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- Friday September 27
- 09:00 amHow to stop your Mac from persistent ‘restarted because of a problem’ alerts
Macworld macOS recognizes when it’s been restarted without a proper shutdown or restart operation from the menu. When that happens, you see a dialog at startup that tells you that “Your computer was restarted because of a problem,” and offers to let you send a report to Apple. There are lots of reasons that your Mac can restart, including a power failure, and you typically know why it happened. But for some people, every time they restart their Mac after that, whether using > Shutdown or > Restart, they see the same error. They know everything’s all right, why doesn’t macOS? This dialog should only appear the first time you restart after a problem. This dialog should only appear the first time you restart after a problem.Apple This dialog should only appear the first time you restart after a problem.Apple Apple The answer is a diagnostic file that can be left in rare circumstances after the problematic restart has resolved itself. You can fix this problem easily enough: In the Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder. Enter exactly the following and press Return: /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports Look for any file starting with the word Sleep and ending with .diag Delete those files and empty the trash (Finder > Empty Trash). On your next regular restart, the alert will not appear. This Mac 911 article is in response to a question submitted by Macworld reader Henri. Ask Mac 911 We’ve compiled a list of the questions we get asked most frequently, along with answers and links to columns: read our super FAQ to see if your question is covered. If not, we’re always looking for new problems to solve! Email yours to mac911@macworld.com, including screen captures as appropriate and whether you want your full name used. Not every question will be answered; we don’t reply to emails, and we cannot provide direct troubleshooting advice.08:35 amNext-gen Vision Pro with M5 chip will support Apple Intelligence
Apple's next-gen Vision Pro might retain the same design, but pack significant performance boosts thanks to an M5 chip. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)08:15 amSanDisk G-RAID Mirror review: Fast, safe hard drive storage and lots of it
Macworld At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros Up to 48TB of capacity Supports JBOD and RAID 0 striping/RAID 1 mirroring Faster sustained HDD transfers than you might guess Pro-Blade Transport port can hit 900MBps Cons Mirroring cuts advertised capacity in half Pro-Blade SSDs limited to 10Gbps Pricey per TB in lower-capacity models Our Verdict If you need a lot of storage in a single box, the Thunderbolt 3 G-RAID Mirror dual-HDD delivers at speeds that might surprise you. The box also accepts SanDisk’s Pro-Blade SSD modules for on/offloading and backup. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today WD’s G-RAID Mirror is an external enclosure housing two 3.5-inch hard drives. It provides up to 48TB of storage with the drives in striped (RAID 0) mode, or half that in mirror mode RAID 1. It also provides a Pro Blade SSD port for SanDisk’s modular NVMe SSDs. What you may not realize if you haven’t been around a 3.5-inch HDD in a while: They’re a whole lot faster than they used to be. In RAID 0, the G-RAID Mirror can deliver data at over 400MBps. This is not your father’s RAID box. Further reading: See our roundup of the best external drives to learn about competing products. G-RAID Mirror features The G-RAID Mirror is a handsome, dark gray, Thunderbolt 3, two-drive external enclosure available in capacities up to 48TB/24TB (striped/mirrored). The unit measures 5.24 x 8.27 x 4.06 inches (13.30 x 21.00 x 10.21 centimeters). It can weigh up to 7 pounds (3.17 kilograms) depending on the drives inside. Standing on non-skid feet, there’s little chance of this drive dancing around the desktop. The four hex bolts on each side hide anchor points for attaching the unit to a Digital Imaging Technician cart or adding other hardware. The back of the G-RAID Mirror is home to two Thunderbolt 3 ports (1 computer, 1 pass-through, see below) as well as the RAID configuration double dip switch (JBOD, RAID 0/1). That means the RAID is onboard, which I prefer over the software variety as it’s portable across operating systems without installing said software. There’s also a button to adjust the front LED light. The front of the drive is home to only the aforementioned LED light, and the removable front grate that allows access to the hard drives for upgrade or replacement. Note that because of the fantastic amount of capacity, rebuilding a RAID 1 array can take a very long time — two hours per terabyte. By far the most unusual feature of the G-RAID Mirror is its Pro-Blade Transport slot. The somewhat pricey Pro-Blade Transport modules are NVMe SSDs in proprietary enclosures that slide into the slot. They’re super handy for uploading, offloading, and backup, and are fast enough that you could boot from them. However, the Pro Blade system is 20Gbps USB 3.2×2, and current Thunderbolt (Mac and Windows) implementations don’t support USB 3.2×2 at 20Gbps, dropping it to 10Gbps. Still fast, but not optimal. Thunderbolt 3/4 does support 20Gbps USB 4, though, so I’m confused as to why SanDisk didn’t choose USB 4 for the Pro-Blade Transport, or even Thunderbolt 3. Especially as Mac users seem to be the intended audience. As this drive is largely aimed at the Apple/video production crowd, the G-RAID Mirror ships formatted to APFS. A single 24TB RAID 1 volume was in our test unit’s case. There is no software on the drive as you’ll find with most 2.5-inch hard drives. The high-capacity HDD conundrum While external 3.5-inch hard drives can be ultra capacious (trust me, it’s a hoot to see a 48TB drive on your desktop), holding so much more data than other media also makes them difficult to back up. The only media of acceptable speed capable of holding the same amount of data is, yup, another hard drive. Consequently, the easiest way to avoid data loss from hard drive failure is mirroring it to another hard drive (RAID 1), or split it among multiple hard drives in another type of fault tolerant RAID. How you set the G-RAID Mirror will depend on whether it’s a primary or secondary repository. If it’s just one component in a larger storage scheme, and backed up (macOS RAID for instance), then running it at full-capacity striped RAID 0 is fine. However, if it’s a solo repository, you’ll want to run it at half-capacity, mirrored RAID 1. Alas, mirroring tends to kill a hard drive’s price advantage over the far faster, far more physically robust, and more reliable SSDs. Not entirely, but the difference is drastically reduced. A handy segue into… How much does the G-RAID Mirror cost? The G-RAID Mirror is available in (striped/mirrored) 12TB/6TB, 16TB/8TB, 24TB/12TB, 36TB/18TB, 44TB/22TB, 48TB/24TB capacities for $660, $750, $1,000, $1,200, $1,400, and $1,600, respectively, in the U.S. Part of the reason for the higher-than-normal pricing is the Thunderbolt 3 connectivity. Note the Pro Blade port on the front of the G-RAID Mirror. Note the Pro Blade port on the front of the G-RAID Mirror. Note the Pro Blade port on the front of the G-RAID Mirror. That works out to $55/$110, $46.88/$93.76, $41.67/$83.33, $33.33/$66.66, $31.82/$63.64, $33.33/$66.66 (striped/mirrored) per terabyte. As you can see, the 44TB unit is the sweet spot in terms of price per terabyte. Last we checked, 4TB and smaller SSDs were down to around $70 per terabyte, though the larger 8TB models were still over $100 per TB. Keep that in mind when deciding on your storage plan of attack. If you’re not interested in the current Pro Blade system, then a cheaper USB 3.x RAID enclosure such as the WD (SanDisk’s owner) MyBook Duo is an option. How does theG-RAID Mirror perform? The 48TB G-RAID Mirror that SanDisk sent me arrived configured in RAID 1 (mirroring) — as you’d expect given the name. I tested it in that mode, as well as in RAID 0 to see just what it’s capable of. (Spoiler alert: a lot more.) I also tested the Pro Blade as I had two modules on hand, and put all three through PCWorld’s test suite for good measure. The result of all these tests means there are a lot of captures and images to wade through below. If you want to avoid that, the summary is that sequential throughput with the hard drives is between 175MBps and 210MBps in RAID 1, and 350MBps and 410MBps in RAID 0. The Pro Blade reads and writes around 800MBps, well below the 1.8GBps it manages over USB 3.2×2 on a Windows PC. In practical terms, however, even the HDDs in RAID 1 are fast enough for at least an 8K video stream, and probably several. With the Pro Blade on board, which mounts as a separate drive, you can accommodate even higher bandwidth scenarios. Sustained throughput is much better than with external 2.5-inch hard drives, especially in RAID 0. However, as you’ll see, if you want fast seek times, these are not the drives you seek. G-RAID Mirror RAID 0 results G-RAID Mirror RAID 1 results The RAID 1 results are significantly slower, but you’ll still want to use this RAID mode (1) if the G-RAID Mirror is not going to be otherwise backed up. WD SanDisk Professional Pro Blade results for reference Finally, the Pro Blade test results are about half as fast as what you’ll see on a USB 3.2×2 bus. See the charts below for evidence of that. This is good performance, but half of what the Pro Blade on a USB 3.2×2 bus is. This is good performance, but half of what the Pro Blade on a USB 3.2×2 bus is. This is good performance, but half of what the Pro Blade on a USB 3.2×2 bus is. This is fast, but half what the Pro Blade on a USB 3.2×2 bus is capable of. This is fast, but half what the Pro Blade on a USB 3.2×2 bus is capable of. This is fast, but half what the Pro Blade on a USB 3.2×2 bus is capable of. As I said, it’s always nice to have a little context, so we’ve included the results from PCWorld’s Windows test bed for the hard disks in both RAID 0 and RAID 1, as well as the Pro Blade SSD. They’re compared to the recently reviewed Seagate Expansion Desktop hard drive, and the Pro Blade Transport using USB 3.2×2. Yes, the numbers are a bit more impressive under Windows. But again, the Thunderbolt hindered the Pro Blade on the G-RAID by limiting it to 10Gbps. The random numbers for the hard disks are minuscule compared to the Pro Blade’s. But CrystalDiskMark 8’s numbers are still valid, even if it’s not designed specifically for HDDs. This chart shows just how choked the Pro Blade is on the Thunderbolt bus. It’s still way faster at random ops than the HDDs though. This chart shows just how choked the Pro Blade is on the Thunderbolt bus. It’s still way faster at random ops than the HDDs though. Jon L. Jacobi / Foundry This chart shows just how choked the Pro Blade is on the Thunderbolt bus. It’s still way faster at random ops than the HDDs though. Jon L. Jacobi / Foundry Jon L. Jacobi / Foundry Again, the Pro Blade Transport’s results are included to show you what these modules can do at 20Gbps on a real 3.2×2 bus, and just how choked the Pro Blade on the G-RAID Mirror is by the Thunderbolt 3 bus. The results for the Transport on the Mac are identical to those for the port embedded on the G-RAID Mirror. In RAID 0 the G-RAID Mirror beat the Seagate, but lost in the safer RAID 1 mode. In RAID 0 the G-RAID Mirror beat the Seagate, but lost in the safer RAID 1 mode. In RAID 0 the G-RAID Mirror beat the Seagate, but lost in the safer RAID 1 mode. Obviously, once again, the G-RAID Mirror in RAID 0 was way faster writing 450GB than RAID 1. The G-RAID Mirror took a while to write 450GB, as all hard drives will. The G-RAID Mirror took a while to write 450GB, as all hard drives will. Jon L. Jacobi The G-RAID Mirror took a while to write 450GB, as all hard drives will. Jon L. Jacobi Jon L. Jacobi The G-RAID Mirror’s fan, when it kicks in at startup is rather loud. Most of the time, however, my Mac Studio fan makes as much noise, and that’s hardly any. To be fair, my office has test beds and NAS boxes whirring away most of the time, so my tolerance for white noise is very high. But there’s also noise due the read/write heads moving about. If you haven’t been around hard drives for a while, it might bug you. One might argue for more sound-deadening material inside, but that tends to trap heat as well noise, and that would be bad. Note that the user guide I downloaded says you only have to turn off the G-RAID Mirror twice when changing RAID modes, which one might interpret as using the power button. This would be wrong. Info on the website and my experience says you must pull the power plug both times to switch RAID modes. In total, the G-RAID Mirror is a lot faster in RAID 0 than RAID 1, which means you might be better off with two less capacious models using RAID 0 and macOS’s own RAID 1 mode. Then again, you could employ the Pro Blade when you need real speed, and leave the HDDs safely mirrored. Should you buy the SanDisk Professional G-RAID Mirror? The G-RAID Mirror is an appealing storage product, especially for videographers. It’s handsome, speedy for a hard drive, and best of all, fantastically capacious. Throw in the Pro Blade port, even if it is running at half speed, and you have an extremely useful, albeit pricey solution for super-large data sets. But come on SanDisk, USB 4, USB 4…07:31 amHow to watch new movie Wolfs, starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney
Apple TV+ today premieres its new flagship original movie, called Wolfs, starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney. The film is streaming now on Apple TV+ for subscribers, worldwide. more…07:21 amKuo: New Apple Vision Pro with M5 chip on the way, featuring Apple Intelligence support | 9 to 5 MacKuo: New Apple Vision Pro with M5 chip on the way, featuring Apple Intelligence support
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo this morning reported that Apple is readying a new generation of Apple Vision Pro headset, set to go into production in the second of half of 2025. The new Vision Pro would apparently not change much in terms of general specs and design, but would be upgraded to be powered by the M5 chip, a significant jump from the M2 that shipped in the first-gen model. more…03:10 amHow to use AWS CodeBuild to make macOS apps
CodeBuild is an Amazon Web Service tool for automating the building of software. Now you can use it to build macOS and iOS apps.Amazon AWS CodeBuild service.Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a comprehensive set of cloud computing services that allow you to ditch your on-premises hardware. With AWS you can shift much of your IT infrastructure to the cloud, leveraging the power of Amazon's vast resources for your compute workloads.AWS offers a limited free tier for some cloud services, but most services require a monthly or hourly fee. In some cases, you pay only for what you use. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our ForumsThursday September 2611:45 pmFlash deals at B&H discount Mac computers to $469+
The month-end deals at B&H are valid this week only, with Mac computers discounted to as low as $469.Flash deals are in effect on Apple's MacBook Pro.Each of the offers below reflects the lowest price available, according to our M2 Mac mini Price Guide and 14-inch MacBook Pro Price Guide. B&H's Payboo store card also provides a way to further extend the savings, with a sales tax refund in qualifying states or special financing.Grab the deals Continue Reading on AppleInsider10:03 pmThe 5 best new Messages features in iOS 18
With iOS 18, Messages gains five great new features that will make texting all the more fun. Here’s what you can look forward to. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)09:57 pmApple releases another security update for iTunes on Windows
Apple’s iTunes was discontinued a long time ago, but the software still survives on Windows. For users who still rely on iTunes, the company recently released an important security update for the software. more…09:40 pmGrab an official Apple case for iPhone 16 at a sweet discount
Don't pay full price for Apple's own iPhone 16 case. You can already get one on sale, even though the handset just launched. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)09:20 pm9to5Mac Daily: September 26, 2024 – New AirPods features, more
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Sponsored by Hit The Island: As simple as it sounds, Hit The Island with the ball and score points. Download from the App Store for free. What’s your high score? more…09:04 pmHow OpenAI’s plan to become ‘for profit’ could help it raise money From Apple and others | Mac Daily NewsHow OpenAI’s plan to become ‘for profit’ could help it raise money From Apple and others
OpenAI, the artificial intelligence research laboratory, is poised to transition from a nonprofit organization to a for-profit company. This… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.09:00 pmFleet expands its GitOps-focused device management technology to iPhones and iPads
Fleet, the open-source device management platform, has announced new support for iOS devices. This update brings its GitOps-focused approach to mobile devices for the first time. This means organizations can manage their entire fleet of devices, including iOS, from a single, open-source platform. more…08:44 pmApple Quietly Removed 60 More VPNs From Russian App Store
Apple has pulled 60 VPNs from its App Store in Russia, according to research from anti-censorship org GreatFire. From a report: The iThing-maker's action comes amid a Kremlin crackdown on VPNs that has already seen a ban on privacy-related extensions to the open source Firefox browser. The software's developer, Mozilla, defied that ban and allowed the extensions back into its web store. In July, Apple removed at least one VPN from its Russian App Store. Cupertino removed at least 60 more between early July and September 18, according to research by GreatFire posted to its site that tracks Apple censorship. The org's research asserts that 98 VPNs are now unavailable in Russia -- but doesn't specify if the removals were made in the iOS or macOS app stores. Read more of this story at Slashdot.08:36 pmRobotic Apple Home Hub could have square-ish display
Apple's rumored Frankenstein-like Home Hub with the body of a HomePod, neck of a robot, and iPad head could have a more square display according to a new rumor.A new Home Hub device could combine aspects of HomePod and iPadFrom the ashes of the Apple Car project arose a new robotics division that is allegedly working on AI-powered arms and robot companions. One device is expected to be the long-awaited Apple Home Hub, a combination iPad HomePod.This internally labeled "HomeAccessory," codenamed J490, will be powered by an A18 processor and have a square-ish display. The details come from an anonymous source speaking to 9to5Mac. Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums08:08 pmApple won’t backtrack on climate pledge due to AI, despite others hedging
AI seems to be changing everything. In some cases, that includes the climate ambitions tech companies had before AI arrived. Recent comments from Google’s CEO is evidence of that. Apple, meanwhile, is holding firm to its 2030 goals and has reiterated them in a new interview. more…08:05 pmHands on with iPhone 16 Pro, Apple Watch Series 10, and AirPods 4
Benjamin and Chance share their hands-on reviews with Apple’s latest products, from the impressive noise cancellation in AirPods 4 to the useful — if fiddly — Camera Control on the iPhone 16 Pro, and the redesigned Apple Watch Series 10. The latest iOS 18.1 beta also includes some useful enhancements to Control Center and iPhone Mirroring. And in Happy Hour Plus, Meta impresses with its Orion prototype, but shipping the AR glasses form factor is another thing entirely. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join. Sponsored by Things: The award-winning to-do app, ready for iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia. Sponsored by Shopify: Grow your business no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a $1 per month trial at shopify.com/happyhour. Sponsored by Incogni: Limit public access to your private information, mitigate the risks of identity theft, and keep your data from being sold. Use code “HAPPYHOUR” at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: incogni.com/happyhour more…07:43 pmApple releases new AirPods Pro 2 firmware
Apple has released new firmware for AirPods Pro 2 to improve the performance and stability of the wireless earbuds… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.07:29 pmApple updates AirPods Pro 2 firmware yet again as it prepares Hearing Aid feature
Macworld For the second time in as many weeks, Apple has updated the firmware for AirPods Pro 2 (both USB-C and Lightning variants). Apple has not yet posted release notes for this firmware update, but will do so at this support page. This fall, AirPods 2 are expected to get a new “clinical grade” hearing test function as well as the ability to function as over-the-counter hearing aids. Apple received the first-ever FDA authorization for hearing aid software on September 12. There has been some evidence that the latest iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 include the code for this feature, but it is not yet activated in the beta. It is quite possible that Apple will enable it with a server-side switch when it is ready, and these frequent AirPods Pro 2 firmware updates may be the result of rigorous internal testing of the feature. AirPods Pro 2 USB-C Read our review Price When Reviewed: $249 Best Prices Today: $182.95 at B&H | $189.99 at Best Buy | $249 at Apple Updating your AirPods firmware There isn’t a way to force an upgrade to the new firmware; it will automatically install when the AirPods are in their case and charging. It can take hours or even days to get the latest firmware. If you haven’t used your AirPods in a long time, taking them out of their case and using them for a few minutes before putting them back in and on the charger may help speed things up. To see what firmware version your AirPods are running, you can open the Settings app, select your connected AirPods (near the top), scroll down past all the options to the About section, and look at the Version line. You can also find this information in General > About > [name of your AirPods].07:27 pmRumored Apple ‘HomeAccessory’ may feature square display, A18 chip for AI, and more | Mac Daily NewsRumored Apple ‘HomeAccessory’ may feature square display, A18 chip for AI, and more
For some time now, Apple has been rumored to be working on a new home accessory that combines capabilities of an iPad, Apple TV, and HomePod… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.