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Intel

Recover files from a sick Mac

How to use Share Disk in Recovery on an Apple silicon Mac, how fast it can be. Target Disk Mode on Intel Macs, and some less likely alternatives.

March 10, 2026 Macs, Technology

Explainer: Mac firmware version numbering

How to read and interpret firmware version numbers from the first Intel Macs to the latest Apple silicon models.

March 7, 2026 Macs, Technology

Firmware updates for macOS Tahoe, Sequoia and Sonoma

Details of new firmware versions for iMac 2019 models, those with T2 or Apple silicon chips. And how Apple assigns version numbers to iBoot.

February 18, 2026 Macs, Technology

Explainer: % CPU in Activity Monitor

It’s the percentage of time a core in active, when not idle or shut down. That’s confounded by Intel Hyper-threading, and frequencies of Apple silicon cores.

February 14, 2026 Macs, Technology

Should you restart or cold boot?

You’re sometimes advised to shut your Mac down, wait a while, and start it up again, instead of restarting it. Are they different, and if so when should you use them?

January 27, 2026 Macs, Technology

What’s happening with code signing and future macOS?

An overview of code signing and certificate requirements to come when macOS 27 is released in a few months, supporting only Apple silicon Macs. How Intel Macs will be affected in the near future.

January 17, 2026 Macs, Technology

Prepare to upgrade macOS

Are you intending to upgrade to Tahoe on Monday? Or to Sequoia or Sonoma? Are you ready to cope with what could go wrong? Here are some tips to help you prepare.

September 11, 2025 Macs, Technology

Is your Mac’s firmware up to date?

Gives the latest firmware versions for all Macs running the most recent supported version of macOS, and which are expected to change in the future.

August 6, 2025 Macs, Technology

Intel Macs can be much slower computing SHA-256 hashes

Computing SHA-256 digests is a common and demanding task, particularly in security. A late Intel Mac is shown to be much slower at doing that than M-series Macs, and this considers why that might be.

July 23, 2025 Macs, Technology

What’s the future for your Intel Mac?

If you’re still using an Intel Mac, do you know when its macOS support will end? Is it worth upgrading any more when most of the new features are for Apple silicon Macs?

July 4, 2025 Macs, Technology

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