A network of Facebook pages has been advertising fuel filters that are actually meant to be used as silencers, which are heavily regulated by US law. Even US military officials are concerned.

Next year is going to be different: good and bad, but just different.

MacworldAt a glanceExpert's RatingProsExpandable memoryExternal power supplySSD health monitoringRobust housingConsRelatively large enclosureYou must provide your own 2230/2242 NVMe M.2 SSD moduleOur Verdict The Dockcase Smart Magsafe M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure offers crucial professional features, thanks to its external power connection, flexible storage expansion, and integrated SSD health monitoring. These features make the enclosure slightly larger than necessary, but the Dockcase is highly recommended for professional users.Price When ReviewedThis value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefinedBest Pricing TodayPrice When Reviewed59 US-DollarBest Prices Today: Dockcase Smart Magsafe M.2 NVMe SSD-GehuseRetailerPriceKickstarter$59View DealPrice comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwideProductPricePrice comparison from BackmarketSlip in an SSD module into the Dockcase Smart Magsafe M.2 NVMe SSD case, then attach it magnetically to an iPhone 15 Pro or 16 Pro, connect it with a USB-C cable, and the video fun can begin. The Dockcase SSD enclosure enables 4K60Hz ProRes recording directly to the SSD, an ideal solution to conserve internal storage. You can then simply connect the SSD to your Mac or iPad Pro for editing.The enclosure supports compact NVMe M.2 SSDs in 2230 and 2242 formats that you must buy separately. You can get a maximum capacity of 2TB, enough for up to three hours of recording in 4K ProRes. A 1.54-inch 240-by-240 pixel IPS LC display shows real-time details on SSD health and transfer rate. The integrated display may appear playful at first glance, but it offers a wealth of information, especially on SSD health, which is particularly relevant for professionals. A side button can be used to rotate the display by 90 degrees or switch to another display to call up information on the performance and settings of the SSD.The round aluminum housing is compact with a diameter of 59 millimeters and a height of 14.5 millimeters, and weighs just 53 grams. Ventilation slots are integrated around the housing to dissipate heat. Silicon pads on the Magsafe side protect the iPhone and ensure optimized airflow.An integrated power loss protection (PLP) protects the data even in the event of unexpected power failures and backs up the files for up to 3 seconds. In addition, a write-protected mode ensures that important files are not accidentally changed or deleted.The USB 3.2 interface offers a transfer speed of 10Gbps. On the Mac, we measured a respectable 741MBps when writing and 781MBps when reading. Mind you, this was with our very small 128GB SSD. Larger SSDs should be faster.In addition to the USB-C data port, the Dockcase SSD enclosure has an additional USB-C port for the power supply, which supports up to 100 watts. With an external power supply, the USB-C output of the enclosure delivers up to 15 watts, while an alternative version of the device even offers up to 90 watts of output power.Dockcase includes a short USB-C cable, a screwdriver, a Magsafe sticker, and a wrist strap.Should you buy the Dockcase Smart Magsafe M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure?iPhone filmmakers will love the little puck. The Dockcase Smart MagSafe M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure may not be the most compact iPhone SSD storage, but it scores with upgradeability and an external power connectiona real advantage for long shoots, as iPhone runtime can be extended with a power bank.

MacworldYou may have been led to believe that you dont have to worry about computer viruses on your Mac. And, to some extent, theres truth to that. While your Mac can definitely be infected with malware, Apples built-in malware detection and file quarantine capabilities should make it less likely that youll download and run malicious software.Apple introduced malware detection to the macOS back in 2009 with Snow Leopard (Mac OS 10.6) so its been around for a while. This system consists of the quarantine of any app downloaded from the Internet, the use of Code Signing certificates to verify that an app is coming from a legitimate source, and regular security updates that include databases of known malware targeting the macOS.If you want some tips to help you keep your Mac secure from any potential malware read: How to protect your Mac from malware. We also discuss How secure is a Mac and what to do if you think your Mac has a virus separately. Here we will discuss how you can check your Mac for viruses and how to run a Mac virus scan. Read on to find out more. How Apple scans your Mac for viruses and malwareBefore we explain what you need to do, well explain what happens without you hardly having to do a thing. Apple includes antivirus software in macOS that monitors your Mac for malware, blocks malware and removes it if necessary. There are three elements to this: XProtect, Gatekeeper and Notarization.PROMOTIONAntivirus Deal: Intego Mac Premium BundleGet Integos Mac Premium Bundle X9 with antivirus, firewall, backup and system performance tools for just $29.99 (down from $84.99) for the first year. Intego is Macworlds #1 choice of antivirus for Macs.Get Deal1.Apps are checked before they can be installed FoundryApple makes it hard to install an app that might not be safe on a Mac. Mac users can choose to only install apps from the Mac App Store, which is the safest option as it means that the app has been thoroughly checked by Apple before being distributed. Alternatively, there is an option to install apps from the App Store and identified developers. An identified developer is one whose software has been scanned by Apple to ensure it is safe. As long as the app has passed Apples tests it will have a Notarization ticket, which Gatekeeper looks for before telling macOS that it is safe to open.If you only install apps from the Mac App Store, or notarised apps from identified developers, you should be safe, but sticking to the Mac App Store is the safest option as apps on the Mac App Store cant be tampered with. If you want to make sure your Mac can only install apps from the Mac App Store these are the steps to follow: On Ventura or later: Open System Settings. Click on Privacy & Security. Scroll down to Security and select App Store below Allow applications downloaded from.On Monterey or earlier: Open System Preferences. Click on Security & Privacy. Click on General. Under Allow applications downloaded from select App Store. If you prefer to allow installations from outside the Mac App Store follow the same steps but choose App Store and identified developers from the options. If you choose to allow installations from identified developers then Apple will look for evidence that the app is notarized and it will also verify that the app hasnt been tampered with and no malware is present. Unfortunately in the past there have been apps that slipped through this process because a certificate was present, such as the case of the Shlayer malware, but Apple has ramped up security since and changes to notarized apps are pushed out as required.If Gatekeeper detects that the app has no notarization to prove the developer is certified by Apple, a message saying the app cant be opened because of your settings will be displayed. If you know that the software is from a legitimate developer you can override this and open the app. See: How to open a Mac app from an unidentified developer. However, you should be aware that even legitimate software has been known to conceal malware. 2.App Management stops unauthorized apps from making modifications FoundryApp Management is a privacy setting that arrived in macOS Ventura. It is intended to prevent malicious software modifications by watching for attempts by software to modify other apps. If this happens, App Management blocks the modification and alerts the user, who can allow it if applicable.This means that apps can only be updated by the developer of that app. A modification from anyone else will be blocked. In System Settings there is an option in Privacy & Security for App Management. Users see details of any activity that has been blocked here and can allow the applications to update or delete other applications if they feel that it isnt malicious behavior. 3.XProtect blocks malware from running Even if the developer is recognized by Apple, the software will still be checked against a list of known malware in XProtect. XProtect will scan an app the first time it launches and it will scan the app every time there is an update issued for it. Updates to XProtect are pushed out frequently and macOS automatically checks for updates dailya Mac user doesnt even need to do anything as these updates are separate to macOS updates. This means that even the newest malware should be identified by XProtect, although Apple isnt always as fast at getting this information updated as other antivirus solutions are. See our round-up of the Best Antivirus for Mac, which features Intego as our number one choice. If malware is identified the app will be blocked and a message will appear giving the option to delete the software. To take full advantage of XProtect you need to be running macOS Catalina (10.15) or later, but we would advise that, because Apple only supports the last three versions of macOS, you will be safest if you are running macOS Monterey, Ventura or Sonoma. You should make sure your Mac is set to receive these updates automatically by following these steps: In Ventura or later:Open System Settings. Go to General > Software Update. Click on the i beside Automatic updates and check that Install Security Responses and System Files is selected. In Monterey or older:Open System Preferences. Click on Software Update.Click on Advanced. Make sure the box beside Install system data files and security updates is selected. 4.Malware is removed by XProtect RemediatorFoundryWhen malware is identified on a Mac the user sees an alert suggesting that the affected app has been moved to the trash. The user is also asked to alert others to the malware, which they can do automatically. This doesnt mean it is entirely down to the user to delete the app and remove the malware though. The removal used to involve a separate Malware Removal Tool (MRT) found in /Library/System, but it wasnt an app users could run. However, since macOS Monterey MRT was replaced by an XProtect Remediator that scans for and removes malware. XProtect Remediator will scan your Mac at least once a day or more, and is updated much more frequently than MRT wassince MRT is no longer updated it is a good reason to make sure you are running macOS Catalina or later. XProtect Remediator will attempt to remedy or remove malware.5.The developer loses certificate and app loses notarization If an app had been notorized by Apple but malware is identified that developer will lose the certificate that allows them to distribute apps and the app will lose its notarization.This change to the notarization is then pushed to other Mac users so that Gatekeeper knows not to allow that app to be opened. macOS checks for XProtect updates daily, but Notarization updates are issued even more frequently, so if malware is detected, or an app loses its Notarization, Mac users should quickly be protected. Is Apples protection enough?FoundryIf Mac users rely solely on XProtect and Apples other protections there are limitations in comparison to other anti-malware solutions, which are updated more regularly and have teams of specialists working on identifying malware.The protection offered by XProtect is also more basic than that of third-party anti-malware apps that can also protect you from phishing, social networking scams, and they can protect your Windows using friends. We make various recommendations in our test of the top Mac antivirus apps. XProtect is updated more frequently than it waswhich was one of the main criticismsbut other malware apps check for malware constantly. XProtect only checks for malware when an app is downloaded for the first time, if the app is updated and if the status of the developer signature or app notarization changes. Apples protections should keep your Mac free from most malicious software, but they do not make it impossible for malicious software to be installed on your Mac. If new malware is released today and you download and run it today you will have done so before Apples databases could have been updated. So its always best to be wise when downloading software from unknown sources.As we argue in a separate article: Macs do need antivirus software despite Apples protections in macOS. How to run a Mac virus scanmacOS will automatically scan your Mac for any malware definitions that features in XProtect, you cant force it to do this. If you wish to enhance the protection to include other kinds of malware and scan for Windows viruses so there is no danger of passing them on, then you would be wise to install a third-party anti-malware app. There are lots of third-party apps that can to scan your Mac for viruses, including some free options and many that offer a free trial period. Before you can scan your Mac for viruses you may need to visit the Privacy & Security in System Settings or Security & Privacy in System Preferences to allow access. For example, in the case of Avira we had to click on Allow to let it scan our system. You will also need to allow Full Disk Access, which can also be done in Privacy & Security. Initiating a virus scan is an easy process that usually begins with the user clicking a Scan or Smart Scan button.Expect the scan to take a while if there is a lot of data on your Mac. These are the steps we went through to run a scan with Avira Free Security for Mac (read our review):FoundryDownload Avira Avira Free Security for Mac here.Find the installer in your Downloads folder. Click on it. The installer window will open. Double-click on the Avira Security Installer. Click on Open. The installer will open. Click Accept & Install. Wait while it installs. Press Command and Spacebar and start typing Avira to find and open Avira Free Security. You need to allow the software to scan your Mac (this is the case with all antivirus apps), so click Open Full Disk Access. A System Settings window will open in Full Disk Access. You need to make sure that the slider beside both Avira Scan Service and Avira Security Helper is on. Enter your password to allow this. Now you can run a scan for viruses. Click on the Start Smart Scan button and wait. You can then choose to Fix issues and the Scan will remove some cookies and free up some gigabytes of space without you needing to pay anything. When we ran Avira it didnt find any viruses, but it did find 487 tracking cookies and indicated that we could free up 2.13 GB of space. If you do encounter any viruses there is a free 60-day trial, so you could take advantage of the trial and then cancel it before the 60 days are up and the subscription period starts. FoundryBest free Mac Antivirus Here is our pick of the best free Antivirus options if you dont want to pay to scan your Mac for viruses. Avast Free AntivirusAVG Antivirus for the Mac.Bitdefender Virus Scanner for Mac.Avira Free Security for MacIntego VirusBarrier ScannerEach month we track the best Antivirus for Mac deals as well. Best apps to check a Mac for viruses The best antivirus protection is paid for though. We have lots of options in our round up of the best antivirus solutions for Mac, here are few:1. Intego Mac Internet Security X9Price When Reviewed:39,99 Euro im ersten JahrBest Prices Today: RetailerPriceIntego39,99 View DealPrice comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwideProductPricePrice comparison from Backmarket39,99 at IntegoIntego Mac Internet Security X9 offers a useful set of security utilities that help keep your Mac safe and running smoothly and its user-friendly interface is right at home with Apples macOS aesthetic.Read our full Intego Mac Internet Security X9 review 2. AVG Antivirus for MacAVG Internet Security for Mac catches an impressive amount of viral, phishing, and malware activity for a consumer package, and does its job well, all while wrapped in a bright, friendly user interface thats easy to navigate.Read our full AVG Antivirus for Mac review 3. Avast Premium SecurityThis suite offers a good suite of tools at a good price. The best functions such as VPN, disk cleanup, and anti-tracking tools are only available on the Ultimate subscription tier.Read our full Avast Premium Security review 4. McAfee Total ProtectionMcAfee Total Protection offers some good tools with good background protection and customization as well as an easy means of keeping your devices secure.Read our full McAfee Total Protection review

MacworldIn 2024, Apple released a ton of new features in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15 Sequoia, and watchOS 12. Many of those features are the kind that Ive ben wanting for a while, such as iPhone Mirroring on macOS Sequoia and native ChatGPT support on iOS 18.But while Apple did address the concerns of many users with it releases, there still remain several features that remain on the wish list. With a new year coming and WWDC six months away, Im looking forward to what Apple has in storeand hopefully, the new features that the company reveals fulfill my wish list. Here is what Im hoping Apple will introduce in its software in 2025.iOS 19Apple Intelligence in iOS 18 has been a bit of a disappointment. The AI suite hasnt fully materialized yet and its overall execution is underwhelming compared to the competition. With iOS 19, I hope Apple starts taking artificial intelligence more seriously.This could be through advanced photo editing functionalities beyond the rudimentary Clean Up tool. It could also port Safaris webpage summarization feature to the News app, as thats where millions of users read their daily dose of articles. Additionally, Apple could get more creative and add a dedicated image generator in the Wallpaper settings, letting users easily create and opt for unique looks through text prompts. Its not like the recent default offerings are much better than AI art.AI-based image generation seems like a fit for iOSs wallpaper offerings.FoundryThe point is injecting Apple Intelligence deeply into the system, rather than offering it as a thin layer that complements the existing OS. A dedicated Siri app would also be a welcome iOS 19 addition, where users would get to view their chat history or have audio conversations like OpenAIs Advanced Voice. A Siri icon already exists on macOSall we need now is the app itself.Besides AI upgrades, I hope iOS 19 supercharges the Action button by letting users assign multiple tasks. While this is already achievable with the Shortcuts app, a native execution would be superior. A light click could trigger an action, two consecutive light clicks could initiate a different task, while the existing long press would activate a third option. Right now, even with Shortcuts, we are limited to the long press, which, in my opinion, wastes the buttons potential.Another iOS feature I hope we see in 2025 is a Spotify Connect equivalent for Apple Music. The former company has offered its tool for years across all sorts of different operating systems, while Apple struggles to develop a similar solution for its so-called seamless ecosystem. Handoff from iPhone to HomePod is not it.Lastly, the option to manually add QR codes to Apple Wallet would be welcome. Right now, its possible to generate custom Wallet cards, but that requires relying on and sending potentially sensitive data to third parties.The revival of Boot Camp would be a huge victory for Mac users.FoundrymacOS 16macOS in its current form gets the job done for me, and nothing about it actively bothers me. Nevertheless, there are some perks Apple should add with macOS 16 to further enrich it. For starters, an overhauled Launchpad is long overdue. The firm could adopt an App Library-like approach to streamline the Mac and iPhone. This would also spare users from manually organizing several pages of apps and needing to create folders accordingly.Cosmetics aside, now that Windows supports ARM, Apple should revive Boot Camp, which was killed on M-powered Macs. While excellent virtualization alternatives like Parallels exist, a first-party option would be better optimized and free to use.To simplify macOS (and boost paid iCloud subscriptions), Apple should also bring iCloud device backups to the Mac. This would let users at least back up their preferences to the cloud, and optionally include their files if they dont outweigh the storage quota.iPadOS 19Right now, it feels like the iPad is stuck in limbo. It neither works like an iPhone or a Mac. Despite the iPad Pro packing the mighty M4 chip, it continues to operate like a stretched iPhone of sorts.While I know it likely wont happen during my lifetime, I wish iPadOS 19 would support installing DMG files. Or, at the very least (and to maintain its tight grip), let users download optimized Mac apps on the App Store to their iPads. Through this radical change, the flagship iPads would finally make the most out of their processors and better compete against tablets running full-fledged versions of Windows.A clearer identity for the iPad would be ideal for 2025.Mahmoud ItaniiPadOS 19 should redesign the Notification Center to take advantage of the large display. One resembling the Macs right-side panel would complement the tablet. Alternatively, it could merge it with the Control Center, as the latter doesnt utilize the full-screen real estate, either.Beyond that, I often wish Apple would offer a Books+ subscription service, rivaling the likes of Amazon Kindle Unlimited. Having thousands of options to read from for a fair monthly fee would encourage me to use its app more.watchOS 12Apple has explicitly stated that its not interested in supporting third-party watch faces, as it fears newer OS updates would break them. Well, I have an alternative in mind. What if watchOS 12 would at least let users mix and match between multiple first-party faces by picking the font, style, structure, etc., through a somewhat basic face builder in the iPhones Watch app? This would preserve Apples control over face components and performance while letting users properly customize their smartwatches beyond their restricted looks.As a digital nomad living alone in a foreign country, I also hope watchOS 12 introduces a feature like the Google Pixel Watch 3s ability to detect loss of pulse and automatically call emergency services. Apple often boasts about its lifesaving devices, and such an addition would make many of us feel more at ease.Third-party watch faces are a longshot, but how about expanded customization tools to make the supplied watch faces more unique?Mahmoud ItaniwatchOS 12 should also better utilize the data Apple Watch collects during workouts, everyday activities, and sleep. Many third-party apps already offer more advanced analysis of ones overall well-being and body battery, while watchOS 11 continues to restrict users to a basic Vitals app.Refining the imperfectionsiOS, macOS, iPadOS, and watchOS have matured. At this point, they all offer the main feature sets users generally expect from them. The iPhone is one of the best-selling smartphones because it excels at what it does. Similarly, the Mac helps countless creatives, professionals, and students perform everyday tasks reliably. Despite that, there are still plenty of missing features that could complement Apples platforms and push them forward.None of the absent options are a dealbreaker to me, as my devices serve me as intended. However, by expanding their capabilities more and bundling quality-of-life improvements, it further refines the ecosystem many consumers fail to flee and potentially attracts those relying on other operating systems.Ultimately, well find out what Apple has in store for us in June when it previews iOS 19, watchOS 12, macOS 16, and iPadOS 19 during WWDC25s opening keynote.

In recent months,companies have been forcing workers back into the office with increasing frequency. Annoyingly, many of these are big tech businesses that can most easily enable their workers to work remotely.This trend,likely to continue in 2025, costs workers real money. AsWashington Postcolumnist Catherine Rampell succinctly pointed out: Return-to-office mandates are, effectively, an invisible pay cut.Sure, it doesnt show up as a line on your pay stub, but you save real money when you work from home.You no longer have an hour-long commute to workand all the costs that come with it. You can also choose to live (and work) somewhere far less expensive anywhere with a decent Internet connection.All this adds up to serious cash savings.How much? Well, the numbers vary from person to person and job to job, but American workers value working from home even two or three days a week at an estimated8% of their pay.According to Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford University economist and remote-work researcher, more educated workers and those with kids at home value working from home even more. They equate the option is worth up to 15% of their salary.Actually, the parents are underestimating how much childcare costs. According to the most recent survey from Care, a child care site, respondentsspent 24% of their household income on childcare. Even cutting a few hours from that is a big savings.Its not just workers who see savings. That commute savings? ANational Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) study in 2023 found that cutting down on commute time remotely saves employees, on average, 72 minutes each day. In turn, employees return 40% of that time to their employer.Lets get to the bottom line. One Stanford study showed that remote employees were22% more productive than their stay-in-the-office colleagues. AndGlobal Workplace Analyticsestimates that organizations save an average of $11,000 per year per part-time telecommute, or 21% higher profitability.Why? There are lots of reasons. Remote workers are happier workers, for instance. One study found that65% of remote workers were extremely satisfied with their jobs, compared to 34% of office-based employees.Other studies show similar results. A YouGov survey foundthat 36% of US employees would prefer to work entirely remotely, given the choice more than any other work model. And a recent Gallup survey found that six in 10 employees with remote-capable jobs want a hybrid work arrangement. Aboutone-third prefer fully remote work, and less than 10% prefer to work on-site.To state the obvious: Happy employees are productive employees.Another win for business is that remote workcan help retain talent and reduce recruitment and training costs. Lets also not forget that if someone is working in Asheville, NC, their cost of living is 73% lower than if they worked in San Francisco. And that, my friends, is why no one has yet to talk me into moving to the Bay area for a job. I and other remote workers are a lot cheaper to hire when you let us work from home.So, why are businesses insisting people return to the office anyway?CEOs say its about increasing productivity, generating better ideas from collaboration, and improving the corporate culture. If you can believe it, some top brass claim that its for your own good. As IBMs CEO, Arvind Krishna, put it, In the short term, you probably can be equally productive[working remotely], but your career does suffer.Yeah, right. For the record, Ive been working remotely for the entire 21st century, and Ive done very well for myself in a notoriously difficult field: Journalism.So, whats the real reason? Well, if you look closely enough, you will see that, in many cases, its not about getting better work from their employees.Some of it is that managers want to watch employees. Youll see this from the lowest supervisor to Elon Musk, who infamously calls working from home bullshit. No matter the job title, its all about petty power games.Its also about making more money, but not for the given reasons.For example, suppose a company is tied to shareholders with large corporate real estate portfolios or is entangled with iron-clad long-term leases. In that case, it wants some return from its otherwise useless corporate offices.Office space is no small matter. Theres abillion-plus square feet of vacant office spaceout there at the moment losing money.Another, and I suspect the biggest reason, is that many companies want to get rid of employees. Of course, if they lay them off, then they must deal with bad PR and unemployment. Its much more cost-effective and looks better if they can get remote employees just to quit rather than return to their cubicles.In the long run, this will bite these companies in the rump. The future of white-collar work is remote. For now, though, I fear we will see this trend of forcing people either back into the office or out the door to continue.Me? Sorry, youll never get me back into an office.

Continuing education has always been important for IT professionals, but the need to keep your skill set up to date is now more important than ever.While its easy to look to enterprise vendors or independent operations suchCompTIA as sources for training and certification, the options for IT pros tasked with managing Macs, iPhones, and other Apple devices arent as well-known. But there are plethora of resources out there, if you know where to look.Apples own resourcesObviously, the first place to look for training is directly from Apple, which maintains multiple resources for IT professionals including a couple of certifications. Heres a rundown of those you should know about.WWDCLets start with the one everyone knows about, which is Apples Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) held every June. The event has become an Apple keynote event in its own right, and while most of the content is intended for Apple developers, it always includes at least a few sessions for IT pros; the exact numbervaries each year, but the Whats New in Managing Apple Devices is a perennial option. Some years there are several others, such as when Appleunveiled declarative device managementorsign in with Apple at work, or when the company opened up about how to useManaged Apple accountsin your organization.The topics vary, but theyre almost always a must-have option to explore every year.Apple Developer Resources. Apple makes loads of additional information available to its developer community. Again, much of it isnt strictly IT-focused, but there are a surprising number of useful references if youre willing to do some digging.These include:Device Management This istheresource on how to manage Apple devices. There are overviews and detailed descriptions of mobile device management (MDM) payloads and everything in between.Whats new in Apple platform deployment As the name suggests, this is also a must-know resource, because it covers the basic information abouthow to deploy Apple devices at scaleacross all of the companys device lineup.ManagedAppDistribution This is used for managing apps once youve enrolled andbegun to deploy apps across your fleet.AppleSeed for IT This is where youset up and manage the testing of Apples beta programswithin your organization. Ive more than once noted how partnering with adventurous employees can help you moreeffectively test and plan for upcoming releases; this is the place to get started.Apple Business Essential user guide For small or medium-size businesses (SMBs), Apple offers an in-house device management solution calledApple Business Essentials. For IT pros new to Apple devices, this is a great starting place, regardless of the size of your organization and it serves as a stepping stone to Apple Business Manager, which all larger organizations and MDM solutions will require.Apple Training Apple doesnt offer the breadth of IT training and certification it once did (and that other enterprise players continue to offer). Regardless, the companydoesoffersignificant training resources. These break down into developer training (as a class with no certification and intended for budding developers, enterprise or not) and IT training. For IT training there are four categories, only two of which offer certifications. The first two device support and deployment training are the ones for which Apple provides study materials and related exercises as well as a certification exam that can be proctored online. The other two Mac Security Compliance and Apple Business Essentials are incredibly useful courses (the latter is especially important for SMBs) but dont come with a certification exam or credential attached.Apple developer documentation and support Again, Apples developer documentation is well worth studying, but its developer support forums (and support forums) focused on the enterprise community are also important resources.MDM and cloud vendor resourcesAlthough Apple provides incredible device and user management capabilities across its platforms, implementing them largely requires working with one or more MDM vendors includingJAMF,Kandji, Microsoft, VMWare,Fleet,JumpCloudandSimpleMDM, to name a few.There are two aspects to consider: the vendor that will actually be providing the management tools and the cloud-based identity management with which theyll need to federate (generally from Microsoft or Google, but potentially also from companies likePingIdentityandOAuth).Into this mix, add the range of managed service providers, consultants, and trainers that are often part of the selection, deployment and management of enterprise systems including those focused on Apple IT.Although the exact resources and guidance will often be dictated but your vendor relationships and infrastructure, many websites vendors, MSPs, and others offer an amazing wealth of information that is freely available.Vendor certificationsJust as Apple offers its own certifications, so do most MDM vendors that work with the company. Some of these are very in-depth and product-specific; others are broader and focused on integrating various enterprise and cloud solutions to achieve a secure, managed environment.CompTIACompTIAis an industry trade group that offers many vendor-agnostic enterprise certifications. That list doesnt include a certification specific to Apple, but it does include several that any Apple IT pro should consider Mobility+ being the most Apple/MDM-focused.The Mac Admins Foundation One of the most wide-ranging resources for Apple IT pros is the Mac Admins Foundatation, a nonprofit focused on providing resources to the Apple IT community. Its offerings break down largely into a handful of key resources. The first is the MacAdmins slack channel which is probably the biggest community for learning and sharing Apple IT knowledge on the planet. Alongside this is the Mac Admins Open Source Project on GitHub and the Mac Admins Podcast.The Mac Admins and Mac SysAdmin conferences There are two major annual conferences that combined provide the biggest resource available to Apple IT pros whether they can attend or not. These are theMac Admins Conference, held every summer in Pennsylvania, and theMac SysAdmin conference, which takes place each fall in Sweden. Both conferences (and the vendors and presenters involved with them) put virtually all of the content online for free access, either as videos or slide decks or additional documentation from specific sessions. Dont underestimate how useful these events and their content are as resources.Vendor user conferencesIve already highlighted the resources vendors can offer in terms of documentation and certification, but many also have their own user and/or developer conferences. The best-known is probably JAMFs annual JNUC conference (typically in mid-to-late fall), but Microsoft and VMWare events (those focused on mobile and others) are also worth researching. In general, vendors make conference content freely available and theres value exploring it, even if it comes from a company whose products youre not planning to use.Online blogs, newsletters and podcastsIt often seems like many IT pros charged with managing Apple hardware sort of stumble onto the extensive range of online blogs, columns, newsletters, and podcasts that are out there; some come from vendors, but many admins and authors provide great insights into how best to use all of these technologies on a daily basis. Its impossible for me to cover all of these additional sources, but the following is a list of those I subscribe to and find the most useful.9 to 5 Macs Apple @ Work column and podcastsAlan Sius BlogDan K. Nelsons BlogDer FlounderHCS Technology Group Technical ArticlesKandji Blogmacadmin.fraserhess.comMacAdmins.newsMichael Tsais BlogmotionbugRadical Admin BlogScripting OS XSecret ChestSystems Management SquadThe Big MacAdmin BlogThe Eclectic Light CompanyThe Mac Security BlogTidBITS

A new industrial facility in suburban Seattle is giving off a whiff of futuristic technology. It can safely treat fecal waste from people and livestock while recycling nutrients that are crucial for agriculture but in increasingly short supply across the nations farmlands.Within the 2.3-acre plant, which smells lightly of ammonia, giant rotating spindles turn steaming-hot septic sludge and biosolids from local wastewater treatment plants into what an engineer calls poop crepes. Giant scrapers then deposit the baked biomatter onto a combination conveyor belt and dryer to yield a growing pile of sterilized fertilizer. The waste-processing method uses compressed steam generated in an earlier step, cutting the electricity needed by 95%. Besides the dry fertilizer, the process yields nearly pure ammonia and water.This system, called Varcor, was designed by the Seattle engineering firm Sedron Technologies and is owned by the SanFranciscobased company Generate Upcycle. Wastewater treatment plants across the country are using high heat, composting, and devices akin to pressure cookers to transform leftover biomass into rich fertilizers, mulches, and other soil additives with names like Bloom and TAGRO (short for Tacoma Grow). Some process the wastewater in a separate step to extract phosphorusan essential plant nutrient and a common element in the human dietand layer it to form round pellets, in a technique a bit like building pearls. This technology, developed by a St. Louisbased company called Ostara, creates a slow-release fertilizer that can be sold back to farmers.We love tackling the yuck factor head-on, says the CEO of Epic Cleantec, which transforms wastewater into clean water and a natural soil additive.Even portable toilets can be vehicles for nutrient recovery, through nitrogen-capturing methods developed by peecycling groups like the Rich Earth Institute and Wasted in Vermont and by Sanitation360 AB in Sweden. Because our protein-rich diets contain abundant nitrogen, the element can be readily recycled from both urine and feces.Making fertilizer from the nutrients that we and other animals excrete has a long and colorful history; for generations it helped Indigenous cultures around the world create exceptionally fertile soil. These systems fell out of favor in Western culture, but researchers and engineers have joined advocates in reframing feces, urine, and their ingredients as invaluable natural resources to reuse instead of waste products to burn or bury. Several companies are now showing how to safely scale up the transformation with energy-efficient technologies. We love tackling the yuck factor head-on, says Aaron Tartakovsky, cofounder and CEO of Epic Cleantec, which uses a chemical reaction and heat to transform wastewater into clean water and a natural soil additive. A small sample of the truckloads of waste being transformed into dry fertilizer.BRYN NELSONA recent review in the Journal of Environmental Management, in fact, touts wastewater treatment plants as renewable biological nitrogen mines that can supply the essential but expensive component from reclaimed sewage sludge at a time when many farmers are finding it harder to obtain. Sewage can, the authors conclude, become an important raw material for the sustainable production of organic-mineral fertilizers from renewable resources available locally, with a low carbon footprint. Extracting nitrogen and phosphorus for reuse can also help remove those pollutants from the plants outflow and reduce the amount of organic matter destined for landfills and manure lagoons, which store and manage huge concentrations of livestock waste. Reinserting ourselves into natures recycling system, in other words, could help us meet the planets growing food needs without unduly fouling the environment.The Varcor system heats the incoming poop and separates it into solid matter and vapor. A process called mechanical vapor recompression allows the compressed steam to be reused as a heat source while the water and ammonia vapor are separated and distilled. The conveyor belt/dryer carries the remaining solids to the giant crepe-making spindles and then into a waiting truck below. The plant is now selling three to four truckloads of this dry fertilizer to farms every week. Stanley Janicki, chief revenue officer for Sedron Technologies, says several companies are also interested in using the ammonia product to make fertilizer instead of deriving it from fossil fuels.It could be really exciting to have a technology like this work if it can help us close the environmental loops on fertilizers and clean water access, Kimberly Worsham, founder and CEO of the sanitation and hygiene consulting agency FLUSH (an acronym for facilitated learning for universal sanitation and hygiene), says of Varcor. I love seeing new technologies coming on that can revolutionize how we use and reuse. But Worsham worries that managing such complex technology could prove unsustainable if it doesnt attract enough workers with the necessary skills.Securing regulatory permits and licenses could also pose challenges. When I look at why this has not been done before, it has very little to do with the technology, says Tartakovsky. It has everything to do with the regulatory framework.Many existing regulations, advocates say, simply never contemplated the potential for wastewater to generate useful products instead of pollutants. The water released by the Varcor plant, for example, is clean enough to be reused, but local officials are proceeding cautiously. To meet discharge regulations, the plant is sending its outflow to a nearby wastewater treatment plant instead of an adjacent wetland.Despite the challenges, the underlying technology is spreading: Two Midwestern dairies have adopted the system, and a third is working on it. Janicki says the biggest one installed, in Indiana, is five times the size of the Seattle-area septic conversion system, with the potential to convert 250 million gallons a year of cow manure into reusable water, organic fertilizer, and ammonia. The energy-efficient transformation of waste into naturally derived products could eliminate greenhouse-gas emissions from stored manure and traditional fertilizer production while offsetting the energy needed to run the farm.Waste-to-fertilizer strategies, even if scaled up, wont be enough on their own to help feed the planets burgeoning population. By viewing people as not only consumers but also producers, however, they could help us take far better advantage of some underrated natural assets that wont run dry anytime soon. Bryn Nelson is a Seattle-based science writer and the author of Flush: The Remarkable Science of an Unlikely Treasure.

Each year, about half a million Americans are diagnosed with Clostridioides difficile, a common bacterial infection of the large intestine. Only some patients respond to antibiotics. Infection recurs in about 20% of patients and proves fatal in about 30,000 cases annually.But there is a highly effective, albeit unconventional, treatment: fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), which involves transplanting healthy stool into a patients gut. Although FMT is approved in many countries, access is still limited. In Europe, for example, only one in 10 patients with recurrent C. difficile is able to get FMT treatment.Access for children is especially challenging. Most banks collect samples only from adults, and transplanting them into children may cause unwanted side effects. Nikhil Pai, a pediatric gastroenterologist at McMaster Childrens Hospital and associate professor at McMaster University, is helping to change things. In 2022, he set up the first pediatric stool bank in Canada. Since then, the bank has stored more than 150 samples and completed five FMT procedures in children. Pai is collaborating with other researchers on designing oral crapsules to make treatment easier.Managing a stool bank: Pai and his colleagues take on multiple roles to keep the bank running. They recruit and screen donors, catalogue the samples, store them in a freezer at 80 C,and fundraise to keep the effort going. The bank also provides stool to researchers testing FMT as a treatment for other diseases. Theres a lot of different roles that weve taken on to be able to do this, Pai says.From donation to treatment: The bank recruits donors throughout the hospital. The healthy siblings of patients or children of hospital staff are eager to help. There is a very strong sense of citizenship that leads children to want to volunteer, he says.To ensure that their stool is healthy, donors are screened via a questionnaire and a blood test. Their stool is also tested for infectious diseases like HIV, SARS-CoV-2, and hepatitis. The bank matches each new patient with healthy stool from a donor of the same age and sex. The treatment is delivered via enema. Pai says theres an 80% success rate after one treatment and more than 90% after a second.Easing access: Pai says its crucial to fund stool banks so patients dont need to travel far for treatment. And hes hopeful that oral crapsules will make life easier for patients. Rather than needing to travel to a hospital with specialized personnel for an enema or endoscopy, they could take these like any other pill. One day, the treatment could extend to a range of other drug-resistant infections and gut diseases. Simon Spichak is a freelance science, health, and tech journalist based in Toronto.

Apple Fitness+ kicks off the new year with its biggest lineup of programming, bringing users more ways to stay active and mindful in 2025.