HELPDESK M AC 1 Microsoft, among others > The export in Reminders produces a single ICS file that contains all to-do items you’ve ever set and never deleted when complete, as well as all active items > Select a particular calendar in the Calendar’s left sidebar and then choose File →; Export → Create backups of Calendar by choosing File → Export → Export or File → Export → Calendar Archive Export and an ICS file containing all that calendar’s associated events will be up the data But it’s a useful interchange exported, past and future This file format if you’re changing calendar doesn’t include reminders that are software (from Apple to Microsoft) or associated with that calendar, however setting up a new system in some very > Choose File → Export → Calendar clean way in which you don’t want to sync Archive, and the Calendar app produces from an old account ■ an ICBU file This is a macOS package (a folder that acts like a file) that contains the entire structure of all calendars and their events as well as all reminders, all in ICS format Apple highlights that by naming the export “Calendars and Reminders” plus the current date and time Because the underlying calendar and reminders files get backed up by Time Machine and drive cloning (if not third-party cloud backup software, which can vary), there’s typically no The splayed out contents of the ICBU package file, which is full of folders of ICS files good reason in modern times to back 108 MACWORLD APRIL 2019 INTEL: WHAT PROCESSORS WILL MACS HAVE IN 2019? APRIL 2019 THE OF THE W H AT L I E S A H E A D F O R T H E M AC U I ? J U S T LO O K AT T H E i PA D I N C O R P O R AT I N G M A C U S E R April 2019 CONTENTS MACUSER features we want to see in a redesigned 2019 MacBook Pro The best Safari extensions for the Mac 12 Now is the time for Apple to re-think its retail priorities 17 MacUser Reviews 21 Hot Stuff 32 iOSCENTRAL How will Apple’s 2019 iPhone counter the Google Pixel camera? 37 The new iPhone XS battery case works with the iPhone X, but don’t expect perfection 41 How will Apple redesign the iPad home screen? 43 How the iPad might influence the future of the Mac interface 67 How to use the iPhone’s Today View and manage its widgets 46 How to make 3D photos on iPhone and post them to Facebook 49 iOS Central Reviews 53 What’s new at the App Store 59 great iOS games from the past month 60 WORKINGMAC Apple’s bug bounties need to get with the program 81 ESET Cyber Security Pro for review 84 How to reinstall macOS if macOS Recovery is unavailable 87 PLAYLIST Mixcder E7 wirelesss headphone review 91 What Intel’s 2019 roadmap can tell us about the future of the Mac 73 Edifier S880DB bluetooth speakers review w 97 HELPDESK Mac 911: Can you replace an AirPort Extreme fan? What you get when you export Calendar and Reminders in macOS 103 APRIL 2019 MACWORLD MASTHEAD EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Matt Egan EDITOR IN CHIEF, CONSUMER BRANDS Jon Phillips DESIGN DIRECTOR Robert Schultz SENIOR EDITOR Roman Loyola Editorial STAFF WRITERS Jason Cross, Michael Simon ASSOCIATE EDITOR Leif Johnson SENIOR CONTRIBUTORS Glenn Fleishman, Rob Griffiths, Joe Kissell, Kirk McElhearn, John Moltz, Dan Moren, Jason Snell COPY EDITOR Sue Voelkel Design DESIGNER Rob Woodcock Advertising SALES INQUIRIES www.idg.com/contact-us/ INTERNATIONAL DATA GROUP CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD Walter Boyd IDG COMMUNICATIONS, INC CEO Kumaran Ramanathan MACWORLD APRIL 2019 HOW TO CONTACT MACWORLD SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES Access your subscription account online—24 hours a day, days a week—at www.macworld.com/customer_service or service macworld.com You can use online subscription services to view your account status, change your address, pay your bill, renew your subscription, report a missing issue, get the answers to frequently asked questions, and much more To start subscribing, visit subscribe.macworld.com U.S MAIL EMAIL PHONE Macworld Subscriptions Department 11 Commerce Boulevard, Palm Coast, FL 32164 (If you are writing about an existing account, please include your name and address at which you subscribe.) subhelp@macworld.com (Send your full name and the address at which you subscribe; not send attachments.) 800/288-6848 from the U.S and Canada; 515/243-3273 from all other locations The one-year (12-issue) subscription rate is $34.97; the two-year rate, $59.97; and the three-year rate, $79.97 Checks must be made payable in U.S currency to Macworld Please allow to weeks for changes to be made to an existing subscription MACWORLD EDITORIAL The editors of Macworld welcome your tips, compliments, and complaints Some stories and reviews from past issues can be located at www.macworld.com We are unfortunately unable to look up stories from past issues; recommend products; or diagnose your Mac problems by phone, or email You can contact Apple toll-free, at 800/538-9696, or visit the company’s website, at www.apple.com HOW TO CONTACT MACWORLD STAFF Our offices are located at 501 Second Street, 6th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94107; phone, 415/243-0505; fax, 415/512-7130 Macworld staff can be reached by email at firstinitiallastname@macworld.com BACK ISSUES OF MACWORLD Starting with the June 2003 Macworld, back issues can be downloaded in digital format, from www.zinio.com ($6.99; Mac OS X 10.1 or later required) REPRINTS AND PERMISSIONS You must have permission before reproducing any material from Macworld Send email to permissions@macworld.com; please include a phone number MAILING LISTS We periodically make lists of our customers available to mailers of goods and services that june interest you If you not wish to receive such mailings, write to us at Macworld, 11 Commerce Boulevard, Palm Coast, FL 32164, or email us at macworld@ emailcustomerservice.com PUBLICATION INFORMATION April 2019, Volume 36, Issue Macworld is a publication of IDG Communications, Inc., and International Data Group, Inc Macworld is an independent journal not affiliated with Apple, Inc Copyright © 2019, IDG Communications, Inc All rights reserved Create, Playlist, Mac User, Macworld, and the Macworld logo are registered trademarks of International Data Group, Inc., and used under license by IDG Communications, Inc Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple, Inc APRIL 2019 MACWORLD SMALL DONATIONS MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE SupportDisasterRelief.org MACUSER News and Analysis About Macs, OS X, and Apple features we want to see in a redesigned 2019 MacBook Pro An ‘all-new design’? We’re ready for Face ID, more ports, a better keyboard, and more BY LEIF JOHNSON I ’m daring to believe we’re living in one of the best years for the Mac in ages A recent report (go.macworld.com/ pr19) from trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo brims with rumors regarding everything IMAGE: LEIF JOHNSON from a 16-inch MacBook Pro with an “all-new design” to a 32-inch 6K standalone Apple monitor There may even be a 32GB upgrade for the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and it looks as though we’ll APRIL 2019 MACWORLD MACUSER F EAT U RE S WE’ D LI K E TO SE E IN 20 19 M AC BO O K P RO finally be getting the modular Mac Pro But it’s that “all-new design” that intrigues me the most Kuo didn’t offer many specifics, so I’ve allowed my imagination and wishlist to run wild For the most part, I’ve left out hardware upgrades—such as a better graphics card (like the Vega)—and focused on the general user experience With these changes, I believe Apple could recapture some of the wonder the MacBook used to spark in years past MORE PORTS! MY KINGDOM FOR MORE PORTS! I doubt we’ll ever see USB-A ports return to the MacBook (although, yes, I’d love to have at least one for emergencies) After all, USB-A is ancient; a relic from the days of CDs and flip phones Apple is right to assume the versatile and smaller USB-C port should replace it, not least because you never have to worry about a USB-C cable being upside down when you try to plug it in But at least give us more USB-C/ Thunderbolt ports The mere two USB-C ports on the new MacBook Air and the older 13-inch MacBook Pro make it hard for me to take them seriously as work machines I tend to keep one of these ports stuffed with a power cable, and at the office, the spare port usually connects to an external Cinema Display That means I need to unplug one of these whenever I want to use an SD card reader, wired mouse, or a wide range of other peripherals, and it’s maddening That’s not “pro”—that’s a problem Three ports on all MacBooks would be an improvement Since Apple is going big, let’s go ahead and wish for either a USB-A port or an SD card reader on the 16-inch Pro along with the four USB-C ports we’re familiar with from the 15-inch models DITCH THE TOUCH BAR Would more ports make a new MacBook Pro more portly? MACWORLD APRIL 2019 The Touch Bar is a nifty idea that sounds great FACE ID/ TRUEDEPTH SENSORS ON THE MAC The latest iPad Pros have TrueDepth sensors and Face ID, and it’s easily my favorite new feature It cuts out all kinds of delays you formerly had to endure before pressing the Home button while using the iPad in landscape mode, including payments, logons, and simply I didn’t even feel like resetting it for this photo unlocking that machine The change wouldn’t be as on paper, but in practice it’s needless and extreme with the MacBook, but it would distracting fluff It’s innovation for the sake still streamline authentication beyond of innovation In many cases it complicates even the welcome addition of Touch ID workflows rather than simplifying them on newer keyboards It could also allow Apple should kill it and give us the old Mac users to use Animoji and Memoji in setup with escape and function keys, and their Messages much as they on their the latest MacBook Air suggests Apple iPhone As a side benefit, a TrueDepth may be comfortable with that direction sensor would simplify some tasks for Apple should limit any future 3D modelers “touchscreen” elements to the Touch ID THINNER BEZELS ON square we find on the MacBook Pro and THE DISPLAY MacBook Air keyboards, as it simplifies the Speaking of the new iPad Pro, it’s hard to act of logging in, entering passwords, and go back to using another device once paying for apps you’ve gotten used to that lovely, bright I gave the Touch Bar a good go, but display Apple describes it with some these days I keep it set to the digital F1– hyperbole as “edge to edge,” but F12 keys If Apple feels it needs to keep there’s no mistaking that it comes closer the Touch Bar, it should include both the to matching that description than Touch Bar and the function keys APRIL 2019 MACWORLD days My hunch is they’ll be prone to inducing some sweat I was impressed with the Mixcder E7’s ergonomics All essential controls fell naturally with the contour of my hands Those with physical challenges to either hand will want to take note that controls fell perfectly at my middle The Mixcder E7 fold flat, but they don’t collapse into a more travelwhen reaching across friendly form factor to the opposing ear job with their balancing act The headband cup I liked the attention to that detail and ear cups are wrapped in an imitation The left ear cup has power for ANC leather The quality is good, but you’ll and a 3.5mm receptacle for wired mode never mistake it for the real thing The right ear cup features the main The silver arms shine like they are power for wireless use, volume, and a made of metal; but upon closer inspection Micro-USB port for charging The power you’ll note that they are plastic like the rest button does double duty as a play/pause of the headphone Some budget toggle Press it once for play/pause or headphones make the click-stop portion of depress it for several seconds to turn the the headband out of plastic as well Not headphones off here I was pleasantly surprised to see I applaud the fact that ANC worked metal supported with a plastic click-stop independently of the headphone’s main mechanism Once again, a smart trade-off power That’s not always the case with ANC headphones There are some times COMFORTABLE FIT where you just want ANC while using your The pivoting and rotating ear cups make headphone in wired mode the E7 comfortable to wear; though I’m not I tried the headphones with calls, voice sure how they will fare on hot, summer dictation, and Siri The performance was APRIL 2019 MACWORLD 93 PLAYLIST REVIEW: M I XCD E R E7 levels of ANC performance In every context, the Mixcder failed to put me in a total cone of silence like today’s top performers can In fact, the E7 are among the least-effective ANC headphones I’ve ever reviewed But lets put things into perspective: the E7 are also among the leastexpensive ANC headphones I’ve reviewed Do they The Mixcder E7 ear cups are wrapped in imitation leather deliver $60 worth of ANC performance? Probably average, meaning that the headphones In my experience, the E7 only took the worked as advertised, but had trouble with edge off ambient noise at specific higher noise environments frequencies To my ears, the ANC I did notice that the E7 gives a attenuated the midrange and midbass noticeable sonic thud when going in and more than the rest of the frequency out of Siri or phone calls The thud was so spectrum If you’re trying to block the noticeable and bothersome that I feel sound of your air-conditioner, for instance, Mixcder should address this issue with a these will take that edge off, but they won’t firmware update All they need to is entirely mask it apply a volume fade during that transition For example, I pit the E7 with Bang & and voilà! The problem will be solved Olufson’s Beoplay H9i (in for a forthcoming review) In two noisy NOISE-CANCELLING restaurants, the E7 muffled the ambient PROWESS? noise around me to a slightly greater Let me please state a fact: Sony’s and degree than the headphone’s own Bose’s active noise-cancellation passive noise cancellation The Beoplay technologies are in their own league H9i, by contrast, deadened the Don’t be fooled into thinking that the E7s restaurant’s loud din, significantly will give you anywhere close to the same attenuating people’s voices, mechanical 94 MACWORLD APRIL 2019 Mixcder E7 headband detail hum, and other ambient sounds To use an analogy, the E7 was like putting my hands over my ears while the B&O H9i was like using pillows The same held true in other noisy venues: a bus, outdoors, and a convention center The B&O H9i retails for $499—five times the retail price of the E7—and the H9i’s ANC is still a notch below Bose and Sony In this case, there was a direct correlation between price and performance All in all, I’d say that the Mixcder’s ANC performance is comparable to it’s price-point And I don’t intend that as a criticism I should also mention that the E7 exhibit higher than average ANC-related hiss Conversely, there was little to no ANC-related pressure on my ears Some ANC headphones give you the feeling like you’re under water That’s not the case with the E7 DECENT SOUND FOR THE PRICE ANC performance aside, how these headphones sound? The answer is not bad! I tested the Mixcder E7 with my iPhone XS and music from Tidal I listened to the headphones primarily over Bluetooth Dynamics was one of my favorite aspects of the E7’s voicing If you like headphones that deliver some toe-tapping, musical involvement then you’ll be satisfied with the E7’s performance I found myself easily engaged with Imagine Dragons’ “Natural,” Dido’s “Hurricanes,” and the Revivalists’ “Wish I Knew.” Detail of the plastic-metal click-adjustable headband I did, however, notice a APRIL 2019 MACWORLD 95 PLAYLIST REVIEW: M I XCD E R E7 difference in the music with ANC engaged For example, On Amy Grant’s “Lead Me On,” the E7 delivered the kick drum and other percussive instruments with more oomph when the ANC was turned off The same was true in the midbass and the lower midrange on Imagine Dragons’ “Machine” from Origins The E7’s overall tonal balance was good, though I longed for more top-end openness and less veiling of midrange frequencies What you really give up with these 96 MACWORLD APRIL 2019 mmm Mixcder E7 PROS • Basic active noise cancellation at a very low price • Good audio performance for the price CONS • Active noise cancellation performance can’t compare to the likes of Bose or Sony • Audible thumps before and after phone calls and when engaging Siri PRICE $58.99 COMPANY Mixcder headphones is the ability to resolve micro-dynamics Here again, however, it’s hard to complain considering the $60 street price BOTTOM LINE The Mixcder E7 will never be in the same ballpark as the noisecancelling cans Bose and Sony have to offer, but they are solid value You’ll get basic active noise-cancelling performance, good battery life, wireless freedom, and decent sound for less than the price of dinner for two ■ Edifier S880DB Bluetooth speakers: Small but serious musical performers BY JONATHAN TAKIFF D are to be different Serve a multiplicity of masters That’s a game plan Edifier is successfully executing with its compact, powerful, and affordably priced S880DB These self-powered bookshelf speakers aim to please both casual listeners and sound snobs alike IMAGE: EDIFIER The S880DB are this 20-plus-year-old Asian audio brand’s first Hi-Res Audio certified speakers (go.macworld.com/dfhr) As such, they’re designed to handle the better-than-CD-quality tracks offered by services such as HDTracks (go.macworld com/hdtr), OnkyoMusic (go.macworld.com/ onky), and the coming-soon-to-NorthAPRIL 2019 MACWORLD 97 PLAYLIST REVIEW: E D IF I E R S 80 D B America Qobuz (go.macworld.com/qbuz)— each of which offers downloadable tracks encoded in FLAC with 24-bit resolution at sampling rates as high as 192kHz These speakers also deliver satisfying sonic experiences with CDs, lower-resolution FLAC files, MP3s, and the like and PC) offer links to analog sources Edifier includes cables for making just about any type of connection you might need Don’t like wires? There’s a Bluetooth 4.1 radio onboard, although that connectivity method won’t allow you to tap Hi-Res Audio tracks There’s no way, however, to get around the 10-foot DIN SPECS AND FEATURES cable that links the passive left channel to Wrapped in white and natural wood the amplifier in the right cabinetry, the compact (5 inches wide by Each of these inputs is located on the 6.5 inches deep) S880DB can back of the right-hand speaker enclosure, accommodate three types of Hi-Res which also houses the amplifiers that Audio-compatible sources: Optical and deliver 12 watts RMS to each of the 0.75coaxial digital audio, and USB Type B for inch titanium-laminate tweeters, and 32 pairing with a Mac or PC Two sets of watts RMS to each of the 3.7-inch woofers line-level stereo RCA inputs (labeled AUX You’ll find large dials for volume control and for adjusting the bass and treble levels on the back of this cabinet, which entails a lessthan-convenient reach around to adjust Input source selection, meanwhile, is accomplished by pressing and then rotating the volume control The puckThe Hi-Res Audio-certified Edifier S880DB offer a full complement of wired analog and digital inputs, plus Bluetooth 4.1 for wireless streaming shaped wireless 98 MACWORLD APRIL 2019 remote control makes each of those adjustments easier, but it has very limited range And while icons on the itsy-bitsy display beneath the right-hand woofer light up to report the active input, they’re very difficult to see unless you’re in very close proximity—or you’ve memorized the left-to-right order in which they appear PERFORMANCE You can crank these speakers up to fill a medium-sized living room, but they sound just as full bodied at lower volume levels, which means they make very good nearfield monitors for computer work There’s a perception in some quarters that metal-clad drivers produce a harder-edged sound than speakers made of materials such as wood pulp, silk, Kevlar, or polypropylene And when I first started listening to the S880DB, I thought to myself “Man, these things sound bright!” As such, my first inclination was to try toning things down with the bass and treble controls on the back of the active speaker and the four-way EQ options on the remote Neither set of controls delivered dramatic changes The “Dynamic” EQ setting on the remote does warm the music a tad A better remedy was to just give the drivers a dozen or so hours of break-in time I’ve since come around to thinking these armored warriors compare favorably to my larger and almost three-times-as Edifier’s palm-sized infrared remote offers volume and transport control, along with source selection and a couple of mild EQ presets APRIL 2019 MACWORLD 99 PLAYLIST REVIEW: E D IF I E R S 80 D B expensive Source material fed to the Edifier’s analog inputs also KEF X300 produced happy results, particularly when I connected amplified the speakers to Meridian Audio’s Explorer2 USB DAC monitors on and streamed MQA-encoded tracks from Tidal most musical fronts (excepting big-boom hip hop and EDM) The Qobuz streams offered deeper, airier, The fine details these speakers expose and more nuanced performances all in more delicate styles of music can be around Source material fed to the Edifier’s enlightening Take the throaty vocal drama analog inputs also produced happy and Afro-popish, plinkety guitar that Amos results, particularly when I connected the Lee brings to “No More Darkness, No speakers to Meridian Audio’s Explorer2 More Light,” from his new album My New USB DAC and streamed MQA-encoded Moon, or the sizzling slide slinging Brian tracks from Tidal Jones deploys on “No Expectations,” from BOTTOM LINE the Rolling Stones’ 50th With a price tag of just $299.99, anniversary remaster of the mmmm the Edifier S880DB don’t cost band’s epic Beggars Banquet Edifier S880DB PROS much more than subscribing to a The S880DB lent a you-are• Hi-Res Audio certified high-resolution music-streaming there feel to the sweeping violins • Diverse collection of wired service for a year They’re and brassy horns that carry digital and analog inputs, plus Bluetooth supremely flexible in terms of Gregory Porter’s jazz-pop • Moderate price tag for the high-grade components accommodating sources, both singing skyward on his new Live and finish digital and analog, and they at the Royal Albert Hall set For CONS sound equally good as near-field fun and knowledge, I did some • Requires a reach around to access important controls monitors as they when playing comparing and contrasting of • Short-range remote depends on a narrow line to mid-sized living room The Porter’s “Mona Lisa” as rendered of sight to operate absence of protective grills would on the lossy Amazon Music and • Active input display is too small and is difficult to give me pause if I had fingerNapster music-streaming read poking toddlers in the house, and services to the lossless streams PRICE $299 the included wireless remote isn’t Qobuz offers (having been COMPANY one of my favorites, but Edifier granted sneak-peek access to Edifier delivers value aplenty here ■ the latter’s European version) 100 MACWORLD APRIL 2019 WHY DOES IT TAKE A DISASTER TO BRING US TOGETHER? AN ORIGINAL SHORT FILM FROM EMMY ® WINNERS DAVID NUTTER & LENA WAITHE WATCH NOW AT LOVEHASNOLABELS.COM Tweet Streaming Selfie Search Results Connected FIND A PARK OR FOREST NEAR YOU AT HELPDESK Answering Your Questions and Sharing Your Tips About Getting the Most From Your Mac Mac 911 Solutions to your most vexing Mac problems BY GLENN FLEISHMAN WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH AN INTERNAL SSD MODULE FROM A VINTAGE MAC In 2010, Apple started to release Macs with solid-state drives (SSDs) that used a socket and—with varying amounts of effort—could be removed and upgraded by the owner or by an Apple or third-party technician But starting in 2016, nearly every Mac released has the SSD soldered directly to the motherboard The iMac is a notable IMAGE: APPLE exception, but see the note at the end of this section If you have a Mac of the proper vintage, it can be from vanishingly easy to exceedingly difficult to get the “blade”style SSD out of the Mac and replace it with a higher-capacity model These blades plug into a slot, something like RAM but with a narrower connector Apple developed multiple, proprietary connectors (go.macworld.com/prcn) across APRIL 2019 MACWORLD 103 HELPDESK M AC 1 its use of blade SSDs In my wife’s recently purchased 2014 MacBook Pro, nothing is easily serviceable except for the SSD, which is a cinch to access, remove, and replace But what to with the SSD you removed? If it’s 256GB or greater, it seems a shame to waste it, and it’s hard to sell lower-capacity drives to a Mac user with a compatible computer, as most people who want an SSD are upgrading from a lower capacity already Put it in an external case You could purchase an external case from Other World Computing, which offers USB-3 enclosures compatible with Apple drives Make sure and figure out the right model to buy based on the particular type of SSD blade that came out of your Mac The Envoy Pro (go.macworld.com/evpr) is the most likely match, as it supports drives shipped with Macs from 2013 to present But there are three other Envoy and Envoy Pro models (go.macworld.com/3evp) for earlier generations of Mac and drive The price may be a snag At $100, the Envoy Pro for 2013 and later blade SSDs makes little sense for up to a 500GB drive, as you can purchase a 500GB SSD in a USB 3.0 or 3.1 external enclosure new for about $100 For a 1TB drive, it makes much more sense, but it’s unlikely many of you are upgrading from 1TB to 2TB, and the 1TB blade SSD has a lot more resale value to owners of compatible models For somewhat older Macs, the OWC enclosure can be just $50, making it a more cost-effective arrangement for a 500GB drive, but likely not for lower capacities (OWC’s enclosures make much more financial sense as part of their kit upgrade bundles that come with a highercapacity SSD.) You should also run the SSD through DriveDx (go.macworld.com/drdx), which will give you a sense of the remaining lifespan: SSDs eventually wear out, and it doesn’t make sense to buy an enclosure if the drive doesn’t have much time left on it Apple has used a variety of blade-style SSD connectors 104 MACWORLD APRIL 2019 A note on iMacs If you own a more recent iMac, you might be tempted to upgrade its SSD, but I’d suggest you carefully review the iFixIt guide first (go.macworld.com/ifxg) I recently was at a repair shop and talked to a technician who had just disassembled and reassembled a modern iMac They told me they’d hoped to never so again: the risk of damaging the computer was so huge due to fragile cables and the process of separating the display that it was hard to take in such jobs If Apple takes an iMac in for repair and hits a snag that makes it unusable, they can simply swap in a new computer for you from their stock Not so for third parties—or you! CAN YOU REPLACE A FAN IN APPLE’S AIRPORT EXTREME? A mysterious whirring and grinding noise from his late-model AirPort Extreme Base Station disturbed one Macworld reader Why would it make such a sound? He hadn’t turned it on for a year, but was about to reactivate it with a new broadband connection My reply: The polite verbal equivalent of a shrug, because—I wrote—there’s no fan in an AirPort Express, and only a Time Capsule has a hard drive Time Capsule drives certainly fail, like any spinning storage media, but the grinding described would surely have meant the drive was on its way to failure, if not already destroyed But your faithful Mac 911 columnist failed to his research I own a newer AirPort Extreme—one of the “crackerbox” models that looks like a gleaming white micro-tower It’s never made a peep I even thought I’d even looked at pictures of the insides of this version from Apple’s now-discontinued series of routers My correspondent was persistent, though, and he sent me a recording of the AirPort Extreme making a loud and ugly noise And sure enough, when I dug into iFixIt to see their disassembly of the model, there’s a fan! Apparently, in my APRIL 2019 MACWORLD 105 HELPDESK M AC 1 setup, the base station has never heated up enough to activate the fan or it’s remained whisper silent despite a lack of, ahem, dusting on my part The fix Replacing the fan is somewhat elaborate (go.macworld.com/a152), and an Applebranded or -certified fan replacement part isn’t available directly from suppliers But it can be done Compatible fans can be found on Amazon (go.macworld.com/lisn) and eBay There’s one potential for people who purchased an AirPort Extreme at just the right moment, however If you bought an AirPort Extreme and then within two years purchase a Mac of any model and bought A compatible AirPort Extreme replacement fan as seen on an online retailer 106 MACWORLD APRIL 2019 the AppleCare extended warranty from Apple (go.macworld.com/acpl), you gain up to five years of warranty coverage for your Wi-Fi base station (two years, then a Mac purchase, then three years) It’s worth checking your purchase dates to see if you qualify WHAT TO DO WHEN THE MAC APP STORE WON’T ASSIGN APPLICATIONS TO YOUR ACCOUNT The Mac App Store sometimes throws out odd errors when you try to download and install software, errors that lack information on Apple’s support pages These seem to come up most often with Apple’s own software, especially the five free apps (GarageBand, iMovie, Keynote, Numbers, and Pages) that require an Apple ID, but no prior purchase Just a few weeks ago, I explained how to solve “Update Unavailable with This Apple ID,” (go.macworld.com/upun) but that’s not the only one Another one that comes up with little help is, “Could not assign applications to your account.” Here are four ways that may resolve the problem and let you download the apps you’re attempting to > Sign out of your iTunes account (Account → Sign Out) and then sign back in > Sign out, quit or restart your Mac, then sign back in > Update your iTunes payment method in Account → View My Account > Contact Apple directly (go.macworld com/ctsp), and a support person may provide you with a download code to redeem, according to some forum posters A number of people report that despite having no payment errors they were able to clear the error by confirming their payment method (usually by re-entering information), updating it, or changing it Others discovered that Apple had been unable to charge their listed payment method, but they hadn’t received a notification about it Clearing up that charge solved the download issues as well WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU EXPORT CALENDAR AND REMINDERS IN MACOS, AND HOW TO USE THOSE FILES The Calendar and Reminders apps in macOS let you create backups through an export option In Calendar, you can select File → Export → Export or Export → Calendar Archive Reminders lets you select File → Export The exported files can used for recovery or imported into other apps and systems What’s the difference between these options, and why select one over another? All the options produce some variation on an ICS file, a standard calendar format supported by Apple, Google, and APRIL 2019 MACWORLD 107 ... Ramanathan MACWORLD APRIL 2019 HOW TO CONTACT MACWORLD SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES Access your subscription account online—24 hours a day, days a week—at www .macworld. com/customer_service or service macworld. com... left pumping their fists ■ APRIL 2019 MACWORLD 25 MACUSER PHOTO-EDITING SOFTWARE LUMINAR 3: A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE TO ADOBE LIGHTROOM BY JACKIE DOVE 26 MACWORLD APRIL 2019 Photographers who use... mailings, write to us at Macworld, 11 Commerce Boulevard, Palm Coast, FL 32164, or email us at macworld@ emailcustomerservice.com PUBLICATION INFORMATION April 2019, Volume 36, Issue Macworld is a publication