PC Pro

Along with receding hairlines and exercise-resistant paunches, nothing gives away the passage of time more than the words that escape our mouths. That moment in the pub when you realise you’ve been talking about mortgage rates for the past five minutes, or shared with a glassy-eyed acquaintance exactly how much pension pot money you need to afford your lavish retirement. Although over time I’ve downgraded my idea of “lavish” from two annual foreign holidays to an occasional takeaway. Now I have another giveaway to add to the list: how you attend technology trade shows. Back in the days when I could fit into jeans that didn’t include “stretch” cotton, I spent my days chasing the latest gadgets and my nights chasing bartenders. To serve me drinks, you understand, nothing sinister.…

Dave Mitchell If you’re currently shelling out hundreds of pounds per year for cloud-based storage, Dave’s review of business NAS drives could add to your data security and save you money. Find out how from p96. Jon Honeyball You may not remember Microsoft’s Barney, who’s been part of Jon’s testing setup for two decades, but it turns out that he was a harbinger of things to come – if Apple has its way. See p110. Steve Cassidy When Steve is turned down for a business account, he discovers that it’s due to a company he registered almost three decades ago. Data says no, and that’s not good enough. Turn to p120. Rois Ni Thuama There’s a tug of war going on between online protection of children and our privacy, and…

The British government’s ability to intercept the communications of its citizens is facing a landmark legal test following a public dispute with Apple. In February, Apple announced that it would be withdrawing its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) tool in the UK, which allows customers to encrypt the contents of their iCloud storage, after the company was issued with a secret order forcing it to hand over customer data. Apple said it would rather remove the tool for all UK consumers than break encryption to appease the UK government’s request. “As we have said many times before, we have never built a backdoor or master key to any of our products, and we never will,” Apple said in a statement to the BBC. Subsequently, Apple has decided to take the fight…

Openreach has announced that it is to begin selling symmetric gigabit connections for consumers and businesses. But customers will be paying well over three figures a month for the privilege, and it’s not available in many areas. The new speeds – only available to properties in a BDUK Type C area, which are mainly hard-to-reach rural locations – will arrive at a wholesale cost to broadband providers of £1,200 per year, plus a connection fee of £123. That boils down to £100 per month, before VAT and the broadband provider’s margin are taken into consideration, which means lines are likely to cost at least £150 per month for consumers. For comparison, Community Fibre charges as little as £25 per month to consumers for symmetric gigabit connections, while Zen Internet sells…

HMD Fusion X1 Smartphone brands have previously tried to protect children by bolting controls and digital health features on top of their existing interfaces, but the HMD X1, a partnership between HMD and kid-friendly tech brand Xplora, is designed from the ground up to help young people grow into the smart device world. It give parents granular control over app permissions and approved contacts, direct access to the phone from a parent device, plus options for tracking and concentration modes. Meanwhile, a 108MP camera, 5,000mAh battery and a variety of case options may yet win over teenagers. Expected to launch this year, but the price and monthly subscription cost for services are yet to be confirmed. RICHARD PRIDAY Lenovo Yoga Solar PC A laptop that can charge from sunlight? Why…

PREMIUM LAPTOPS Apple MacBook Pro M4 M4 beast from £1,599 from apple.com/uk This M4 update to the already brilliant MacBook Pro line is an easy recommendation, so the big question becomes do you choose the 14in version from £1,599 or 16in from £2,499? And then how much do you upgrade, as Apple isn’t afraid of high prices. But whatever you choose should last for years, and look great while it’s doing it. REVIEW Issue 364, p50 NEW ENTRY Apple MacBook Air M4 If you don’t need the all-out power of the Pro, this is a brilliant, cheaper alternative despite the unchanged chassis and screen.  13in from £999, 15in from £1,199 from apple.com/uk REVIEW Issue 368, p54 Asus Zenbook S 14 OLED Asus pairs a Core Ultra 9 288V with a…