Apple tips
From Stormfront, your
local Apple expertsStephen Simmonds
Stormfront.co.ukLast issue, this column walked you
through the homepage features of
Safari. That’s just one of the ways
to make your Mac’s web browsing
experience more bespoke to you.
Another is Top Sites. If you visit
a handful of websites every day
rather than just one homepage, this
feature may be more suited to you.
In Safari > Preferences > General
are options labelled ‘New windows
open with’ and ‘New tabs open with’.
Choosing Top Sites for either will
change the other as well. (Other
options allow for different combos.)
Top Sites shows your most
visited web pages in a grid of 6, 12
or 24 previews. Choose how many
are displayed by changing the ‘Top
sites shows’ item in the same tab.
Rearrange the sites by dragging
their previews. If you want to keep
one in position permanently, hover
the pointer over its preview to reveal
a couple of options. Click the cross
to remove a site and stop it coming
back, or click the pin to fix it in place.Ta ke shoortcuts
with Top Sitesmacformat.com @macformat JUNE 2019 | MACFORMAT | 99The MacBook Air is one of Apple’s most
popular Macs, and it’s just had a big update.
The MacBook Air now (finally!) comes
with a Retina display with more than three
times as many pixels as its predecessor. The
Air’s keyboard has been revamped to feature
Apple’s third-generation butterfly design,
while the trackpad is now 20% larger and
integrates the Force Touch tech seen on
the MacBook Pro. There’s also a Touch ID
sensor that, coupled with the T2 chip, makes
logging in and paying for items more secure
than ever on a MacBook Air.
But Apple has done more than that. There
are two Thunderbolt 3 ports and the stereo
speakers are 25% louder, while the new Airs
feature eighth-gen Intel Core i5 processors.
All that’s been done while making the chassis
10% thinner and cutting the volume by 17%.
Apple also sells the MacBook, which
comes in a smaller, lighter and fanless design,
and has one USB-C port and a 12in display.Apple updated its MacBook Pro range
in July 2018, bringing eighth-generation
Intel Core processors, up to 4TB of fast
SSD storage and up to 32GB of memory.
The keyboard has also been upgraded
to a third-gen butterfly mechanism
that’s quieter, and the Retina display is
equipped with True Tone technology.
The MacBook Pro doesn’t just have
Touch ID – its top row is an OLED display
of context-sensitive controls for your
current task. The 15in model’s trackpad
is larger than any other MacBook’s.
The mid-2018 MacBook Pros are
equipped with two or four Thunderbolt 3
ports (depending on the model), which
are also compatible with USB-C devices,
and through which you can charge the
MacBook Pro. Graphics upgrades – in
the form of AMD Vega chips – arrived in
November for the top 15in model. These
add either £225 and £315 to the cost.MacBook Air MacBook Pro
Choose a MacBook Air Choose a MacBook Pro
MODEL KEY SPECIFICATIONS PRICE
13-inch
2.3GHz
dual-core
Intel Core i5MEMORY 8GB of
2,133MHz LPDDR3
GPU Intel Iris Plus 640
STORAGE 256GB SSD
TOUCH BAR No£1,44913-inch
2.3GHz
quad-core
Intel Core i5MEMORY 8GB of
2,133MHz LPDDR3
GPU Intel Iris Plus 655
STORAGE 256GB SSD
TOUCH BAR Yes£1,74915-inch
2.2GHz
six-core
Intel Core i7MEMORY 16GB of
2,400MHz DDR4
GPU Radeon Pro 555X
STORAGE 256GB SSD
TOUCH BAR Yes£2,349ENTRY^ LEVELUPGRADERHI
GHENDUPDATED
OCT 2018
EXPECTED
LATE 2019UPDATED
NOV 2018
EXPECTED
MID 2019MODEL KEY SPECIFICATIONS PRICE
13-inch
1.8GHz
dual-core
Intel Core i5MEMORY 8GB of 1,600MHz LPDDR3
GRAPHICS Intel HD Graphics 6000
STORAGE 128GB SSD
DISPLAY Non-Retina
TOUCH ID No£94913-inch
1.6GHz
dual-core
Intel Core i5MEMORY 8GB of 2,133MHz LPDDR3
GRAPHICS Intel UHD Graphics 617
STORAGE 128GB SSD
DISPLAY Retina
TOUCH ID Yes£1,19913-inch
1.6GHz
dual-core
Intel Core i5MEMORY 16GB of 2,133MHz LPDDR3
GRAPHICS Intel UHD Graphics 617
STORAGE 256GB SSD
DISPLAY Retina
TOUCH ID Yes£1,579ENTRY^
LEVELUPGRADERHI
GHEND