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Macworld PDFs are extremely common. It is kind of remarkable that files that can interact with them fully aren’t nearly as easy to come by. Sure, Adobe has Acrobat, but that’s a subscription that is, at its cheapest, still over $200 for a single year.  If you want an app that can edit, annotate, and convert PDFs that you don’t have to pay for every month, then check out this lifetime subscription for PDF Expert. There are no recurring costs of any kind, and it’s on sale for $79.99 (reg. $139).  PDF expert packs a lot of different tools into one easy-to-navigate interface. You can edit PDFs by changing the text, inserting images, or adding links. You can annotate to highlight or comment on different areas. You can also merge, re-arrange, or split PDF files. PDF expert can also convert to and from JPG, PNG, Word, PPT, and Excel files.  Working with an older file? The OCR scanner can recognize almost any text and turn it into a searchable document. You can even enhance scans and remove shadows.  If you don’t want to pay every month to access files you’ll need forever, then get a lifetime subscription to PDF Expert for $79.99.    PDF Expert Premium Plan: Lifetime Subscription (Mac) – $79.99 See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. 

According to MacRumors, Apple is preparing the release of iOS 18.2.1. We don’t have a known build number at the moment, but we’ll likely see this software update released in the near future. more…

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact. one sec aims to help people reduce mindless scrolling on social media, requiring users to make a conscious decision on whether or not they want to actually open that app every time. It’s very configurable, so you can customize one sec to meet your needs. more…

Brought to you by Uniq: The Lyden Collection features iPhone cases, AirPods cases, and magnetic cardholders, all crafted from premium vegan leatherette. Designed with both style and sustainability in mind, this collection adds a sophisticated touch while embodying our dedication to eco-conscious living. Check out the collection. Flashier features like camera upgrades, faster performance, and bigger screens usually take the spotlight when it comes to iPhone. However, Apple’s smartphone has evolved with powerful safety tools over the years. Here’s a look at 6 safety features that offer real peace of mind with iPhone 16 and how you test them out or make sure thye’re enabled. more…

With iOS 18, Apple introduced support for RCS messaging, a new protocol that enhances the texting experience between iPhone and Android users. Unlike SMS, you can see read/delivered receipts, send larger files, and have typing indicators, features that were previously missing. At first, only the big three carriers supported RCS messaging. Since then, a lot more have joined in on the fun. more…

In recent years, iOS and macOS have been closer than ever to having feature parity. Nowadays, macOS releases mostly bring features first introduced on the iPhone and iPad, occasionally adding a new twist. However, despite this feature parity, there are some gaps, mostly to do with customization. more…

Earlier this week, T-Mobile announced that you can now register to beta test Starlink connectivity on your mobile phone, with actual testing expected to begin early next year – roughly two years after the initial announcement. more…

Macworld At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros Stylish, colourful graphics Combat feels fast and fluid Multiple difficulty levels available Cons Only available on the Mac App Store No DLC packs currently available Works best with a controller Our Verdict The precise timing needed for the game’s combat and movement can be frustrating if you’re not used to arcade games, but it’s good to see Prince Of Persia back on the Mac, and this latest chapter is one of the best arcade games currently available for the Mac. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Price When Reviewed$39.99 Best Prices Today: Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown Retailer Price Mac App Store $39.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket It’s been a long time since any of the Prince Of Persia games was available on the Mac, and The Lost Crown episode was itself first released for Windows PCs at the start of 2024. However, it’s just appeared on the Mac App Store – with very little fanfare – and is rapidly working its way up Apple’s games chart. For more Mac games recommended by us read: Best Games for Mac. The Lost Crown turns out to be a real blast from the past too, as it’s a side-scrolling ‘metroidvania’ – a game that combines combat and platform-jumping elements from the Metroid and Castlevania arcade games (which were never officially available on the Mac). You don’t need any knowledge of the previous games, though, as The Lost Crown has its own story, in which you play a young warrior called Sargon, who is a member of a group that modestly call themselves The Immortals. The game starts simply enough, with the kingdom of Persia under attack from an enemy army, and Prince Ghassan taken captive and imprisoned on the magical Mount Qaf. Sargon and chums head off to rescue the Prince, but soon discover that Mount Qaf is full of mystical enemies, puzzles and obstacles that have to be overcome. The game uses detailed and colourful graphics that seem to be in 3D – at least for the main characters – but is presented like an old-school 2D platform game where you mostly run left or right across the screen and use the Space bar to jump over obstacles. The game looks great, though, with detailed backgrounds that create a real sense of atmosphere, whether you’re charging along corridors in the royal palace or hacking and slashing your way through a forest. Foundry The only bad news is that the game doesn’t run on Intel Macs, and requires an M1 processor or later, and macOS 12.0 (Monterey) or later. However, the 2D presentation means that it doesn’t need a powerful Mac, and we had no trouble running it with high graphics settings at 4K resolution on a MacBook Pro with an M2 Pro chip. Combat is fairly straightforward during the early stages of the game, with basic and heavy attacks assigned to your mouse buttons, as well as the ability to dodge and parry incoming attacks. The opening section acts as a tutorial that introduces the main moves, but the game also provides five difficulty levels so that newcomers can ease themselves into the action, along with more challenging perma-death and speed-run modes for more experienced players. Combat is fast and fluid, but will probably be easier with a game controller, as I found that parrying attacks using keyboard and mouse controls required very precise timing, and it took me quite a few attempts to slice and dice my way past the first Boss battle at the start of the game. Foundry There aren’t many games on the Mac that also focus on parkour movement like Prince Of Persia, where you have to run, jump and climb with great precision in order to get past various obstacles. This can be tricky too, as you need to hit the Space bar for a quick jump, or press-and-hold to jump higher, and many obstacles require you to rapidly jump left and right in quick succession in order to reach areas that are otherwise out of reach. That’s a bit tricky on a keyboard, so again it might be easier playing with a controller (there is an assist option that can help you out with some of these obstacles, but much of the fun lies in learning to master your combat and movement abilities). As you progress further into the game, you’ll learn to master a magical energy called Athra that gives you more powerful attacks, and you can also find or buy magical amulets that provide additional powers too. And, of course, the traditional calling card of the Prince Of Persia games is the use of ‘time powers’ that allow you to manipulate time in order to escape death or outwit your enemies. Should you buy Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown The need for really precise timing during combat and movement may be frustrating for newcomers, but if you’re a fan of arcade games then The Lost Crown is a great way to re-live your misspent youth. It’s a little annoying, though, that the Mac version currently seems to be exclusive to the Mac App Store, which means that people who already own the PC version on Steam or Epic don’t get access to the Mac version as well (and Steam and Epic also seem to have additional DLC packs that aren’t currently available on the App Store too).

With Christmas now just days away, it’s about time to ‘wrap up’ the holiday shopping season. Everyone is in the midst of hurrying to get their last minute gifts sorted. If you haven’t found something for someone special quite yet, here’s some iPhone-centric accessories and Apple gift ideas. My recommendations are the , SwitchBot Wallet Finder card, , a Continuity Camera mount, and the . More details about these picks after the break … more…

Thanks to a usually-reliable tip off from iPhoneSoft, we may already know device compatibility for Apple’s next major operating system updates coming next year. The report says that every iPhone model that currently supports iOS 18 will also support iOS 19, although like every year, some features may be limited to newer phones. Nevertheless, that means another year of support for iPhones as old as the iPhone XS and XR, first released in 2018. more…