Mac Power Users 825: 2025 State of the Platforms (Part 1)

On this episode of Mac Power Users, Stephen and I start our annual tour of Apple’s products, starting with the Mac, then we consider the Apple Watch, the Vision Pro, and the company’s lineup of audio products.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • DEVONthink: Get Organized — Unleash Your Creativity. Get 25% off this Black Friday.
  • KRCS: Apple Premium Reseller. Get free next-working-day delivery.
  • 1Password: Never forget a password again.

The 2026 Focused Calendar

I’m pleased to announce that the Focused Wall Calendar for 2026 is now on sale. Mike and I have been collaborating with the NeuYear folks for years, and this is, in my opinion, the best wall calendar on the market.

We’ve spent a lot of time tweaking this calendar over the years to get it just right. Here are some of the features I love:

  • It starts on Monday, as a proper calendar should.
  • It’s big at 25 inches by 36 inches. This isn’t one of those calendars you have to squint at.
  • The year-at-a-glance view is invaluable. Over the years, this calendar on my wall has gotten me out of a lot of pickles as I look at the calendar to see just how busy I am before I say yes to another commitment. There’s something about seeing three weeks of wall-to-wall appointments that makes saying no much easier.
  • It’s designed with no gaps between the months. The philosophy is simple: we think in weeks, not months. This calendar presents 52 weeks as a continuous flow, which makes it easy to see the distance between any two dates and plan across months without artificial boundaries.
  • You can write on it with dry-erase or wet-erase markers. I’ve tried both, and they both work great. The dry-erase is better if you’re constantly adjusting things, while wet-erase stays put better for long-term commitments.
  • It’s two calendars in one. Flip it over and you get a different orientation. One side is portrait, the other landscape. I keep mine in landscape above my desk, but you can hang it vertically on a door if that works better for your space.
  • The quarterly shading is genius. The calendar breaks the year into four quarters with background shading, making it easy to set quarterly goals and see reset points throughout the year. Buffer weeks are built in so you can review what worked, celebrate wins, and adjust course if needed.
  • The habit tracking system at the bottom lets you create your own color-coded system. Each day has space to track up to four habits, and it shows you how many days are left in the quarter to keep you honest.

It’s beautiful. This matters more than you might think. When your productivity tool looks good, you actually want to use it. Attraction breeds commitment.

You can buy it now. Mine is already on order.

November in the MacSparky Labs

November was busy month in the MacSparky Labs!

There were four weekly Lab Reports to keep members up-to-date with Apple news, a Deep Dive on Focus Modes, and videos on topics like adding Notes links to Reminders and the 2025 Quarterly Q&A. And much more.

Here’s what took place in the Labs for the month of November 2025:

  • 2025-11-27 – The Lab Report for November 28, 2025 (M,I,P)
  • 2025-11-26 – Sparky’s Updated Setup Workflow (Video)(M,I,P)
  • 2025-11-21 – 2025 Q4 Q&A (Video) (M,I,P)
  • 2025-11-21 – The Lab Report for November 21, 2025 (M,I,P)
  • 2025-11-20 – Labs Deep Dive – Myth-Busting Focus Modes (Media Release) (P)
  • 2025-11-20 – Fourth Quarter Midpoint (Event) (P)
  • 2025-11-20 – Labs Notice 1 – Annual Sale Announcement (M,I,P)
  • 2025-11-19 – Labs Momentum Club (I,P)
  • 2025-11-19 – Enabling Hypertension Notifications (I,P)
  • 2025-11-18 – November Labs Meetup (Media Release) (I,P)
  • 2025-11-14 – The Lab Report for November 14, 2025 (M,I,P)
  • 2025-11-13 – Deep Dive – Focus Modes (Event) (P)
  • 2025-11-12 – “Did I Do?” Task Tracker (Video) (I,P)
  • 2025-11-07 – The Lab Report for November 7, 2025 (M,I,P)
  • 2025-11-06 – November Labs Meetup (Event) (I,P)
  • 2025-11-06 – A Better Way to Add a Notes Links to a Reminder (Video) (M,I,P)
  • 2025-11-05 – Jam Session 004 – Mac mini Server (Media Release) (M,I,P)

If you’d like to be a part of the MacSparky Labs, you can get more information and join right here.

My Social Media Superpower (And Why It Stopped Working)

If I have a superpower, it’s probably this: I’m immune to social media.

It’s been years since I’ve used Twitter or any Twitter-like app. I’ve never gotten hooked. Never felt that pull to scroll. Never lost hours to the feed.

Until last month.

I decided to give Instagram a real shot. Just to see what all the fuss was about. I figured maybe I’d been missing something.

The algorithm was terrifyingly good. Within 30 minutes, my feed was perfectly curated: intricate woodworking joinery, bonsai care techniques, people tying complex knots, and yes, cute puppies. It was like Instagram had crawled inside my brain and said, “We got you.”

For about a week, I found myself reaching for my phone in the evening. Just a little scrolling. Nothing serious. But it became part of the routine.

Then something shifted.

All the knots started looking the same. The joinery techniques blurred together. Even the puppies felt repetitive. And I caught myself watching someone else tend to their bonsai trees while mine sat on the bench outside, waiting for attention.

That’s when it clicked. I’d rather be doing these things than watching other people do them.

Maybe it’s because I grew up without this stuff. My brain didn’t get wired for infinite scroll during those critical years. Or maybe I just prefer the smell of sawdust to the glow of a screen.

Whatever the reason, the spell broke. I got back to my actual hobbies.

Here’s what surprised me most: the algorithm got my interests right, but it couldn’t account for the fact that I’m happiest when I’m making things, not consuming content about making things.

Social media companies have spent billions figuring out how to keep us engaged. They’re incredibly good at it. But they can’t replicate the satisfaction of actually doing the work.

If you find yourself scrolling through content about your hobbies more than you’re actually doing them, maybe try this: spend one evening doing the thing instead of watching other people do it. See which one feels better.

I’m betting on the doing.

Field Guides Still 20% Off

The Field Guide sale continues through Monday.

Everything’s still 20% off with code PIE25.
See All the Field Guides Here

This is my only sale of the year. Next chance won’t be until November 2026.

The sale ends Monday, December 1.

P.S. Field Guides make great gifts. They’re self-paced video courses. Your tech-loving friend or family member can learn on their own schedule. No subscription. They own it forever.

A Brief Note on Polarization and Turkey

To my American readers: Tomorrow, as you sit down for Thanksgiving dinner, you might find yourself across from someone with very different political views. Before the tension rises, consider this: there’s a decent chance that some of the most inflammatory political content you’ve both seen this year was created by someone in Bangladesh or Morocco, turning American polarization into a literal side hustle.

So we should stop letting folks halfway around the world profit from making us hate each other. Your uncle who votes differently from you? He’s not the enemy. He’s just on the other wing of the same bird. And last I checked, birds need both wings to fly.

So smile, pass the mashed potatoes, and remember: we’re all in this together.

Ulysses Liquid Glass Update

Ulysses (App store)(Setapp)is one of the true gems for writers in the Apple Ecosystem. I used to use the hell out of this app when I was practicing law, but I don’t find it as useful now. Nevertheless, I kicked the tires on the latest update, and this app remains a great tool for writers.


The new update fully embraces Liquid Glass and adds several quality-of-life improvements. For complex or research-based writing, this is one you’ll want to check out.