The Mac Pro, unveiled last month and available later this year, shows the long gap since Apple’s last major hardware release doesn’t mean the company has stopped innovating. It’s just been taking its time to get things right – which is exactly what we’ve come to expect. There’ve been no sneak previews of the other products being lined up for the autumn, but at least one new iPhone and iPad is a safe bet, and there’ll be more Mac updates too before the end of the year.
What we do know about are the upgrades to Apple’s desktop and mobile operating systems that will come installed on these new models. And if you follow a few app developers on Twitter, or keep an eye on their blogs, you’ll know a little more every day, as registered Mac and iOS coders let slip more details of the beta versions they’re continuously evaluating.
We’ll have complete guides to both OSes for you, of course, when the final versions appear and are available to install on your existing Apple devices. But in the meantime, our August edition, on sale now, includes detailed previews of iOS 7 and OS X 10.9 “Mavericks” – as well as a full review of the new MacBook Air, which adds incredible battery life to already class-leading performance.
Also on test in this issue are the new “CC” versions of Adobe’s pro graphics apps, now available only with a Creative Cloud subscription. Last month we highlighted the new pay-monthly model, analysing the pros and cons of the controversial system compared to buying the software outright. Now that the final versions of the apps are out, our panel of specialists have tested almost all of them in depth, and you can read their verdicts in our 24-page feature.
In Praktik, the mag-within-a-mag for creative pro tips, we take a closer look at signage design, PDF editing, the frequency switchover that’s killing radio mics, Flickr’s love-it-or-hate-it redesign, and the technicalities of disk imaging.
Don’t forget to write to us at mailbox@macuser.co.uk and tell us what you think about any Apple, tech or digital issue. Follow @macusermagazine on Twitter for daily chat and thought-provoking links. And please cast your vote for the PPA Cover of the Century, where MacUser is one of just ten titles selected from the last hundred years of UK magazines.
You can find MacUser at newsagents, supermarkets and bookshops; on your doorstep when you sign up for a discounted subscription; on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch via Newsstand or the App Store; or to read on your Mac or iPad via Zinio. Back issues are also available digitally.
