Kagi News: A News Site That Respects Your Time

I have a problem with news consumption. I want to stay informed about what’s happening in the world, but I don’t want it to absorb my entire day. More importantly, I’m tired of the slant. Every major news outlet seems to have an agenda, and I find myself spending more time filtering editorial bias than actually learning what happened.

So I’ve been looking for a way to get a neutral, comprehensive news briefing without the time sink. That’s a tall order, but Kagi’s new product Kagi News might actually deliver on it.

If you’re not familiar with Kagi, they’re the folks behind the paid search engine that doesn’t track you or show ads. I interviewed Kagi’s founder on Mac Power Users and found him to be an insightful and sincere guy. They’ve built a reputation for respecting users’ time and attention, so when they launched a news app, I paid attention.

Kagi News takes a fundamentally different approach. Instead of an endless feed that updates constantly throughout the day, you get one comprehensive press review delivered at 12:00 UTC. That’s it. One daily briefing designed to be consumed in about five minutes.

The system reads thousands of community-curated RSS feeds from publications around the world and uses AI to synthesize them into digestible summaries. Each story includes a summary, highlights, key quotes, a timeline, context, and potential impact. If you want to dive deeper, there’s a one-tap link to the original source. It’s aggregation, not editorial.

I’ve been testing Kagi News and I’m cautiously optimistic. The once-daily update means I’m not constantly checking for new stories. I open the app in the morning, spend five minutes getting caught up, and move on with my day. That alone is a huge win.

If you want to stay informed without the doomscrolling, Kagi News is worth trying. It won’t replace in-depth reading on topics you care deeply about, but as a daily briefing to keep you generally informed, it’s solid.

The app is free to download and use. You can get it from the App Store or access it on the web.

OmniFocus Updates

As OmniFocus went through its SwiftUI transition leading up to version 4, I heard from a lot of readers who were impatient with the slow upgrade. That is no longer a problem. Now that OmniFocus is firmly in SwiftUI, updates are coming quickly.

Version 4.7 added an entirely new data type, “Planning” Dates, which I’m still trying to wrap my head around for how I’m going to use. They also added the ability to create mutually exclusive tags like prioritization and energy level assignment. Repeat functionality has also become easier.

Then, while I was finishing up this post, OmniFocus lapped me and released version 4.8, which modernizes the app for Liquid Glass and adds Foundation Model support for Artificial Intelligence right inside OmniFocus. So you could make a new project and have the AI structure take steps for you. Keep it up, Omni Group.

Automating Project Creation using MCP with OmniFocus

On a whim, I decided to have Claude review my quarterly and monthly planning documents and then automatically generate my monthly and quarterly goal projects in OmniFocus. It’s an interesting new way to automate and, surprisingly, it worked on the first go.
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The Looming M6 MacBook Pro

For some time we’ve been hearing rumors of the M6 MacBook Pro due to be released late next year or early 2027. Note this is not the incoming M5 MacBook Pros expected in soon or early next year (depending on which rumor you believe), but instead the M6 MacBook Pro that comes after that.

This would be the first redesign of the MacBook Pro since Apple switched over to Apple Silicon. I think most folks are pretty happy with the current design of the MacBook Pro, but this sounds like it’s really taking it up a notch. The rumors are that it has an OLED screen and possibly even a touchscreen. The notch is supposed to go away. It may be getting Apple’s new cellular chip, making it the first Mac with onboard cellular, and the whole thing is supposed to be driven by the M6 2nm chip.

The rumor that the redesign will also make it thinner and lighter has folks nervous, but I think Apple learned its lesson with the butterfly keyboard. If it becomes thinner and lighter, I expect Apple to avoid any unforced errors.

I’m sure Apple is perturbed by all these rumors, given that the M5 MacBook Pro hasn’t even been released yet. Regardless, I think many potential buyers will be tempted to wait for M6.

Focused 240: Q4 Planning

Mike and I attempt to end 2025 on a high note by reviewing the last quarter and planning the next one on this episode of Focused. Also, Mike made a planner.

This episode of Focused is sponsored by:

  • Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code FOCUSED.
  • Incogni: Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code FOCUSED with this link and get 60% off an annual plan.
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Direct Mail: Email Marketing That Feels at Home on Your Mac (Sponsor)

This week MacSparky is sponsored by Direct Mail for Mac. If you run a business, a side hustle, a podcast, or just want to stay in touch with a community, you know how important great email marketing can be.

The brand-new Version 7 is a huge leap forward. This update brings a host of new features, including a reimagined user interface, smarter list management, powerful email sign-up forms, upgraded reporting, and all-new tools to help your emails stand out. Whether you’re sending to 10 people or 10,000, Direct Mail gives you the tools to do it professionally and painlessly.

If you’ve ever been frustrated with clunky email marketing websites, or just want something that feels right at home on your Mac, I encourage you to check out Direct Mail. It’s free to download and try, and there’s no subscription required if you prefer a pay-as-you-go option. You can be up and running with your first campaign in just minutes. Get started today and grow your audience with powerful, Mac-first email marketing tools.

Mac Power Users 817: macOS Tahoe, visionOS, & watchOS 26

From Liquid Glass to a stronger Spotlight, macOS Tahoe reshapes the Mac. Spotlight now remembers your clipboard and taps into App Intents, while Apple’s apps gain updates to match their mobile counterparts. We got a lot to talk about on this episode of Mac Power Users. 

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code MPU.
  • Indeed: Join more than 3.5 million businesses worldwide using Indeed to hire great talent fast.
  • SQLPro Studio: A simple, powerful database manager for macOS, iOS and Windows. Get 30% off with code RELAY30.