comments section and choose Delete All Comments in Document. Finally, click the arrow next to Accept in the change tracking section and choose Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking. Browse through the document to make sure accepting all changes didn’t do something unexpected, and then save.

Excel and PowerPoint lack change tracking but let you add comments. Like Word, PowerPoint’s Review toolbar offers a similar menu associated with the Delete button; choose Delete All Comments in Presentation to clear the comments. In Excel, switch to the Review toolbar, choose Edit > Select All (comments can be deleted only from selected cells), and click the Delete button in the toolbar.

To see what metadata is in the document properties of a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint document, choose File > Properties, and look in the Summary, Statistics, and Custom tabs. Generally speaking, these won’t contain anything damning, but they may reveal information like the names of people associated with the document. Don’t assume there’s no metadata here just because you didn’t add anything manually—document control systems can add metadata you don’t expect.

The three Office apps offer different approaches to removing personal information in the Summary and Custom tabs, and the process is extremely different than in the Windows versions. (For Windows, refer to Microsoft’s instructions.) Here’s how you remove personal information:

• Word: Choose Tools > Protect Document, and in the Password Protect dialog, select “Remove personal information from this file on save.” Save the document, and then go back to File > Properties to make sure it removed everything that concerns you.

• Excel: Choose Excel > Preferences > Security, and select the “Remove personal information from this file on save” checkbox. Then save the document and verify that the desired metadata is gone.

• PowerPoint: PowerPoint appears to lack that checkbox, but you can choose File > Properties and manually delete all the information from the Summary and Custom tabs before saving the document.

Information in the Statistics tab is generally cleared or reset by using File > Save As, so you don’t need to do anything more to clear it.

If you’re truly concerned about not revealing additional information in shared Office documents, think about what might appear in headers and footers, footnotes, text that’s white (and thus invisible), hyperlinks, and macros. Finally, remember that you can hide text in Word, columns and rows in Excel, and slides in PowerPoint—that hidden content may reveal sensitive information if it’s allowed to remain in a shared document. In PowerPoint, you may also want to check for presenter notes you don’t want to share; choose View > Notes.

Cleaning Metadata from PDFs

Another way to remove a great deal of metadata from Office documents is to share a PDF of the document instead. By “printing” to PDF, anything that’s invisible automatically disappears. However, PDFs have their own metadata that you might want to review and remove. How you go about it depends on which apps you have available: Adobe Acrobat Pro or just Apple’s bundled Preview.

First, to view metadata in Acrobat Pro, choose File > Properties and click the Description tab (left). In Preview, choose Tools > Show Inspector and click the leftmost General Info tab (right).

Adobe Acrobat Pro provides several tools for redacting content (replacing it with a black box) and removing hidden content and metadata. To access them, click the Tools tab at the top of the screen and click Redact to display a pair of buttons on the secondary toolbar. Redact Text & Images lets you redact content, but you’ll most likely want to use Sanitize Document, which removes metadata and a boatload of possible hidden data.

It’s easiest to click Remove All, but you might prefer to click Selectively Remove and look at what Acrobat Pro finds before clicking the Remove button in the Hidden Information tab.

For those who rely on Preview for working with PDFs, there’s a simple process for removing metadata and anything else lurking in a PDF that’s good enough for most situations.

Choose File > Print, and then choose Save As PDF from the pop-up PDF menu at the bottom of the Print dialog. This may seem counterintuitive, but as with any other document type, printing in this way creates a PDF that contains only the visible information in the original, ensuring that all hidden data and metadata are removed.

Although all Mac users have Preview, there is another common option for removing metadata from PDFs—online tools. They’re easily found, but we urge caution. If you’re concerned about the recipient of your PDF being able to see metadata or hidden content, why would you trust a free online service with that information? If you want to head down this path, stick with sites headquartered in the European Union, which has stronger privacy regulations than other parts of the world. For instance, Metadata2Go, which displays all the metadata in a file, is in Germany, and Sejda, whose Edit PDF Metadata tool can remove all metadata, is based in the Netherlands.

One last thought. If you’ve gotten to this point and are thinking that you need an enterprise-wide solution to removing metadata, look for services like Adarsus’s MetaClean, which can automatically remove metadata from files sent as email attachments or stored on file servers.

(Featured image by iStock.com/Imilian)

The Hardware You’ll Need to Run Apple’s 2023 Operating Systems

At Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in June, the company unveiled the upcoming versions of its operating systems: macOS 14 Sonoma, iOS 17, iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, and tvOS 17. They won’t be available until September or October of 2023, and even once they ship, we recommend waiting a few weeks before upgrading your smaller Apple devices and holding off on macOS upgrades for a couple of months. 

Regardless, it’s worth considering how these operating systems might impact your plans to buy new hardware in the next six months. Any Apple device you purchase now—or have bought in the last five years—can run the new operating systems. But some devices that can run the current macOS 13 Ventura, iOS 16, and iPadOS 16 won’t be upgradable to their replacements later this year. More importantly, some older devices that can be upgraded won’t support all the new features.

Here’s what you’ll need and compatibility gotchas to keep in mind.

macOS 14 Sonoma

For macOS 14 Sonoma, Apple has dropped support for Mac models released before 2018. That works out to five models across the iMac, MacBook Pro, and MacBook product lines. If you rely on one of those Macs and want to run Sonoma, think about when it would make sense to buy a new Mac, perhaps in early 2024. By then, all new Macs will likely ship with Sonoma. These Macs can run Sonoma:

• iMac: 2018 and later

• iMac Pro: 2017

• MacBook: None

• MacBook Air: 2018 and later

• MacBook Pro: 2018 and later

• Mac mini: 2018 and later

• Mac Pro: 2019 and later

• Mac Studio: 2022 and later

The specific 2017 Mac models that are stuck at Ventura are:

• iMac: 21.5-inch and 27-inch

• MacBook Pro: 13-inch and 15-inch

• MacBook: 12-inch

Unsurprisingly, some new features in Sonoma require sufficient processing power that they work only on Macs with Apple silicon—one of the M1 or M2 chips.

• Game Mode: This special mode automatically gives games top priority on the CPU and GPU, lowering usage for background tasks. It also reduces latency for wireless accessories, like game controllers and AirPods, for improved responsiveness.

• Just “Siri”: Although dropping “Hey” from the “Hey Siri” trigger phrase works on all iPhones with iOS 17 and iPads with iPadOS 17, it requires a Mac with Apple silicon or when using the AirPods Pro (2nd generation).

• Made for iPhone hearing aids: Apple-compatible hearing aids can now be paired directly with Macs, but only those with an M1 Pro, M1 Max, M1 Ultra, or M2. That works out to the MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021), MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021), Mac Studio (2022), and all Macs with the M2.

• Presenter Overlay: You can keep your image visible while sharing your screen on a video call, either in front of the shared screen or in a small movable bubble.

• React with your hands: During video calls, 3D augmented-reality reaction effects like hearts, confetti, and fireworks can be triggered with hand gestures, but only on Macs with Apple silicon or when using Continuity Camera with an iPhone 12 or later.

• Screen Sharing performance improvements: Apple has radically improved the performance of the Screen Sharing app over high-bandwidth connections, but it requires the advanced media engine in Apple silicon.

If you’re unsure which Mac you have, choose About This Mac from the Apple menu.

iOS 17

With iOS 17, Apple has maintained the same cutoff date as Sonoma, supporting all iPhone models released in 2018 and later. That means you’ll be able to run iOS 17 on these iPhones:

•  iPhone 14/Plus/Pro/Pro Max

•  iPhone 13/mini/Pro/Pro Max

•  iPhone 12/mini/Pro/Pro Max

•  iPhone 11/Pro/Pro Max

•  iPhone SE (2nd generation or later)

•  iPhone XR/XS/XS Max

Practically speaking, these iOS 16-compatible devices won’t be able to upgrade to iOS 17:

•  iPhone X

•  iPhone 8/8 Plus

Several new iOS 17 features have more restrictive system requirements.

• Enhanced autocorrect: iOS 17 enhances autocorrect so it works better (and yes, it will let you use curse words), and it temporarily underlines autocorrected words so you can see which ones were changed. It requires an iPhone 12 or later.

• Inline predictions: Similarly, inline predictions of what you’re going to type—so you can just accept the suggestion rather than tapping out all those letters—require an iPhone 12 or later.

• Point and Speak: Those with vision disabilities might appreciate the Point and Speak feature that makes it easier to interact with physical objects that have text labels, but it works only on the Pro models of the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone 14.

• React with your hands: The hand-triggered video call reactions require an iPhone 12 or later.

If you can’t remember which iPhone model you have, go to Settings > General > About and look next to Model Name. This works for the iPad, too.

iPadOS 17

It’s more involved to determine whether your iPad can upgrade to iPadOS 17 because there are four different iPad model types with varying capabilities. These models can run iPadOS 17:

•  iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd–6th generation)

•  iPad Pro 11-inch (1st–3rd generation)

•  iPad Pro 10.5-inch

•  iPad Air (3rd–5th generation)

•  iPad (6th–10th generation)

•  iPad mini (5th & 6th generation)

While that list encompasses a lot of iPads, a simpler way to look at it is that only three iPad models that can run iOS 16 won’t be able to upgrade to iOS 17:

•  iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation)

•  iPad Pro 9.7-inch

•  iPad (5th generation)

Because Apple extended overall iPadOS 17 compatibility somewhat further back than it did with iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma, quite a few iPadOS 17 features work only on select models:

• Back-to-back Siri requests: Although all iPhones will let you issue multiple requests to Siri without reactivating it, on the iPad, the feature works only on an iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), or iPad (8th generation and later).

• Enhanced autocorrect: This improvement to typing requires an iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation and later), iPad (10th generation), iPad Air (4th generation and later), or iPad mini (6th generation).

• External display cameras: If you want to take advantage of an external display’s camera while it’s attached to the iPad, you’ll need an iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later), iPad (10th generation), iPad Air (4th generation and later), or iPad mini (6th genera-tion).

• FaceTime with Apple TV: Using an iPad’s mic and camera for FaceTime on an Apple TV 4K (2nd generation) requires an iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later), iPad (8th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), or iPad mini (5th generation and later).

• Inline predictions: Getting suggestions about what to type next on the iPad requires an iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation and later), iPad (10th generation), iPad Air (4th generation and later), or iPad mini (6th generation).

• PDF AutoFill: iPadOS 17 will use machine learning to analyze PDFs, and if it detects a form, you can fill it out automatically using your contact information. But only if you’re using an iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), or iPad (8th generation and later).

• React with your hands: As with the iPhone and Mac, only some models let you trigger reactions with gestures: the iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation and later), iPad (10th generation), iPad Air (4th generation and later), and iPad mini (6th generation).

• Screen Distance: This health-related feature is supposed to encourage kids to hold the iPad farther away to reduce the likelihood of developing myopia. But how many kids read on an iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later) or iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation and later)?

watchOS 10

The Apple Watch has a simple upgrade story: every model compatible with watchOS 9 can also run watchOS 10. That means everything from the Apple Watch Series 4 up through the Apple Watch Ultra, including the Apple Watch SE. (Look in the Watch app on your iPhone if you can’t remember which model you have.)

Two of the new features promised for watchOS 10 work only on specific models:

• The NameDrop feature that lets you transfer contact information wirelessly with just proximity works with all iOS 17-compatible iPhones, but it can communicate only with an Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Series 6 or later, or Apple Watch Ultra.

• The Time in Daylight feature that helps parents track whether their kids are spending the recommended 80–120 minutes per day outside requires an Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), Apple Watch Series 6 or later, or Apple Watch Ultra.

tvOS 17

As with the Apple Watch, the Apple TV upgrade situation is easy to understand: tvOS 17 will run on the Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K (1st and 2nd generation), just as with tvOS 16.

However, note that the promised option to let you use the mic and camera from an iPhone or iPad for FaceTime calls on the Apple TV works only if you have an Apple TV 4K (2nd generation). That might be the first real reason to upgrade from an older Apple TV.

(Featured image by Apple)

Learn to Identify and Eliminate Phishing Notifications

Email may be the most common form of phishing, but it’s not the only one. Modern Web browsers support a technology that enables websites to display system-level notifications just like regular apps. These push notifications have good uses, such as letting frequently updated websites inform users of new headlines, changed discussion threads, and more. 

Unfortunately, push notifications can be subverted for malicious purposes, notably phishing. Here’s what happens. You visit a website that asks you if you’d like to receive notifications.

That request may be introduced with language that implies you must agree in order to get desired content, or it may be a bald-faced request to show notifications. If you agree, the website will be able to display alarming or deceptive phishing notifications even when it’s not open.

The goal is to trick you into clicking the notification, which will load a fake site that attempts to get you to enter login credentials or credit card information to facilitate identity theft.

The danger of phishing notifications is that they come from the system, so they may seem more legitimate than email messages trying to sucker you into revealing personal information. Nevertheless, as you can see in the examples above, they may still look sketchy in ways reminiscent of phishing emails:

• No legitimate website would use emoji or symbols in a notification, much less multiple ones.

• Although there are no glaring spelling or grammar mistakes, the use of all caps in the top notification is a giveaway. Similarly, standard notifications wouldn’t use exclamation points.

• The use of “Click here” is poor information design that’s unlikely to come from a professional programmer or Web designer.

Phishing notifications, although problematic, aren’t a malware infection, and anti-malware packages won’t detect or remove them. Luckily, they’re easy to control and block in Safari and other Web browsers.

Prevent Phishing Notifications

The easy way to ensure you don’t see phishing notifications is to allow only trusted websites to send notifications. In general, we recommend keeping that list small so you’re not frequently interrupted by unnecessary notifications.

If you’re unsure that you’ll be able to identify malicious websites, you can enable a browser setting that prohibits all websites from asking for permission to send notifications. In Safari, choose Safari > Settings > Websites > Notifications, and deselect “Allow websites to ask for permission to send notifications” at the bottom.

Other browsers have similar options, and most will look like Google Chrome, as shown below:

• Arc: Choose Arc > Settings > General > Notifications and select “Don’t allow sites to send notifications.”

• Brave: Navigate to Brave > Settings > Privacy and Security > Site and Shield Settings > Notifications and select “Don’t allow sites to send notifications.”

• Firefox: Go to Firefox > Settings > Privacy & Security > Notifications and select “Block new requests asking to allow notifications.”

• Google Chrome: Navigate to Chrome > Settings > Privacy and Security > Site Settings > Notifications and select “Don’t allow sites to send notifications.”

• Microsoft Edge: Choose Microsoft Edge > Settings > Cookies and Site Permis-sions > Notifications and turn off “Ask before sending.”

Browsers based on Chrome (everything except Firefox in the list above) offer a “Use quieter messaging” option that replaces the permission dialog with a bell icon next to the site name in the address bar—click it to allow notifications from that site.

Eliminating Phishing Notifications

Now you know how to prevent new sites from requesting permission to display notifications. What about sites that already have permission? It’s easy to block them in Safari’s Notifications settings screen. If you have any undesirable sites with Allow in the pop-up menu to the right of their name in the Notifications screen, choose Deny from that menu. You could remove the site instead, but that would allow it to ask for permission again.

Firefox’s interface is similar to Safari’s, but Chrome-based browsers have a different interface that separates the blocked and allowed sites. To block a website whose notifications you no longer want to receive, click the button to the right and choose Block. Again, you could remove undesirable sites if you prefer, but remember that if your notification settings ever change, doing so could allow the site to ask for permission once more.

Ultimately, it’s easy to avoid phishing notifications by paying attention as you browse the Web. Steer clear of websites that make an unexpected request to display notifications. Notifications aren’t necessary on hardly any websites, so there’s no harm in denying such requests unless you’re sure they’re legitimate.

(Featured image based on an original by iStock.com/tadamichi)

Choosing the Best Mac for a College-Bound Student in 2023

Do you have a child starting college soon? It’s likely that your kid has been relying heavily on a computer throughout high school, but if it was a school-provided laptop or shared family computer, now’s the time to get them something of their own. Even if they had their own laptop throughout high school, if it’s old or unreliable, college is a good excuse to bring them up to date. If you haven’t been paying close attention to Apple’s Mac lineup, you might wonder which model makes the most sense. 

First, don’t buy anything without first checking with the college. Many college departments have specific requirements based on the software students use in their classes. Generally, these revolve around processor type, amount of RAM, and storage space. Current Macs should meet or exceed all those requirements. Second, see if the college provides access to education pricing—most will—to save a few hundred dollars off the prices listed below. Regardless, Apple often has a Back to School offer.

Colleges often specify—and students usually prefer—laptops instead of desktop machines. Although the M1 24-inch iMac is an excellent machine with a gorgeous screen, it’s too big and unwieldy for the nomadic lifestyle of the typical college student. The same applies to an M2 Mac mini or Mac Studio with an external display. Students can take a laptop to class daily, and bringing it home on breaks is a lot easier. A student accustomed to taking notes on an iPad with a keyboard and Apple Pencil might be able to use that along with a desktop Mac, but most students should focus on laptops.

In the past, deciding which model was best for a given student was more challenging, but Apple’s move to the speedy and power-efficient M1 and M2 chips makes the decision easier. We see three primary scenarios:

• Most students: Buy Apple’s MacBook Air. It’s Apple’s lightest and least expensive laptop. Within the MacBook Air line, you have three choices. The least expensive is the 13-inch M1 MacBook Air from 2020, which starts at $999, but the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air is a better choice for most people, thanks to its bigger-brighter-better 13.6-inch screen, faster performance, 24 GB memory ceiling, and higher-resolution webcam. It now starts at $1099. Those who want a larger screen should look at the just-released 15-inch M2 MacBook Air, which starts at $1299. Apart from the 15.3-inch screen, the only difference from the 13-inch model is a six-speaker system, up from four speakers.

• Better specs: If performance is more important than cost—especially if your student will be working with processor-intensive tasks like video editing—look to the 14-inch MacBook Pro. It features a powerful M2 Pro chip or an even faster M2 Max chip, and it can be configured with more memory. Although its 14.2-inch screen is physically a little smaller than that of the 15-inch MacBook Air, it has a somewhat higher resolution. Its price starts at $1999.

• Windows compatibility: The only downside of the transition to Apple silicon is that it’s somewhat more difficult to run Windows using virtualization software like Parallels Desktop (half-price for students and officially supported by Microsoft) or VMware Fusion (free for students but much harder to set up and not officially supported by Microsoft). If Windows compatibility is a bonus but not essential, Parallels Desktop and Windows 11 on Arm should work. However, if Windows compatibility is paramount, your choices are a used Intel-based MacBook Pro or—much as we hate to say it—a PC laptop that runs Windows natively.

Regardless of which laptop you decide on, you’ll have to pick a processor, amount of memory, and storage capacity:

• Processor: With the 13-inch M1 MacBook Air, you’re limited to the M1 chip with an 8-core CPU and 7-core GPU. With the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air, the M2 chip always has an 8-core CPU, but you can pay $100 to upgrade from an 8-core GPU to a 10-core GPU. The 15-inch M2 MacBook Air always comes with a 10-core GPU. The performance difference isn’t likely noticeable with everyday apps, but for $100, it might be worth upgrading, just in case. The 14-inch Mac-Book Pro has two M2 Pro options and two more M2 Max options, and choosing between them is probably best done by weighing likely performance needs against the (significantly) increased cost.

• Memory: The 13-inch M1 MacBook Air offers the choice of 8 GB or 16 GB. 8 GB is acceptable for most college students, but we’d encourage 16 GB to reduce the chance that memory becomes a limiting factor in performance. The M2 MacBook Air lets you choose from 8 GB, 16 GB, or 24 GB, and again, we’d default to 16 GB unless there’s some particularly memory-hungry software in play. With the 14-inch MacBook Pro, the amount of memory goes with the chip. The M2 Pro comes with 16 GB standard, but you can opt for 32 GB. With the M2 Max, 32 GB is standard, with options to upgrade to 64 GB or 96 GB.

• Storage: For all the MacBook Air models, 256 GB is the lowest storage level, and you can upgrade to 2 TB. The 14-inch MacBook Pro starts at 512 GB and offers upgrades up to a whopping 8 TB. Choose the amount of storage based on two considerations: budget (it gets expensive fast) and anticipated usage (audio and especially video can consume a lot of space, as can large numbers of photos, but most other uses don’t). Remember that it’s easy to connect an external Thunderbolt SSD or hard drive to offload large files that don’t have to be kept available at all times. Large files can also be kept in cloud-based storage.

To our thinking, the most obvious choice for a Mac that’s likely to last for four years of college would be either the 13-inch or 15-inch M2 MacBook Air with a 10-core GPU, 16 GB of memory, and 512 GB of storage. Be sure to budget for AppleCare+, too; it’s almost guaranteed that some mishap will befall a student laptop, and AppleCare+ covers up to two incidents of accidental damage every year.

You’ll need to have some conversations with your child to find out what they think they’ll need—and be sure to double-check that against the college’s recommendations—but if you have any questions after that, don’t hesitate to contact us.

(Featured image by Apple)

What to Do If You’re a Mac User Who Needs Some Windows Software

For the most part, the days of Mac versus PC are over. Common apps now exist on both platforms, and when they don’t, there are plenty of alternatives in nearly every app category. Plus, many apps either run entirely on the Web in any browser. Large organizations now regularly run “employee choice” programs that allow people to pick the platform where they’re the most comfortable. 

But the fact remains that there are many more Windows-based PCs out there than Macs, and particularly for an old or unusual app, or for software needed for specific hardware peripherals, sometimes the only available option is a Windows app. What’s a modern Mac user to do? Here are a few possibilities.

Use Boot Camp on an Intel-based Mac

The cheapest approach to running Windows software on a Mac is to use Apple’s free Boot Camp. However, it comes with a number of limitations compared with the virtualization software we’ll discuss next:

• Boot Camp works only on Intel-based Macs; it’s not available for M-series Macs.

• You must choose between macOS and Windows every time you turn on or restart your Mac, rather than being able to run both side-by-side.

• Boot Camp creates its own partition on your drive, and you can’t resize it later. You must guess how much space you need and leave enough for future expansion, all without wasting too much available space.

• Installing Windows 11 is involved and can’t be accomplished on a Mac with a Touch Bar. You can install Windows 10 and then update it to Windows 11.

The main advantage of Boot Camp over virtualization software is that it provides the best performance for Windows apps because no resources are being shared with macOS. Also, a few apps, primarily games, won’t run on a virtual machine.

Given that Intel-based Macs are on the way out, we recommend the Boot Camp approach mostly if you have an extra Intel-based Mac that can be dedicated to your Windows task.

Use Virtualization Software on an Intel-based Mac

Shortly after Apple switched Macs from PowerPC processors to Intel chips in 2006, virtualization apps appeared, notably Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion, and VirtualBox. Because Windows runs natively on those same Intel chips, virtualization software can create a virtual machine (VM) that Windows runs on just as though it were running on a physical PC. A few of the significant advantages of virtualization software include:

• You can run Windows apps alongside Mac apps, switching back and forth with a click.

• You can install Windows on a disk image that you can resize as necessary.

• You can move data from macOS to Windows with copy-and-paste and by drag-ging files, plus you can specify a shared folder whose contents are accessible to both macOS and Windows.

• You can install different versions of Windows or other Intel-compatible operating systems, and maintain multiple virtual machines for testing.

The main downside of virtualization software is that its performance can’t be quite as good as Boot Camp because it must share some CPU and RAM resources with macOS. Plus, Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion aren’t free, although VMware Fusion offers a free personal license. VirtualBox is free but more complicated, and it’s not yet compatible with macOS 13 Ventura.

Parallels Desktop (starting at $99.99) and VMware Fusion (starting at $149; free for personal use) provide the best user experience for most Windows needs if you have an Intel-based Mac.

Use Parallels Desktop on an M-series Mac

When Apple introduced the first Macs based on Apple silicon, people wondered what would happen to virtualization software, which could no longer just pass the software commands down to an Intel chip. The solution was to create a new virtualization engine that leverages the M-series chips’ hardware-assisted virtualization to run Arm-based virtual machines. (Apple’s M-series chips are based on the Arm architecture, which differs from the x86 architecture used by Intel chips.)

The upshot is that the latest versions of Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion can run on M-series Macs, but you can install only Arm-based operating systems, not Intel-based operating systems. Luckily, Microsoft makes Windows 11 on Arm, a full-fledged version of Windows that can run most Windows apps, even those designed for Intel chips.

In early 2023, Microsoft announced that it is officially supporting Windows 11 on M-series Macs when run in Parallels Desktop. Although VMware Fusion can run Windows 11 on Arm Insider Preview—a beta version—installation is challenging. We recommend sticking with Parallels Desktop for an experience that’s significantly easier and officially supported.

Use a Windows 365 Cloud PC

Virtualization enables you to run Windows not just on a Mac, but also in the cloud. Microsoft’s Windows 365 service is another alternative that lets you stream Windows to any device with a Web browser. While the concept of Windows 365 is compelling, the pricing is not. The cheapest plan costs $31 per user per month, or $372 per year, for a virtual PC with 2 CPUs, 4 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of storage. Parallels Desktop is about a quarter the price.

Buy a Cheap PC

We know, we know. The entire point of running Windows on a Mac is so you don’t have to buy a PC. But there are situations where it makes more sense to purchase an inexpensive PC than to fuss with virtualizing Windows on a Mac. Perhaps multiple people in your office need access to your essential Windows app, or maybe some hardware device can be controlled only from a PC. In such cases, a dedicated PC may be the better part of valor. Contact us for configuration and buying advice—the PC world can be a confusing place for those accustomed to buying from Apple.

(Featured image based on originals by iStock.com/manaemedia)

Apple Starts Releasing Rapid Security Responses for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac

By now, you’ve probably seen a new form of update for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS: the Rapid Security Response. Early in May, Apple released the first instances of these updates, which the company had promised for iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS 13 Ventura when those operating systems were first announced. Let’s answer some of the questions we’ve been hearing. 

What are Rapid Security Responses?

Rapid Security Responses are security updates that Apple wants to distribute as quickly and broadly as possible. Users often delay installing standard operating system updates because they’re huge downloads, interrupt work for a long time while installing, and occasionally cause new problems.

To address these concerns, Rapid Security Responses are much smaller, install far more quickly (sometimes without a restart), and can easily be removed if they cause problems.

What security vulnerabilities do Rapid Security Responses address?

Apple released no security notes for its first set of Rapid Security Responses, and we don’t anticipate that changing for future releases. The point of a Rapid Security Response is to block a serious vulnerability that’s likely being exploited in the wild, and Apple doesn’t describe such fixes until it has patched vulnerable operating systems, including older versions, tvOS, and watchOS, none of which can take advantage of Rapid Security Responses. If this last set of updates is any indication, Apple will identify the Rapid Security Response fixes in security notes for the next full operating system update, which will also include the same fixes.

How do I install a Rapid Security Response?

Rapid Security Responses use the same software update mechanism as Apple’s other operating system updates. You can and generally should let Rapid Security Responses install automatically. That’s the default, but check to make sure.

• iOS/iPadOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates, and look at “Security Responses & System Files.”

• macOS: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update, and click the ⓘ next to Automatic Updates. Then look at “Install Security Responses and system files.”

On recent iPhones and Macs, the installation time was quick, with the device being ready to use again within 2–4 minutes, including a restart. Older devices took longer, and future Rapid Security Responses may take more or less time.

How can I revert if a Rapid Security Response causes a problem?

Apple makes this easy in both iOS/iPadOS and macOS, with the amount of time being roughly similar to how long the Rapid Security Response took to install:

• iOS/iPadOS: Go to Settings > General > About > iOS/iPadOS Version, tap Remove Security Response, and confirm the action.

• macOS: Go to System Settings > General > About, click the ⓘ next to the macOS version, click Remove & Restart, and confirm the action.

How can I tell if I’m running a Rapid Security Response?

With this first Rapid Security Response, iOS and iPadOS both posted a notification informing the user of the update; macOS did not.

More generally, devices updated with a Rapid Security Response will have a letter after their version number, such as 16.4.1 (a), and the letter will disappear with the next full update, such as iOS 16.5. To determine what version your devices are running:

• iOS/iPadOS: Go to Settings > General > About, and look at the iOS/iPadOS Version line.

• macOS: Choose About This Mac from the Apple menu, and look at the macOS line. 

Given what we know now, we recommend that everyone install Rapid Security Responses as soon as they’re available. If you notice a problem afterward, you can remove it. The only caveat is that if your employer manages your device, they may prefer to delay the Rapid Security Response installation until they’re comfortable with the changes.

(Featured image by iStock.com/champpixs)

Which Should You Use—a Mac, iPhone or iPad, or Web App?

Apps are everywhere these days, but it can be hard to remember that many exist in multiple versions. You can often run the same app on a Mac, an iPhone or iPad, and in a Web browser, each of which has benefits.  

Generally speaking, Mac apps:

• Have better-designed, more obvious interfaces that improve the user experience

• Are easily switched to and managed among many other apps

• Lend themselves to automation through Shortcuts, AppleScript, and Keyboard Maestro

• Work best for processor-intensive, text-heavy, and large-screen tasks

iPhone and iPad apps:

• Give you quick access to functionality away from your desk and on the go

• Offer small-screen touch interfaces that can be superior for some tasks

Web apps:

• Are accessible from any computer and many smartphones

• Can be linked to other Web apps using services like IFTTT and Zapier

• Can be used in any Web browser instantly without having to download any-thing

The key takeaway is that there’s no either/or situation here. For any app you depend on, it’s usually best to use the native Mac app on your Mac, the native iOS app on your iPhone or iPad, and the Web app whenever the native Mac or iOS app doesn’t fit the bill. Web apps are particularly welcome when you’re away from your Mac and need a full-fledged interface with a keyboard such that an iPhone version won’t suffice. Web apps can also be lifesavers when you need to get something done but are having trouble with the native versions.

Here is a list of apps that run natively on your Apple devices and are accessible in any standard Web browser. It’s far from comprehensive but should give you a feel for what apps you can use in different forms, often with almost no loss of functionality or access to stored data. Note that you’ll almost always need to log in to use a Web app, so make sure you have access to your stored credentials in a password manager.

Before we get into the list, we want to call out two special categories:

• Email: Most IMAP-based email services that you can use in Apple’s Mail or another email client also provide access to your stored mail through a Web app.

• iCloud: Many of the apps that Apple bundles with macOS, iOS, and iPadOS are also available as Web apps at iCloud.com. That list includes Calendar, Contacts, Find My, iCloud Drive, Mail, Notes, Photos, and Reminders.

Again, this list is by no means comprehensive, but you can use it as a starting point for thinking about the apps you use. If you’ve been relying solely on a Web app, some quick searches should reveal whether it has a native Mac or iOS version that might be faster and smoother. It’s also equally worth investigating if one of your native apps has a Web version that you could turn to in a pinch.

(Featured image by iStock.com/Rudzhan Nagiev)

At WWDC23, Apple Releases New Macs, Previews New OS Features, and Unveils Vision Pro

Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference keynote (full video or 2-minute recap) is primarily an opportunity for Apple to give developers a first look at new features coming in its operating systems, and this year was no exception. However, Apple sandwiched those feature reveals between announcements of new Macs and the unveiling of its mixed-reality Vision Pro headset, due next year. Here’s what you should know. 

New Macs Complete the Transition to Apple Silicon

Apple introduced three new Macs, the 15-inch MacBook Air, Mac Studio models with faster chips, and the first Apple silicon Mac Pro, all of which are available to order now and start shipping on June 13.

• 15-inch M2 MacBook Air: This new consumer-level laptop is nearly identical to the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air, apart from its 15.3-inch screen and array of six speakers. It starts at just $1299, and the 13-inch model drops $100 to start at $1099. It’s an excellent machine for students or anyone who wants a highly capable laptop with a larger screen for less than the 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro.

• Mac Studio: The new Mac Studio is unchanged other than swapping last year’s M1 Max and M1 Ultra chips for the higher-performance M2 Max and new M2 Ultra, which combines two M2 Max chips. The M2 Ultra boasts a 24-core CPU, lets you choose between 60-core and 76-core GPU models, offers a higher unified memory ceiling of 192 GB, and can drive up to eight displays. The improvements may not be worth replacing an M1-based Mac Studio, but the gains over an Intel-based iMac or Mac Pro are significant. Pricing starts at $1999 for the M2 Max and $3999 for the M2 Ultra.

• Mac Pro: The long-awaited Mac Pro retains the form factor of the last Intel-based Mac Pro—complete with $400 optional wheels—but differs radically inside. It relies on the same M2 Ultra chip as in the Mac Studio but has open slots for six full-length PCI Express gen 4 cards and provides eight built-in Thunderbolt 4 ports. Apple claims it is 3–7 times faster than the Intel-based Mac Pro, but the details will likely vary by situation. For instance, the M2 Ultra reportedly provides the performance of seven of Apple’s $2000 Afterburner cards for accelerating ProRes and ProRes RAW video codecs. But the M2 Ultra maxes out at 192 GB of unified memory that’s faster and more efficiently used, whereas the Intel-based Mac Pro could accept up to 1.5 TB of traditional RAM. Pricing starts at $6999 for a tower enclosure and $7499 for a rack enclosure. It’s big iron for demanding workflows.

With the release of the Mac Pro, Apple dropped the last Intel-based Mac from its lineup. That doesn’t mean the company will stop supporting recent Intel-based iMacs in the next version or two of macOS, but that will happen sometime in the next few years. Plan to replace Intel-based Macs eventually—you’ll appreciate the significant performance gains from Apple’s M-series Macs.

Top New Operating System Features Coming in 2023

As always, Apple previewed oodles of new features while covering many more on its website. We’ll focus on those we think will make the biggest splash in your Apple experience, but take a moment to scroll through Apple’s pages for each operating system to see the full list of what’s coming. Those are linked below, along with their basic system requirements so you can see if your devices will be eligible to upgrade (not all features will be available on all devices):

• macOS Sonoma: iMac Pro from 2017. MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini from 2018 and later. iMac and Mac Pro from 2019 and later. Mac Studio from 2022 and later.

• iOS 17: Second-generation iPhone SE, iPhone XR, and later

• iPadOS 17: Sixth-generation iPad and later, fifth-generation iPad mini and later, third-generation iPad Air and later, and second-generation iPad Pro and later

• watchOS 10: Apple Watch Series 4 and newer, including the Apple Watch SE

• tvOS 17: Apple TV 4K, with fewer features on the older Apple TV HD

Here are some new features we think will most impact your Apple experience.

Contact Posters

Although you can share your preferred photo with others for use in Messages, Contacts, and Photos, when you call someone, all they see is your name. In iOS 17, Apple is introducing Contact Posters, which let you pick a photo or Memoji, along your preferred font. Then the Contact Poster will appear whenever you call someone, making it easier for them to identify who’s calling at a glance.

FaceTime Support on Apple TV

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could take a FaceTime call on your living room TV? It wasn’t impossible before, but Apple didn’t make it easy. With tvOS 17 on an Apple TV 4K, you’ll be able to leverage your iPhone or iPad camera and microphone through Continuity Camera to bring FaceTime conversations to the biggest screen in the house. Center Stage will let you move around the room while staying framed onscreen, and gesture-based reactions let callers create onscreen effects. These capabilities will also arrive later this year for other videoconferencing systems like Zoom or Webex, creating another reason to put an Apple TV in the conference room. 

Desktop Widgets on the Mac

Widgets have become commonplace on iPhone and iPad Home screens, but on the Mac, they’ve been relegated to Notification Center. With macOS Sonoma, widgets can now migrate to the desktop, where you can position them anywhere. They’re also interactive, enabling you to control music, toggle the lights, and mark reminders as done. Thanks to Continuity, you can add your iPhone widgets to the Mac desktop, even when there’s no Mac app. Your iPhone has to remain nearby or on the same Wi-Fi network. Remember that you can use a hotkey or hot corner to slide all your windows aside to reveal your desktop at any time.

NameDrop for Sharing Phone Numbers

Sharing phone numbers has never been easier with the new NameDrop feature. Just hold your iPhone near someone else’s iPhone or Apple Watch (Series 6 or later, sometime after the initial watchOS 10 release) to exchange contact information—which you select—along with your Contact Poster. Alas, you’ll still have to type in phone numbers for Android users manually.

Web Apps in Safari

We all have websites that we use heavily, just like a native Mac app. If there’s no Mac version of the app, Safari in macOS Sonoma will let you add the website to your Dock, where it will look and work like a standalone app with its own window, toolbar, and notifications. (If you’re longing for this capability now, check out Unite from BZG.)

Five More Welcome Features

For more reasons to upgrade once these new operating systems are out and stable, consider the following additional features:

• Live Voicemail: While someone is leaving you a message, Live Voicemail transcribes it and displays it onscreen so you can decide if you want to pick up or not.

• AirTag sharing: No more awkward notifications when one family member has an AirTag that ends up traveling with other family members.

• No more “Hey” with Siri: We can hope Siri becomes better at listening, but at least Apple’s letting us invoke Siri with a single word now.

• Simultaneous dictation and keyboard use in macOS: Being able to dictate and edit text with the keyboard simultaneously has been great in iOS 16, and with macOS Sonoma, you’ll be able to enter text on your Mac just as fluidly.

• PDF form filling: It will get easier to fill forms in PDFs, with iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma automatically filling in your contact information. It’s supposed to work even with scanned PDFs.

Apple usually releases its new operating systems in September or October, and we’ll be writing more about them as we have a chance to test them. Generally speaking, it’s OK to upgrade to everything but macOS shortly after release; with macOS, we recommend caution to ensure all your existing apps and workflows won’t be impacted.

Apple Unveils Vision Pro “Spatial Computer”

And now for something completely different. Apple devoted the final third of its keynote to unveiling a mixed-reality headset it calls Vision Pro. Even though it fits on the user’s head like bulbous ski goggles, Apple prefers to call it a spatial computer. That’s probably to avoid charged terms like metaverse, although the Vision Pro does provide both augmented reality, where digital objects are superimposed on a view of the real world, and virtual reality, where an immersive digital environment blocks out the real world.

Apple said the Vision Pro would ship early next year, starting at $3499. The high price accurately reflects the impressive amounts of technology Apple has shoehorned into the device but puts it out of reach for all but the most inquisitive and flush early adopters. What will the Vision Pro make possible for that money?

The Vision Pro blends digital content with the physical world, providing a three-dimensional interface controlled by the user’s eyes, hands, and voice. Users can display apps as floating windows or bring a Mac’s screen into Vision Pro as an enormous 4K display. Along with controls triggered by eye tracking and hand gestures, plus a virtual keyboard, users can use the Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard for faster interaction.

FaceTime calls using the Vision Pro take advantage of the space, putting other callers in life-size tiles and providing a shared screen. Speakers in the headset provide spatial audio, so it sounds like people are speaking from where their tiles are positioned. Vision Pro users don’t show up looking like they’re wearing the headset; instead, they’re represented by a digital avatar Apple calls a Persona. Will it escape the uncanny valley?

The Vision Pro is an easier sell for entertainment, where many people prefer immersive experiences, whether watching a movie on what seems like a 100-foot screen or playing a game where you see nothing but its virtual world. A Digital Crown lets the user control how much of the physical world seeps through around the edges.

If you’re thinking it would be unsettling to be in the same room with someone wearing a Vision Pro, you’re not alone. In an attempt to reduce that sense, a technology called EyeSight makes the device seem transparent—it shows an image of the user’s eyes on a front-facing display for others to see. How effective this will be remains to be seen, but it’s hard to imagine the Vision Pro becoming a fashion accessory. 

There’s a great deal more to the Vision Pro, such as its ability to record and play back 3D movies with spatial audio, wrap panorama photos around the user, and use familiar iPhone and iPad apps. Despite the incredible hardware and software that Apple has invented to bring the Vision Pro to fruition, it feels like a technology demo. And it does demo well, judging from reports from people like tech analyst Ben Thompson.

But the Vision Pro is at least 6 months from emerging from Apple’s reality distortion field, and many people are already highly dubious that the company’s vision for the future of computing will do a better job with the real-world tasks we already do with today’s digital devices.

(Featured image by Apple)