On this episode of Focused, Mike and I revisit the role of analog in our focused workflows and share some of our favorite analog tools.
This episode of Focused is sponsored by:
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’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.
This fourth Jam Session about using the Mac mini as a server was a lot of fun. The conversation took several turns, and a lot of useful information was shared by several people on the call… This is a post for MacSparky Labs Members only. Care to join? If you’re already a member, you can log in here.
I still remember walking into a Micro Center store sometime in the early 2000s and getting drawn to the OmniOutliner box. Back then, you bought software in a box, and this box was gorgeous with screenshots of what we would later call a Mac-assed Mac app—clearly built to squeeze all the juice out of your Mac. I was intrigued by the idea of a dedicated outlining app.
I took it home and that purchase started a relationship with The Omni Group that continues to this day. Their commitment to building thoughtful, powerful tools for Mac users has kept me as a customer for over two decades. So when I heard OmniOutliner 6 was coming, I paid attention.
The Omni Group is making OmniOutliner 6 a universal app with feature parity across Mac, iPhone, iPad, and even Apple Vision Pro. That means the iPhone and iPad versions can now handle advanced filtering like the Mac version, and the Mac app gets a cleaner workspace with the ability to hide the bottom bar.
Omni Links is one of the standout additions. You can now link to local and remote documents across multiple devices, plus regular web links. It works with iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Docs, and local servers through user-defined “Connected Folders.” The goal is simple: links that just work, wherever your files live.
There’s also a new AI Tools feature that leverages Omni Automation plugins and Apple’s on-device AI model. You can pull information from emails, web pages, documents, or your clipboard, turn it into outlines, and export those outlines however you need: Keynote presentations, blog posts, Obsidian entries, you name it. It’s highly customizable and practical.
OmniOutliner 6 includes plenty of other improvements: an enhanced dark mode, multiple windows on Mac (even for the same project, so you can drag content between them), shareable custom styles, resizable inline attachments, and full AppleScript support.
The Omni Group has opened up TestFlight access for OmniOutliner 6, but spots are limited. If you’re curious about where outlining tools are headed, join the TestFlight here. You can also check out the full release notes if you want all the technical details. I’m looking forward to putting OmniOutliner 6 through its paces. For anyone who relies on outlining in their workflow, this is a significant upgrade.
When Apple released iPadOS 26 back in September, the new windowing system brought a lot of improvements to how we work on the iPad. But it also took something away that I use constantly: Slideover. Apple just released iPadOS 26.1 this week, and I’m happy to report that Slideover is back. Well, mostly.
Slideover was that handy floating window you could swipe in from the side of the screen. I use it nearly exclusively with Drafts and dictation. It was perfect for quick tasks without rearranging your entire workspace. When iPadOS 26 launched with its new Mac-like windowing system, Apple removed both Slideover and Split View entirely. The new windowing could handle Split View’s job well enough, but there was no good replacement for Slideover’s quick-access convenience.
Apple clearly heard the feedback. With iPadOS 26.1, Slideover is back and it works alongside the new windowing system. You access it by tapping the green traffic light button at the top of any app window, then selecting “Enter Slide Over.” Once activated, the window behaves much like it used to. You can swipe it off the edge to hide it, then swipe back to reveal it again.
The new Slideover has one significant improvement: you can resize the window however you want. In the old implementation, you were stuck with Apple’s predetermined size. Now you can make it as narrow or wide as your workflow demands, and it remembers your preference.
Here’s where things get less exciting. The new Slideover only supports one app at a time. In iPadOS 18, you could stack multiple apps in Slideover and swipe between them. That’s gone now. You get one app, period. If you want to switch apps in Slideover, you have to manually change which app is assigned to it. It also takes more taps to invoke compared to the old system. Before, you could just swipe in from the side. Now you need to open an app, find the green button, and select the Slideover option. It’s not terrible, but it’s not as fluid as it used to be.
I’m genuinely glad Apple brought Slideover back. Even with its limitations, having quick access to a floating window is essential to how I work on the iPad. I constantly reference notes, check messages, or pull up Safari for quick lookups. The new windowing system is great for serious multitasking, but sometimes you need that one app that lives at the edge of your screen. For now, if you’re on iPadOS 26.1, take some time to set up your Slideover workflow again.
Casey Liss, Charlie Chapman, and James Thomson join Stephen and me on this episode of Mac Power Users to discuss the state of software development on Apple’s platforms in 2025. Topics include Liquid Glass, SwiftUI, documentation, subscriptions, and Apple Intelligence.
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:
This week MacSparky is sponsored by OpenCase, and I want to tell you about a genuinely clever approach to iPhone cases.
We all want to use MagSafe accessories, but traditional cases add bulk. Stack a MagSafe wallet or charger on top of a case, and you’re carrying around a thick sandwich of phone, case, and accessory. Plus, those accessories slide around or fall off at the worst moments.
OpenCase solves this with a patented design that has an actual open space in the back of the case. Instead of stacking your MagSafe accessories on top, they sit inside that space. The result is a thinner, lighter setup that’s more secure and charges more efficiently.
The open space creates a border that cradles MagSafe accessories and stops them from sliding around. You can also wedge an accessory like a wallet into that space to create an impromptu stand—handy when you’re traveling or working away from your desk. And because there’s nothing between your iPhone and your MagSafe charger, you’re following Apple’s own wireless charging guidelines for optimal performance.
I appreciate that OpenCase isn’t trying to lock you into their ecosystem. They make accessories designed specifically for that open space, but the case works with most third-party MagSafe accessories too. And here’s a bonus: when you’re not using an accessory, you can actually see the color of your iPhone through that open space. If you bought a gorgeous new iPhone color, why hide it completely?
The new iPhone 17 is here, and if you’re planning to use MagSafe accessories, OpenCase is worth a look. Head over to TheOpenCase.com and use promo code SPARKY for 10% off. That’s TheOpenCase.com with promo code SPARKY for 10% off.
We had a lot of fun in October in the MacSparky Labs. October 2025 highlights include various posts such as Building a Handwritten Text Converter with AI, the weekly Lab Report updates, a book club selection, and events focused on iPad Workflows after iPadOS 26 and Labs Jam Session – Mac mini Server. Key activities also feature video releases and member-exclusive content.
Here’s what took place in the Labs for the month of October 2025:
If you’d like to be a part of the MacSparky Labs, you can get more information and join right here.
In this week’s episode: Happy Halloween, Y’all!
… This is a post for MacSparky Labs Members only. Care to join? If you’re already a member, you can log in here.
In this Deep Dive session for October, I demo my current setup on iPad since we now have iPadOS 26. Thanks for everyone who joined me for this event and shared what their iPad experience has been.… This is a post for the MacSparky Labs Pathfinder members. Care to join? If you’re already a member, you can log in here.