In this week’s episode of The Logic Pros, we are going to be creating our own custom-made Apple Loops. One of the most underused features of Logic Pro X, the Apple Loops browser not only houses thousands of free stock audio and MIDI clips, but also our personal libraries. The elastic nature of LPX’s in-house loop format allows us to create tempo-flexible audio clips that can be used at any time in future projects directly from the built-in browser and more:

Creating Apple Loops with Logic’s built-in Loop Browser can be a very convenient way of storing bits of audio that you would like to go back to in future projects, like say a great snare sound, some vocal clips or some live percussion loops. While at first LPX’s loop browser may seem like it is just for accessing the vast library of samples Apple throws at you, we can just as easily drop our own audio in there, whether it be third party sample libraries or even audio clips we have created ourselves in Logic.

There are several advantages to this outside of the fact that the samples are then right there inside Logic, with full search and drag-and-drop access. We can store tempo, key, genre and style data, to our loops/samples making them easily found even after you may have forgotten they were there. Better yet, audio loops stored in here can become tempo flexible and lock to any given future project’s BPM setting.

If we want to create an Apple Loop that will carry BPM data there are a few things to keep in mind first. We want to use an audio clip/loop that is edited to a whole number number of bars, like for example 4 or 8 bars in length. If you already have this part done, or know how to do that easily you can skip the first step below:

1. Once you have selected some audio to create an Apple Loop from, drop it onto a track on your arrange page in Logic. If it isn’t already, we will need to make a few edits in order to make it a perfect loop (4, 8, or 16 bars for example). In my case I’ll be making a four bar loop. You’ll want to use the Scissor or Marquee tools from the tool box (push the T key) in order to give it a quick trim. We will also need to make sure our current project’s BPM is set to the same tempo as our loop.

It can be a good idea to use the loop/cycle function in Logic by dragging along the top of the screen to give your audio a quick listen. Just to make sure you have it just the way you want it and that it sounds clean when its looping.

Note: You may want to select the “Bars” options in the “Snap” menu seen above in order to ensure a perfect cut, otherwise keep a close eye on the pop-up window that appears when you go to make your edits.

2. Once we have our loop ready to go, all we have to do is drag and drop it to the Loop Browser window. Click O (O not zero), to open the Loop Browser and drop it in.

3. LPX will automatically bring up the Add Region to Apple Loops Library window. From here we can input all of the relevant data for our new Apple Loop. But first we need to deal with the “Type” section. It has two choices: “One-shot” is used for single hits like say a snare and will ignore tempo data, so we will be choosing the “Loop” option.

4. Next you’ll want to give your new loop a relevant name in order for it to be found in the future.

5. And lastly, fill out the scale, genre, and descriptors section for further organization purposes down the line, and hit the “Create” button along the bottom. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself for doing this one day when you stumble upon that perfect percussion or vocal loop because it was stored properly in the first place.

And that’s it, you’re done. Run a quick search for your new Loop or narrow it down into a category using the descriptors, and it will forever be in your personal Apple Loops Library. If you have any interesting uses for the Loops Browser or any tricks for Apple Loops, let us know below:

The Logic Pros is a regular series exploring all of the most interesting gadgets and software for making music on your Mac/iOS devices. If there is any gear you would like us to take a closer hands-on look at, let us know in the comments section below or shoot us an email.

More The Logic Pros:

• The Logic Pros: Getting the most out of Logic’s built-in MIDI Arpeggiator
• Routing 101 – creating multi-track FX Sends and Submix groups
• The Logic Pros: Kontrol S-series keyboards give you Komplete control of NI’s world-class instrument library
• The Logic Pros: A look at Logic’s new heavy weight sample manipulation synth Alchemy
• Moog Sub 37 is one of the best hardware synths for the money
• iPad/Mac synths still can’t quite capture the experience of this $1,000 Moog
• How-to connect MIDI controllers wirelessly over Bluetooth to iOS or Mac w/ puc+
• Time compression and pitch correction with Logic’s built-in Flex tools
• Automate tedious MIDI edits into a single-click with Logic’s Transform feature
• How to use MIDI hardware synthesizers in Logic w/ External Instrument plug-in
• How to create custom sampler instruments using any audio file with EXS24
• How to create Retro Synth patches with custom wavetables and multi-voice stacking
• How to customize Logic’s Drummer, beat-by-beat
• 6 powerful new features you may have missed in Logic 10.1
• How to control anything in Logic using your hardware MIDI controller
• How to create multi-layered synth patches & drum sounds with Track Stacks
• Turning iPad into a virtual pedalboard using Logic Remote
• TE’s new pocket-sized synths & how to sync them up with your Mac

Filed under:
How-To, Tips and Tricks Tagged: Apple Loops, creating, cutom-made, Loop Browser, LPX, tempo flexible, the logic pros

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Twelve South’s original Apple Watch stand, HiRise for Apple Watch, was early to market for a reason: it was derived from the company’s popular HiRise stands for iPhones, tweaked just enough to hold and charge the smaller Watch. It made our list of the Best Apple Watch Stands and Docks because it was a good first stab at the category, but based on Twelve South’s many cool Mac, iPad, and iPhone accessories, I knew that the company could do better.

Five months after HiRise hit stores, Twelve South has released Forté ($60), a considerably classier Apple Watch stand that looks and feels far closer to an Apple design. Replacing HiRise’s sandblasted aluminum with a chrome-plated metal alloy and grain leather, Forté has the good looks and substantial weight of an Apple dock, with only a couple of telltale signs that it’s a third-party product. Read on for the details…

While all of Twelve South’s products are packaged in stiff, fabric-wrapped cardboard, Forté’s package looks and feels like a premium watch box, complete with a magnetic closure, a ribbon pull to remove the stand, and an instruction manual pocket. A white liner outside the box spotlights its use with three stainless steel Apple Watches, which it matches beautifully, rather than the aluminum-bodied (and arguably more HiRise-appropriate) Apple Watch Sport.

Forté arrives assembled, so you’ll need to pull off its front chrome ring — the only part made from plastic, though it matches the rest of the stand — and insert an Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Cable, feeding the wire down a kinked groove in the back. With the cable in place, you replace the chrome ring on the top, and that’s it: Forté is ready to hold your Watch on a 30-degree recline just over 2″ from the surface of a table. A very substantial weight in the base, plus a black rubber pad on the bottom, keep it from slipping around once you’ve chosen a location on your desk or nightstand.

Rounded and gleaming in the light, the design is gorgeous and largely practical, though imperfect in a couple of ways. On positive notes, the chrome and grain leather-padded base look appropriately luxurious, surpassing the materials in Mophie’s slick Dock for Apple Watch. You can mount your Watch in portrait or landscape orientation, which means that Forté is Nightstand Mode-compatible, though you’ll need to pinch your magnetically-secured Apple Watch to use its buttons without dislodging it, a sore point with one of our editors.

The other issue is the rear cable-managing channel, which looks and feels a little odd. This is partially because Twelve South created a U-shaped gap in the bar to accommodate closed-loop Apple Watch bands — a wise idea — but the shape detracts a little from the design’s looks; Mophie’s Dock for Apple Watch achieved the same functionality with less of a visual oddity by using a left-mounted bar rather than a centered one, and completely covering the cable. Additionally, though you won’t see it when the stand is viewed face-on, the bar’s chrome back remains open and feels a little jagged to the touch. Given how much polish the rest of the stand possesses, it feels like Forté was originally designed to be shipped with Apple’s Magnetic Charging Cable pre-installed, but tweaked late in the game to lower its price or get it to stores faster.

Overall, Forté is a very nice stand that will have particular appeal to owners of the stainless steel Apple Watch, and fans of the sort of design luxury that chrome and leather can achieve when used cleanly together. Given the materials and look, Forté’s $10 premium over the decidedly aluminum HiRise strikes me as reasonable, and this is certainly one of the nicest $60 Apple Watch stands I’ve tested. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a (more expensive) Forté Deluxe ship with an integrated charging puck and cable, eliminating at least one of Forté’s small imperfections. That’s just a guess, but based on Twelve South’s history of “good then better” releases, something I’m looking forward to seeing.

Filed under: Apple Watch, Reviews Tagged: Apple Watch stand, Forte, Twelve South

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According to a report out of VentureBeat, Intel has built a team of more than 1,000 people to build chips for the next-generation iPhone. Specifically, Intel hopes to supply its 7360 LTE modem chip to Apple for the device, and if all goes well, even take part in the manufacturing.

The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus both feature Qualcomm’s 9X45 LTE chip. Intel hopes to next year provide its modem for at least some of the iPhones Apple produces in 2016. Qualcomm is currently tasked with providing modems for all of Apple’s phones.

Intel’s 7360 LTE modem is expected to begin shipping by the end of this year with device manufacturers beginning to implement it during 2016. Intel reportedly sees its partnership with Apple as crucial to its future in the mobile space. Obviously, Apple is a very demanding client with incredibly large-scale production, hence the need for over 1,000 employees on the account.

It’s important to note, however, that Intel has yet to fully reach an agreement with Apple. At this point, Apple is still waiting to see if Intel can hit all of the milestones on the project before officially inking the agreement. Another possible reason that the deal has yet to be fully reached, however, is that the partnership may go deeper than just the LTE modem.

VentureBeat further suggests that Apple would like to create a system-on-a-chip for the next-gen iPhone that combines both its Ax processor and the LTE modem chip. Doing this would provide improved speed, better power management, and thus better battery life. It would also make for a smaller chip, allowing more to be put inside the device itself, such as  a bigger battery. As part of this process, Apple would design the system-on-a-chip and apply its name to it, therefore licensing the LTE modem from Intel.

While Apple would create the chip, Intel would handle the production of it using its 14-nanometer process. Currently, Samsung and TSMC share the production task, but use a 20-nanometer processor. Intel 14-nanometer process would lead to superior density and gate pitch, according to the report. Intel is also currently working on perfecting its 10-nanometer process, in which Apple is very interested.

While none of this is confirmed, and likely won’t be until Apple officially announces its next-gen iPhone in 2016, Apple has been sending engineers to work with Intel on the project.

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Apple, Intel, iPhone 7, Qualcomm

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Earlier this week, Apple was found guilty in an ongoing patent lawsuit initiated by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. At the time, Apple was said to potentially owe the university’s patent licensing arm $862 million in damages. Today, however, Reuters reports that the jury in the case, after much deliberation, has ordered Apple to pay $234 million in damages.

The main reason for the large cut in the damages Apple will pay is that U.S. District Judge William Conley ruled that Apple had not willfully infringed on the patent. Had Conley ruled the other way, however, Apple would have been faced with closer to the $862 million amount in damages.

Apple says that it will appeal the ruling, as expected. In 2008, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation sued Intel over the same patent. The two parties settled outside of court, however, with Intel paying $110 million to the university. Although, Apple believes that it owes far less than even that $110 million amount.

The lawsuit centers the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation’s 1998 patent that handles improving chip efficiency. WARF claims that Apple’s A7, A8, and A8X chips, found in the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and various iPads, all violate the patent. Apple initially asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to review the validity of the patent to begin with, but its request was denied.

Even though this case appears to slowly be wrapping up, WARF last month launched a second lawsuit against Apple arguing that the A9 and A9X chips found in the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, and iPad Pro infringe upon the same patent.

Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: a7, A8, A8X, Apple, legal, Patent, University of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin–Madison

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Two Apple Stores in New York and San Francisco have gained a new promotional tool to help sell the iPhone 6s. Shoppers visiting these Apple Stores will find a new kind of table with a large display across the surface that’s used for showing off the iPhone 6s.

As you can see in the video below, the table displays a water animation that responds to the 3D Touch sensors on the iPhone demos. When a user force presses the wallpaper to trigger the fish animation, the “water” beneath the phone ripples.

There are only two of these tables in use right now, but it’s possible that Apple could eventually roll them out to more stores, though you may not see one at your local store for quite some time, if ever.

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: 3D Touch, Apple Retail, Apple Store

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AliveCor, maker of the iPhone-compatible Mobile ECG cardiac monitoring accessory (reviewed here), has unveiled a new Apple Watch version that can be worn as a wrist band. The tentatively-titled Apple Watch ECG goes beyond the heart rate sensor built into the Apple Watch, adding a two-electrode electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor directly into a flexible wristband similar in appearance to Apple’s Sport Band.

Combined with a native watchOS 2 app, the Apple Watch ECG can graph the wearer’s heart beat over extended periods of time, as well as recording heart activity and voice annotations (“I feel like my heart just skipped a beat”) simultaneously, a feature not found on the iPhone version. Additionally, thanks to the new accessory’s guaranteed position on the wrist, it “may be able to detect an upcoming event using continuous monitoring,” AliveCor notes. Like the iPhone version, AliveCor’s Apple Watch app will also be able to send annotated ECG readings directly to a technician or doctor for interpretation.

Rather than connecting to the Apple Watch using Bluetooth or the Watch’s hidden data port, Apple Watch ECG uses the same ultrasonic technology as the iPhone accessory, leveraging the Watch’s microphone to receive ECG data transmissions. This reduces the battery-powered accessory’s power consumption by 92% versus Bluetooth, while offering superior data bandwidth. Pending FDA approval, the Apple Watch ECG is currently planned for a 2016 release, and expected to sell for around $199. A video of the new wristband accessory in action is below…

Filed under: AAPL Company, Apple Watch Tagged: AliveCor, Apple watch, Apple Watch ECG, ECG, Health, heart monitoring

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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Apple 11-inch MacBook Air 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (newest version): $730 shipped (Reg. $899)

Apple 12-inch MacBook 1.1GHz/8GB/256GB from $1,190 or $1,150 w/ .edu (Reg. $1,299), more

Apple’s new 4K & 5K iMacs already seeing the first price cuts and tax-free options

USB Power Deals: Aukey 3,300mAh Aluminum $5 (Orig. $15), Anker 15,600mAh Dual USB 4.8A $22 (Reg. $31), more

Quick Review: Ultimate Ears’ MEGABOOM Bluetooth Speaker is the real deal, on sale for $258 (Reg. $300)

App Store Free App of the Week: Sky Gamblers Air Supremacy goes free for the first time ($1 value)

Apple is dishing out free downloads of the award-winning puzzle game Shadowmatic

1Password secure password manager for Mac: $30 (Reg. $50)

The Executive for iOS goes free for the first time as IGN’s Game of the Month ($5 value)

Tweetbot for Mac drops to $10 (Reg. $13)

Apple Watch 42mm Stainless Steel Case w/ Black Sport Band: $520 shipped (Orig. $599), more

Cost-Effective Apple Watch Bands: Deals from $12 Prime shipped on leather, milanese loop, more

One Day Left! The Big Mac Bundle w/ 14 Top-Rated Apps: $18 ($820 value) http://ift.tt/1MtXhnJ http://t.co/A5rNiQmqGy

—
9to5Toys (@9to5toys) October 16, 2015

More new gear from today:

Griffin Technology merch credit 50% off – WatchStand & Survivor Journey iPhone 6/6s case: $40 shipped ($60 value)

Add a second screen to your setup with this adjustable iPad mount for $17 Prime shipped (Orig. $30)

• Games/Apps: Rare Replay matching lowest ever (Prime only) $20, Gears of War Ultimate $35, iOS freebies, more
• HGST Touro 1TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive $40 shipped (Orig. $69)
• Daily Deals: Lenovo ThinkVision 13.3″ Touchscreen Monitor $200, Kensington Bluetooth Keyboard & Mouse Kit $40, more
• Home: Cuisinart mixing bowls $26, WearEver 15-pc cookware set $100, Hamilton Beach Toaster $20, more

More deals still alive:

Anker MFi Lightning Cables: 3-ft $4, 9-ft $7 (Prime shipped), more

OtterBox SYMMETRY Series iPhone 6/6s Case $20 Prime shipped (Reg. $40)

Turn your old system into a Bluetooth speaker with the Mpow Streambot for $16 Prime shipped (Orig. $36)

• Amazon and Toys R Us give a peek at this year’s must-have holiday gifts
• Apple 64GB iPad Air 2 (New, open box) Silver: $430 shipped ($170 off)
• NBA 2K16 hits iOS and Android with new gameplay, controls and updated graphics
• The original Bluetooth-enabled August Smart Lock drops to $199 (Orig. $250)
• Free MP3 Downloads: Greatest Hits from TLC, Muddy Waters, more
• Samsung Gear Virtual Reality headset for Galaxy S6/Edge $100 shipped (Reg. $200)
• Amazon slashes prices on Levi’s jeans for Men, Women and Boys
• Griffin Technology merch credit 50% off – WatchStand & Survivor Journey iPhone 6/6s case: $40 shipped ($60 value)
• D-Link PowerLine AV+ Network Extender Mini Adapter Kit $20 shipped (Reg. $35), more
• Goal Zero Nomad 7 USB 12V Charger w/ 7W Solar Panel (Refurb) $30 shipped (Orig. $80)
• Storage: Samsung 250GB 2.5-inch Internal SSD $80 (Reg. $90), WD My Passport 2TB USB 3.0 Portable HDD $70 (Reg. $85)
• Aukey adjustable wireless selfie stick w/ Bluetooth $6 Prime shipped (Reg. $11+)
• Lumsing 4-port 21W USB wall charger $8…add a 3-ft MFi Lightning Cable For $5 more
• RuggedTec FlashBang mountable Bluetooth Speaker/Flashlight: $28 shipped (Orig. $79)
• Sony SRSX3 Portable Bluetooth/NFC Speaker: $60 shipped (Orig. $140)
• Two D-Link DCS-934L Wireless IR Surveillance Cameras: $70 shipped (Reg. $100)
• Smart HDTVs: 55-inch Sony 120Hz 4K $850, 43-inch LG 60Hz 1080p $350, more
• Lenmar MAVEN iPhone 6 MFi 3,000mAh Battery Case $29 shipped (Orig. $100), more
• Audio-Technica Headphones + Blue Microphones USB Mic $200 shipped ($292+ value)
• Brother Color Duplex Laser Wireless Printer w/ AirPrint: $150 shipped (Reg. $200)
• Bluetooth Speakers: Inateck Honeycomb $30, SOL REPUBLIC DECK $40
• Klipsch HDTV home theater sound system w/ Bluetooth $155 shipped (Reg. $199)
• Aukey Bluetooth In-Ear Headphones $17 (Reg. $25), more

New products & more:

These futuristic looking headphones could be straight out of the Transformers movie series

• Minecraft: Story Mode launches on iOS and Android with a new multi-episode campaign mode
• Electric Jukebox doesn’t want to be Spotify or Chromecast, so what is it?
• This is the Apple TV remote that Cupertino should’ve made…
• The BLOCKS modular smartwatch has flown past its Kickstarter goal in a just a few hours
• Turn heads at any Halloween party with one of these high-tech DIY costumes
• Koto’s smart sensors track your home’s health and can even forecast storms
• New Halo 5: Guardians trailer drops as retailers ramp-up pre-order deals

Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 9to5Toys, Amazon, app deals, App of the Week, Best Buy, Daily Deals, free apps, Gold Box, Griffin Accessories, MacBook Air, UE MEGABOOM, USB Power Banks, video games

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Apple News, a news reading app introduced in iOS 9 that replaces Newsstand, is only available in the United States for now, and even explicitly blocked in some areas, though the UK may be getting access very soon. However, a new jailbreak tweak enables readers to use the app from anywhere in the world now without waiting or changing regions.

The tweak is called NewsOfTheWorld, and it launched for free on the BigBoss repository this morning. Installing it will place the News app on your home screen and allow you to use all of its features. Curiously, you’ll need to reboot your phone twice after installing the tweak before it kicks in, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t see the app right away.

Once you’ve got Apple News up and running, be sure to add 9to5Mac to your library to stay up-to-date on the latest news and reviews. If you’re looking for some other cool mods to install on your newly jailbroken iPhone, we recently covered a few that will enable iPhone 6s features on your older handsets, iPod touches, and iPads including 3D Touch and Live Photos.

Filed under: iOS Tagged: apple news, iPad, iPhone, IPod Touch, jailbreak, News, Newsstand

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As expected, Apple’s release of OS X El Capitan for Macs was less about adding major new features than “refining the experience and improving performance” from Yosemite — in other words, under-the-hood optimizations to make any Mac run more reliably than before. Thanks to El Capitan, my older (mid-2011) 27″ iMac is running better than it has in years: fast, quiet, and cool enough that it might as well be fanless. Rarely does the volume level in my office climb above a whisper, an experience I’ve come to love so much that I’d never want to return to a loud computer.

“WAIT!,” you might be saying. “My Mac’s fan is on all the time. Apple didn’t start selling iMacs with silent solid state drives (SSDs) or hybrid Fusion Drives until late 2012. How could your older Mac be that quiet?”

Below, I’ll walk you through seven steps that will help you bring your older Mac to a hushed, zen-like state. The first four involve mostly free software, and the last three involve small hardware upgrades…

The Big Picture

Think of your Mac as being like an aging refrigerator that’s constantly being opened and closed, primarily holding cold food in storage, while various cold items are being taken out, then replaced with hot food that needs to chill. At some point, the fridge will inevitably get overloaded and dirty; it’s possibly going to stop working perfectly, too. While you could go and buy a new fridge, that’s not necessary — if you optimize the way you’re using and managing the fridge’s space, you’ll be fine.

Part of the reason my Mac runs silent is the hardware — I’ve added a few things that make it more efficient than a stock 2011 iMac. But software is another big part of the story, so that’s where I’m starting.

1. Check Your Dock. Those little white dots under the dock icons are there to indicate apps that are currently in use, and as a general statement, the more apps you have open at a time, the more things your Mac is juggling at once. Apple has added some automatic resource-saving features to OS X, such as freezing currently inactive Safari tabs, but it’s wise to free up as much of your Mac’s RAM and CPU processing power as possible. This is especially helpful if you have 8GB or less RAM, or a dual-core CPU. Close apps you’re not actively using, and within active apps, close windows (such as images in Photoshop, or documents in Preview) when you’re done with them. You’d be amazed at how much faster a Mac feels when a bunch of Photoshop windows have all been closed.

2. Disable Unneeded Login Items. Go to the Apple menu at the top left of your screen, choose System Preferences, then select Users & Groups. Under the Login Items tab, you’ll find a collection of apps — typically “helpers” — that the Mac automatically loads every time it restarts. Select any items you no longer actively use every day, hit the minus button, and they’ll disappear from the list. Your Mac will typically load a little faster, and save a little memory in the process.

The System Preferences window doesn’t show you all of the items that auto-load with your Mac. You can get a better sense of how many “helpers” are hanging out by looking at the top right of your screen, though the icon list will also include Apple’s OS X icons for Time Machine, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Volume, Spotlight, and Notification Center; it may also include icons for currently active apps (such as Tweetbot, shown) which don’t have helpers. Adobe is one of the companies that keeps secondary apps running in the background to verify licenses and offer updates; you’ll typically have to fully uninstall the original apps in question to get the “helpers” off your Mac.

3. Watch Activity Monitor. While this type of digging qualifies as “going down the rabbit hole” in my experience — likely to lead to a lot of (mostly fruitless) Google searches — using Spotlight to load Activity Monitor (hidden in your Mac’s Applications > Utilities folder) can help you identify apps that are eating unreasonable amounts of CPU and RAM for whatever reason. Activity Monitor opens in the CPU tab (above left), organized by the percentage of your CPU’s capacity each app or background process is using. Alternately, you can click on the Memory tab (above right), which shows how much of your Mac’s RAM is being consumed by various apps and background processes. Click on the Memory header to sort the processes by memory footprint.

I called this a “rabbit hole” because many of the “activities” found here are unidentifiable based on name alone, and likely to lead to initial confusion. For instance, “WindowServer,” “kernel_task,” and “mds” are all required OS X processes, and likely to be in your top 10 memory eaters, possibly also CPU eaters, but they need to be there. There are dozens of processes competing for your Mac’s attention, so if you’re going to hunt around here, focus mostly on ones that are using a lot of CPU time and/or RAM. Photoshop, for instance, was consuming around 2.5GB of my iMac’s RAM without any windows open, a sign that closing it could free up a bunch of memory and improve performance. The RAM-hogging apps on your Mac will likely differ.

4. Clear Out Hard Drive Cruft (Make Space). I’ve written a detailed article on the topic of how to clean and speed up your Mac using the free apps GrandPerspective and OnyX, so I’m not going to repeat everything here. But one of the things that begins to make Macs feel like they’re failing is “overstuffed refrigerator” syndrome. GrandPerspective lets you visualize your Mac’s hard drive as a collection of colored boxes. DaisyDisk ($10, above), chosen by Apple as a Mac App Store “essential,” provides a cleaner and more interactive circular interface for doing the same thing. By hovering over colored bars, you can see exactly what folders and files are filling your drive, then delete (or manage) ones that have become unruly. 

I’ve found that my Macs generally need around 50GB of truly free “work space” to avoid slow downs and “running out of space” OS X notifications. If OS X doesn’t have enough space, it will struggle to work within whatever’s there, slowing down and possibly doing an excessive amount of back-and-forth writing to your drive. I like to have 100GB of empty space on my Mac, but if you’re using a small, space-constrained hard drive, you may not be able to do that.

5. Replace Your Mechanical Hard Drive With A New SSD. Readers have emailed me to tell me how much they loved my advice on replacing their old Mac hard drives with new solid-state drives. (Here are links to my guides to iMac HD-to-SSD swaps, MacBook/Mac mini/Mac Pro HD-to-SSD swaps, and iMac/Mac mini/Mac Pro CD/DVD-to-SSD swaps.)

As I’ve said before, this is the absolute best upgrade I’ve ever made to a Mac: putting a 1TB Samsung 850 EVO into my iMac radically improved its speed for doing everything, and made the machine whisper quiet. After getting the parts and spending around 30 minutes doing the installation myself, my iMac was getting 5 times faster disk speeds (a huge improvement, on par with far newer Macs), and many months later, I can use one hand to count the number of times I’ve heard the Mac’s fan turn on. It’s amazing. Read the guide above for your Mac model and take the plunge — you’ll love it.

6. Consider Offloading “Only As-Needed” Files Onto An External Drive. Going back to the fridge analogy, there are situations where you actually need more than one refrigerator — the one you keep in your kitchen, and either a smaller spare elsewhere in your house, or a big freezer in your basement to store oversized items. External drives are ideal ways to hold giant movies, music, or photo collections that just don’t need to be accessible on your Mac all the time.

Regardless of the size you choose, I strongly recommend G-Technology’s G-Drive USB (reviewed here) as the best overall balance of reliability, performance, and quality I’ve found in any traditional hard drive. It’s not the cheapest drive out there, but it’s the one I trust with my most important (but not daily-used) files, enabling me to keep plenty of free space on my Mac’s internal disk. My guide to choosing the best Mac external hard drive explores other options, including portable drives and SSDs.

7. Add RAM. While swapping out the hard drive made a huge difference in my iMac’s speed and ability to operate silently, adding RAM will be a real performance booster for a lot of people — assuming your Mac has user-replaceable RAM, that is. RAM is your Mac’s primary “work space” for juggling content from multiple apps; when it runs out of (very fast) RAM, it will try to find (slower) free hard drive space to use temporarily for the same purpose, and crawl to a halt if it can’t find enough. Having more RAM instantly addresses the software-related issues mentioned in 1, 2, and 3 above — the more RAM you have, the less often you’ll need to worry about closing apps or windows to keep your Mac running at full speed.

My guide to easy RAM upgrades for Macs will lead you through choosing the correct RAM for your machine, including model-specific guidance for Apple’s MacBooks, MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs, iMacs, Mac minis, and Mac Pros. Older Macs are typically very easy to upgrade with RAM, using little more than a screwdriver for installation, though many newer Macs no longer allow RAM upgrades. Since some Macs currently running El Capitan shipped with as little as 4GB of RAM, they can be upgraded to 8GB for markedly better performance. But I’d strongly advise upgrading to 12GB or 16GB if your Mac is capable of doing so; it will make a very real difference when running multiple apps, helping your Mac to run as fast as possible without tapping your hard drive for extra space. My Mac RAM upgrade guide will help you figure out how much RAM your Mac is capable of using.

More From This Author

Check out more of my editorials, How-To guides, and reviews for 9to5Mac here! I’ve covered a lot of different topics of interest to Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, and Apple Watch users. I’ve recently discussed how to safely prepare and wipe your iPhone for resale or trade-in, and how to get the best iPhone trade-in price to help buy an iPhone 6s, amongst many other topics.

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How-To, Mac Tagged: Mac, optimize, OS X, os x el capitan, performance, speed

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Apple debuted new versions of its Mac peripherals on Tuesday with the Magic Mouse 2, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad 2, replacing the aging AA battery-powered predecessors with versions that use Lightning cables to recharge built-in batteries. We’ve already seen hands-on unboxings for anyone interested but not curious enough to dish out the $330 total for all the new Magic gear, and now iFixit has followed up with the usual teardown and repairability analysis for each new Apple accessory.

No surprises inside the new $99 Magic Mouse 2 after iFixit’s teardown. Inside you’ll find it packs a 1,986 mAh rechargeable battery, iFixit noting that’s 9% more juice than the iPhone 6s battery. Like the new Siri Remote for Apple TV, Magic Mouse 2’s Lighting port for recharging the battery comes soldered with the battery cable meaning if one goes bad both need replaced. Between that and what iFixit calls excessive use of adhesive that keeps the whole thing closed, the site gives Magic Mouse 2 a fitting 2/10 for repairability. The 2009 predecessor got the same teardown treatment, and although it wasn’t rated for repairability iFixit managed to reassemble it.

So what makes Apple’s $129 Magic Trackpad 2 tick and how well can its parts be replaced? In terms of repairability, it fairs a little better after receiving a 3/10 from iFixit. That copper-colored four part piece is the Taptic Engine, which simulates clicks and feedback without using physical buttons. A 2024 mAh Lithium-ion polymer battery powers Magic Trackpad 2, larger than the iPhone 6s battery but smaller than the one in iPhone 6s Plus. Repairability is low due to a lack of repair manual, excessive use of glue where screws would suffice, and general difficulty disassembling. The original Magic Trackpad was no different however.

Finally up is the $99 Magic Keyboard which also features a Lightning port and a rechargeable battery — enough for Apple to call it ‘Magic’ for the first time without any other significant changes. Magic still means not super easy to repair as iFixit rates it a 3/10 for the same reasons: lots of glue over screws and no repair manual which risks damaging internal components for DIYers. iFixit confirms what Apple said, that Magic Keyboard uses the scissor-style mechanism for keys over the butterfly-style mechanism introduced on the 12-inch MacBook, but travel is still reduced to create a similar effect. As for its battery, iFixit says: “The 2.98 Wh battery has less than half the capacity of the 6.55 Wh battery in the iPhone 6s. But with less to do the battery should last for months on a single charge.”

iFixit similarly featured a teardown of the new 21.5″ iMac, which includes the Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2 or Magic Trackpad 2 for $50 more. Find these teardowns and more at iFixit.

Filed under: Mac Tagged: iFixit, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2, repairability, teardown

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